The wilds of Ontario’s Highlands don’t just call to people like Melissa Tong, they shape them. Melissa is an explorer of Haliburton Highlands’ wild spaces – a wanderer of its meandering rivers, deep, quiet lakes, and trails untrodden – but her journey did not begin here.

Born and raised in Niagara Falls, Melissa became a convert to the rural way of life after a drive through Algonquin Park in 2001, where she was blown away by the beauty she discovered.  With education in recreation, Melissa sought out her first outdoors job in Haliburton Highlands, and was immediately hooked by the beauty of the wilderness, and the opportunities to explore nature at a slower pace, particularly through bodies of water. 

“Water is very healing, for me paddling is a way to connect with water, to connect with raw nature,” Melissa said. “The sound of the paddle dipping into the water…it’s like nature in its most authentic form. The ripples I make when I paddle remind me that we are part of a bigger picture.”

For Melissa, the forests and waterways of Haliburton Highlands have become the conduit for discovering more about the world around her and connecting with the outdoors through hiking, paddling, and exploring. For more than a decade, she has dedicated her life to continuing that exploration and helping others to discover their own passion for the outdoors.

After working in various outdoor and recreation centres in Haliburton Highlands, Melissa landed a position at the Bark Lake Leadership & Convention Centre in Haliburton in 2005, a move that was instrumental in shaping her career path, and helping her find her way in work, and in life.

“Bark Lake was my forever job, a job that still pulls my heartstrings,” Melissa said. “It was very dynamic, I never sat still. One day I could be gardening, and the next on a ropes course, then another day clearing trails or doing a presentation…every day was so different.”

Melissa calls her years at Bark Lake her “growing years” of discovering herself through the outdoors and learning how to teach people. Teaching and learning have a special meaning for Melissa, who struggled for most of her life struggled with reading comprehension, a disability that was mitigated by spending time in nature.

For Melissa, nature’s language is universal, and paddling on the lakes and rivers in Ontario’s Highlands have granted her access to wild places she might not otherwise have been able to explore.

“The wild is so beautiful, the shape, the textures, it’s about appreciating what’s around you…if I can teach somebody something that inspires them to spend more time in nature, that’s my goal.”

Recently, Melissa moved on from her career in recreation to pursue training as a massage therapist and coach, a move that puts her in a better position to continue her journey of learning and discovery, only on the internal plane this time instead of the external.

In spite of her career shift, Melissa’s background in the outdoors has not abandoned her, or vice versa; spending time in the wilds of Haliburton Highlands continues to be a key means of grounding herself and connecting to the raw beauty of the wilderness.

Spending quiet time on the lakes or rivers of Haliburton Highlands that are untouched by human development continues to be an invitation for Melissa to reflect on the beauty of the ecosystem and her role in it.

"Those places are so full of activity, they are a sacred space where you can forget how small you are, it reminds your where your place is in the world, and lastly, to be kind and humble."

Summer
Hiking