BY SASHENKA PAATZ
Glamorous camping, also known as glamping, has become a popular vacation experience.
Many people enjoy the fully furnished canvas tents at Cotton Co. throughout the year. The tents include luxurious furniture, a bathroom and an outdoor cookhouse. Cotton Co. supplies a wood-stove heater for chilly summer nights and -30 degree winter nights in the Muskokas.
A couple spent their New Years weekend in freezing weather that reached -33 degrees celsius. Cotton Co., located just outside the small town of Bracebridge, offered a unique experience for them.
“We went to Ottawa last year and Vegas the year before,” said Toronto resident Drew Humphrey. “We do something different every year.”
The Humphreys embraced the extreme cold of this season. They spent most of their time outside during their weekend getaway.
“I just thought it would be like an adrenaline rush to do the glamping and the snowmobiling,” said Humphrey.
Their vacation was a new adventure. The couple experienced the wilderness instead of spending another New Year’s vacation in the city.
“I just think of work when I’m in the city. I just love being out in nature,” said Humphrey.
The Humphreys are not the only people willing to spend their time in the Great White North. Brian DeLong, employee at Cotton Co., loves his job as much as his customers.
“I really enjoy the solitude and being able to admire all of creation around me. When we are not outside working, time goes by so fast that you don’t even notice what is happening around us or in nature. We miss so much,” said DeLong.
DeLong has been working outside for most of his career life. He started his job at Cotton Co. when it was founded in the summer of 2017. Since then, he has met over a hundred customers.
DeLong’s job allows him to share his love for nature with others. People come from around the world to experience glamping in the Muskokas.
“People want to try new thrilling experiences to set their year apart from the usual everyday life,” said DeLong.
He wants others to get the chance to experience the outdoors like he does every day. In his opinion, it’s the best way to start the new year. He believes that if others try it out, they would feel the same.
“Glamping is an opportunity to experience something that few others have done, especially in winter. It’s a chance to experience nature and a past way of life that would give you a different perspective on life,” said DeLong.
For more information on this glamping experience, visit www.cottonco.ca.
