Early last spring my husband and I decided we needed to get away from it all. We wanted to go somewhere where there were no computers, no telephones and few people - somewhere to share a wilderness experience.
While scouring travel brochures, I came across The Homestead, a cabin resort in Ontario's Haliburton Highlands. It promised boating, fishing, solitude and a variety of spectacular nature experiences, depending on what time of year you visited. Immediately, we made a reservation for the first week of June - off-season. Most people wouldn't start holidays until their children were out of school for the summer.
We left early on a Saturday morning and drove east through the congested heart of Toronto. From there, we took Highway 427 to Highway 11. Six hours after leaving southern Ontario, we pulled into the driveway of The Homestead. The place looked deserted.
Our hosts were a wonderful couple in their fifties. Their genuine hospitality gave us the feeling of being right at home. In addition, they had a friendly Alaskan Malamute named Frosty who helped ease the ache of missing our own dog.
We arranged for a boat for the next day, unpacked the car and settled into our cozy cabin. Early the next morning, we set off to do some fishing. Being on the lake was a fantastic experience. The crystal water afforded us a great view of what lay in its depths. Large moss-covered rocks, algae and schools of fish made our spirits soar.
The scenery was breathtaking. Several islands dotted the lake. Pine trees seventy feet tall stretched to the sky. A wide variety of birds nested here.
We watched a hawk soar into the sky from an old rotten tree branch. He glided on the wind currents, then with wings and feet out-stretched, hit the water. In his sharp talons was a nice sized fish. He flapped his wings, climbed into the sky, fish flapping, and disappeared.
It was a beautiful day. Cool enough for light jackets but just the right temperature for a day of fishing. We anchored near the shore of one of the islands, cast our lines and waited.
On shore, we watched a doe come out of the woods and lift her nose to sniff the air. Then, she huffed a soft whoofing sound. The wind currents sent the sounds our way but since she was up-wind, she didn't smell us.
Out from the trees came two spotted fawns - twins. They walked behind their mother to the shore and drank deeply of the cold, clear lake water. After a few minutes, the doe lifted her head and looked directly at us. She gave a loud snort, flagged her tail and stamped her feet. The two fawns wheeled and leaped back into the forest, followed closely by their mother.
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