Janet Hale’s Story

We arrived on Paudash Lake at the urgings of my brother, Mike and my sister in law, Donna in 2015. Our family is from Montreal, Quebec and we had always been on a lake in both the winter and summertime. Our family had sold the family cottage on Lake Mephramagog, as many of the siblings had moved to Ontario and everyone was getting tired of the 7 hour drive back to Quebec. 

Mike and Donna scouted the lakes of Northern Ontario and settled on Paudash Lake. It met their criteria of being a clean lake, a big enough lake for boating and discovering the nooks and crannies of the lake, a marina and a restaurant you can boat to, on the lake. They, I’m sure will tell you their story! Sadly the restaurant is no longer on the lake.

My other siblings and I ended up buying Paudash Shores, adjacent to Mike and Donna’s property so we could become a family compound, each with our own cottage but able to share our resources and have fun together. 

My special memories are… 

  • lying on the dock with our pillows and blankets and watching the shooting stars in August  

  • watching my daughter waterski the course in the calm waters, with the mist rising off of Paudash Lake.

  • getting ice cream at the marina

  • jumping off the cliffs and then getting an ice cream 

  • yoga on my dock

  • going for boat cruises in the fall - wandering around the lake and watching the brilliance of the leaves

  • bonfires with family and friends

  • trying to make maple syrup in the Spring, after Mike has tapped the trees

  • following Mike and Ron cross country skiing through the woods on our own trail and often getting lost, but definitely laughing.

Funny Story: It was Christmas Day 2015 and the water was open, no ice on the lake. My nephews Pat and Ryan Hale said “lets go water skiing”. As my family is always up for a challenge, my brother Mike Hale figured he might be able to get the jet ski to pull them around the lake. Pat was first to go slalom, starting with a jump start and he made it around the whole bay without even getting wet. Except until his infamous landing where he forgot about our very shallow area at the beach - and did a face-plant into the beach, just as he was walking out of his ski. Almost made it! Ryan, never one to forgo a challenge, and wanted to offer up something different, made it all around the bay on the wakeboard and no falls.     

What do I cherish about Paudash Lake?  Feeling the calmness of the lake, my daily swims to the rock and time with family and friends.