Paul Myers and his family are staying warm in their vehicle as they anxiously wait for a hovercraft to pick them up and take them out across Lake Nipissing to a cottage.
"I don't know what to expect. Just the excitement of this is a lot. It's just a neat vehicle. It just took a bunch of guys out across the lake to the island. We're looking forward to it, it's our first time."
Shelley Myers has mixed emotions.
"I'm really nervous about the hovercraft. Actually, they've been making fun of me because I thought I should wear my life jacket, but they said if they broke down I'd look really funny running around the ice with a life jacket on," she laughed.
"It is a new experience."
Within minutes, the hovercraft becomes visible, effortlessly skimming the frozen water across Callander Bay.
Owner Craig Ash has been using the vehicle for the past year. It's all about accessibility.
A hovercraft is capable of gliding over land, water, mud, ice and other surfaces.
"I use it all season, every season no matter the temperature, other than maybe waves."
It offers benefits that traditional modes of transportation used to get across the ice, like snow machines, 4 wheelers, cars, and trucks, aren't always capable of providing.
"The conditions are so inconsistent here, that sometimes there's too much slush, not enough ice, too much ice no snow. There are different currents that go underneath the ice, so it becomes dangerous in certain sections in Callander Bay. I can go over anything whenever I want," said Ash.
"I think there's another one at the south end of the lake. I have heard there is another one out there, but this is the only one on this side that I know of."
It may take a few trips to get everything and everyone out to the final destination.
"It goes mostly by weight, but I can get four to five people with relative ease, providing they don't have a lot of gear."
The vehicle is strictly for personal use.
"Everybody looks and gawks. I've got offers of $50 for rides. It's a little bit unusual but it's more practical than it is fun."