It was a beautiful day in the summer of 2019. That day, I had been invited to my friend’s cottage in the Trent Lakes municipality. It could not have been a more perfect day: The sky was the purest shade of blue without a cloud in sight and the sun was shining brilliantly.

When I arrived, my friend asked me if I wanted to go out for a ride on their speedboat. I was instantly intrigued; I had never gone speed-boating before. But it sounded like a lot of fun, and looking back I’m very thankful I accepted the offer. We quickly applied some sunscreen, put on our sandals and climbed on to the speedboat. From the moment my friend’s mom started the engine, I knew I was in for a thrilling ride.

The boat accelerated quickly, and soon we reached high speeds. The trail of water lagging behind, the feeling of acceleration through the water and the crisp air flowing by gave me a feeling that was unparalleled. The lake was immense, stretching out for acres in every direction. In choppy parts of the lake, we’d get refreshing splashes of water to cool us down, almost like it was some sort of Splash Mountain remake.

Eventually we reached a sandbar, a part of the lake that had a raised area of sand, almost simulating a beach. That might have been my favourite part of this whole experience. The water was extremely welcoming to swim in, and the sand was softer than any I’d ever felt before. We played many games there, including Volleyball and “Keep Up”. Spending that hot summer day on the lake felt incredible, and I think that it was then that I really understood how important it is that water bodies like this one be protected.