It was a big deal when I was twelve years old and going on my first five hour road trip with my friends. I was a bit nervous to start the trip, which was planned through my church youth group for no particular reason. It felt completely unreal when we got on the highway, and the road trip began. Everyone was super loud, laughing, and enjoying the trip. My friends and I were getting a little rowdy, and it looked like we were going to have a great time. I remembered when we got to Tobermory, the first thing we saw was the water. I had never seen water like the water we were looking at. It was bright and crystal blue and did not feel like we were in Canada. I remembered it felt super surreal.

Swimming really excited me, but I was also scared. I could especially see shadows under the water, which made the idea of swimming into caves feel even creepier. I also noticed small fish moving about, which made everything even more unfamiliar. I had to hype myself up to swim in the caves, but it was much easier to do with my friends there, too. I felt fear for the first few moments of swimming, but it quickly turned into excitement after. Looking back, everything we did that day depended on that water. None of those moments would have been possible without Georgian Bay.

One part of the trip I'll never forget was when a few of us decided to swim around part of the island, just for fun. It was not planned, but that just sort of happened. One of my friends wore slides, cramping about halfway through. I stayed with him to help float and to swim the rest of the way. It was tiring, but at that age, moments like that really mattered. That experience was a turning point to view us differently. It was no longer just a group of friends, but more like a family. That group brings nostalgia every time we talk about the trip.