MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Winter 2021

58 to sit beneath its twisted branches. Construction of the seven circuits of The Labyrinth, dutifully weaving through a stand of farmed pines, was a “labour of the soul” for Neil, and if I hadn’t been so distracted by the fresh critter tracks I repeatedly traversed and documented, I may have found some connection there in the centre. But resisting the spiritual nature of this place was futile, I knew; it was in The Sound Forest that I eventually surrendered. If not for the cold penetrating my multi-layer pants, I believe I could have lingered beneath those resonating, methodically tuned wind chimes installed high in the pine canopy for hours—no, days. Packing my bag, procrastinating departure with a second round of woodstove coffee, I found it physically difficult to leave, to close the cabin door one last time. There is a magic in this place, whether inherent or cultivated or a little of both. A hushed, deep kind of magic that won’t take no for an answer. And, in the end, I believe that magic would not have shattered with a little Thermos of red sipped at the base of a venerable old maple. In fact, I think we both would have savoured it. Neil Baldwin hosts Airbnb guests at the cordwood cabin, located about 20 minutes southwest of Owen Sound, but acknowledges it will never be a money-making endeavour. For him it’s merely a matter of welcoming people to the space, of sharing it. As a trained Labyrinth Facilitator, his passion for that creation is contagious. He invites day visitors to experience the winding path through registration on his website: offgridretreat.ca.