Though we can't yet tell you what it is, we now know a lot of things it isn't. It's not any of the standard markers used in surveying, we were assured by Ontario land surveyors Paul Forth and Bob Hawkins, both of Parry Sound. Nor is it a recognized style of trail marker, says Alison Watt of the Bruce Trail Association, who passed your photos around her office.

"I forwarded the picture to my colleagues, but nobody knows what this marker represents or who would have put it there," says Rhonda Sowers, a fish and wildlife technician for the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. "You've stumped us," admits Amy Taylor, office manager for Muskoka Tourism, after showing the pictures around. And Stephen Gilmour of the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs tells us that even if there were an official snowmobile trail in the area, it would be designated by standard road signs instead of a blue disk.

Al Higgs, president of the Go Home Lake Cottage Owner's Association, failed to find any members who had even spotted the marker. Cathy Rand of the Five Winds Ski Touring Club (a cross-country skiing group that maintains a trail near Go Home) says their markers are yellow and, anyway, there are none in the area. Bob Gilman, senior lands specialist with the Ministry of Natural Resources in Parry Sound, ruled out ministry wildlife projects as the source.

So we're throwing the question out to readers. Does anyone recognize this marker (in photo at left), found a few metres off Muskoka Road 32 (the Go Home Lake Road)? By now, there are dozens of people as curious as we are!