We’re just back from a lovely week at a cottage down near Perth, Ontario. It’s on the north side of Christie Lake which is a very nice, clean and deep freshwater lake. We were at this cottage last July as well and as I did last year, I made a point of doing some “wild swimming” every morning when I woke up.

Wild swimming is what I call swimming. Over the last few years, people have seemingly discovered that you can swim in lakes, rivers and even the ocean! Amazing. Who knew that you could swim somewhere other than a swimming pool? Me. I knew.

In the summertime I wake up most mornings between 5:45am and 6:00am (right around sunrise). Each day on this cottage visit, I quietly got out of bed and made my way down the 40 or so steps to the dock on the lake. After taking a photo to document the time and lake conditions, I made my way off the dock and out into the water for a swim.

Sometimes it was five minutes and sometimes it was more like 10-15 minutes. But whatever the case, I always made sure I start the day by wading into the lake. It’s always peaceful, quiet and serene. No boats, no traffic, no sounds of anything other than the odd loon and the quiet splashes I make wading in and swimming around in the water. Just a few moments to wake up and be there for a bit before the day starts.

I also went for one swim late at night at around 9:30pm That is a decidedly different experience. The moon is the only illumination and the water changes from being transparent to being completely black with no sunshine to illuminate the depths. It’s just as quiet though, with fireflies on the banks and the odd loon call coming in across the darkness of the lake.

Here’s my photos from each day.