Thursday, April 25

Unusual Flooding in Muskoka Wakes Us All Up

The road to Trenanthia Cottage is nearly
unrecognizable following recent flooding. 
The last week may have been a case of be-careful-what-you-wish-for here in Muskoka, as the warmer temperatures and nearly Biblical-intensity rains flooded the region in record levels.

Sure, we wanted to see a thaw, and were eager for steamboat and canoeing season, but this is a bit ridiculous! :)

Have a look...



Remembering to be Careful What We Wish for - and Grateful for What We Have - in Cottage Country


In Gravenhurst, one road washed away altogether, while Bracebridge and Huntsville took the brunt of the flooding. Both towns declared states of emergency following washed-out roads, damage to homes and flooded businesses. In fact, roughly 1,000 Bracebridge residents evacuated to the city's Sportsplex to wait out the flood.

As in nearly any disaster of this nature, however, there are good Samaritans lending a hand and helping to shelter those displaced by high water.  Thankfully, we have one of those same good Samaritans on hand in the form of our property manager, Randy.

Getting in touch with nature


Here at Trenanthia Cottage, we saw the river overflow its' banks and flood our road. Normally, a beautiful 1 kilometer drive through splendid forest and breasted by a river, our road is a spectacular way of getting in touch with nature:

Summer splendour

Winter warmth

Fall colour

And fauna all year round

Perhaps a little too close to nature this time though?


Last weekend, some of our guests experienced an unplanned adventure!  Thankfully this group of enterprising folks were not thwarted when we contacted them earlier in the week with upcoming weather reports and ideas on how best to tackle the situation, which included offering to boat them in to the cottage.   Intrepid as they were, they managed to get their supplies to the cottage in their 4-wheel-drive pickup truck. Our equally intrepid property manager, Randy, helped to arrange parking on higher ground for the other guests' cars and the drivers of those vehicles hiked in for their stay. Now those are some dedicated cottagers!

Fortunately, the group of hearty adventurers regarded the inclement weather as an unusual, yet fun, challenge and ended up having a wonderful stay. In fact the Saturday portion of their holiday was relatively uneventful, weather-wise, allowing for some great fishing followed by relaxing in the hot tub.

Being grateful


All that said, the flooding has made us ever mindful of those things and people to be grateful for, particularly the rugged, yet caring spirit of Muskokans (that includes you, Randy!)

Thankfully the rain is supposed to let up, allowing floodwaters to recede this week and for the wonderful spring weather to continue to pop up all around us. Just what we've been wishing for - gulp :}