Rouge River

Lily Pad Peril, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

Photo featured as BlogTO's Photo of the Day 

Date: September 1, 2013

Time: ~7:45 AM to ~10:15 AM

Launch Point: Rouge River Park

Destination: As far up the river as possible

Crew: Frank Lemire, Michael Mitchener & William Self

Conditions: Slow current, slight wind and warm temperatures.

Sightings: Four kayaks, one canoe, several fisherman, three trains, a couple white birds, a few herons, many lily pads, and more golf balls than you can count.

Untitled, a photo by William Self on Flickr.

We decided to explore the Rouge River today located in Scarborough which enters Lake Ontario at Rouge River Park.  While William had visited the park before, none of us had navigated the river by boat and we were looking forward to exploring the Rouge to see how far north we could travel.

Marsh Tree, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

There were a few fisherman with lines in the river when we arrived and setup but after pushing off and heading upstream we were all on our own.  Almost instantly, you felt like you were outside of the city surrounded by trees, marsh and the sound of insects.  

Untitled, a photo by William Self on Flickr.

The river is slow to start with and it was an easy paddle as we moved into the marshy delta.  We saw several birds including cranes and a large white bird that sort of looked like a heron (apologies to birders).  While you could see the odd home up on the banks of the river, there is not much on the river itself other than the odd neglected dock, or ruins of an old cottage.

Beware of Snakes, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

The river moves slowly and was fairly easy to paddle as long as we kept to the outside banks on the curves where the deep water is.  There are many low hanging trees over the rivers and a surprisingly large amount of golf balls visible through the water along our route (we never figured that one out).

Untitled, a photo by William Self on Flickr.

After awhile we could hear the drone of the 401 and we soon passed underneath the 14 lane highway.  The superstructure supporting the highway is substantial and while you zip by on the highway without considering the Rouge River below, it would have been no small task to build the bridges at the time.

Untitled, a photo by William Self on Flickr.

Untitled, a photo by William Self on Flickr.

Soon after the 401, the current picked up and we found ourselves dodging boulders and running out of water at times.  While it may have opened up ahead, we decided to turn Nessie around and head back down the river.  We realized that there was a significant current as the river helped us along as we paddled.  Passing a few kayakers on our way, we ended up back at the mouth of the river and explored some of the marshes and lily pads before calling it a day.

Railway Bridge, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

Untitled, a photo by William Self on Flickr.

While it was a longer ride home than we're use to from other urban voyageur trips, it was worth the extra distance and we hope to return to the Rouge in the fall to check out the fall colours along the river.  The morning ended with a coffee and scone at the Last Drop Cafe.  All in all a great morning.

Post Paddle, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

For more images from this trip, please visit Frank Lemire's photoset.

Nessie Adrift [Killbear]

Nessie Adrift, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

I took Nessie to Killbear for a few days and enjoyed the time on the water. Georgian Bay is "big" water and can get fairly rough but we picked our days and had some great trips. Killbear is as beautiful as always.

Canoe Landing

Tom's Canoe, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

Photo featured as BlogTO's Photo of the Day.

I had planned to go canoeing for real this weekend but that didn't work out so I went for an urban adventure instead and checked out Tom Thomson's Canoe at Canoe Landing Park. It's a sculpture by Dougland Coupland and worth a visit.

Portage, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

Red Canoe, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

Canoe Landing, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

Silver Dollar [Leslie Spit]

Little Red Boat, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

Time: ~5:30 AM to ~7:30 AM

Launch Point: Cherry Beach, Toronto, Ontario

Destination: Lighthouse on Leslie Spit (attempted)

Crew: Michael Mitchener & William Self
Conditions: Light winds with choppy seas and occasional whitecaps.

Sightings: Some punk senior citizen playing loud fifties music in the parking lot, large rolling swells, a irritable beaver w/dam, a couple of fisherman, and a magnificent espresso machine worth more than $20K.

We decided to get serious about beating the sunrise this morning and arrived at Cherry Beach way before 5:30 am!  Given the early arrival, we finished up our picked-up-en-route coffees and discussed the breeze and choppy water while listening to fifties rock from the stereo of the only other car in the parking lot (odd).  The lake is usually pretty calm in the morning but not today.  After the SC punk took off, we unloaded our gear along with Nessie and hit the beach.  Bill had the honours today and we headed out onto the choppy lake. 

Our plan was to head out to the lighthouse at the end of the Spit and I was hoping to go around the point and check out some of the lagoons I see ships moor in when out cycling on the Spit.  We soon discovered that the rough water was indeed rough the farther we paddled from shore.  The swells rolling in from across the lake were fairly big and while Nessie was brave and true, her bow was coming fairly close to the water line on some of the downward troughs.  While not overly concerned about the canoe or us as Nessie can handle some rough weather, we decided it might be wise to store our cameras in dry-bags until we reached calmer waters.

Deadheads, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

About this time we decided it would be unwise to continue to the exposed end of the Spit and veered east towards the sheltered creepy cormorant trees.  Once we passed the sunken barge, the lake calmed down considerably and we were able to relax and pull our cameras out again.  The lake is quite high as noted by the amount of visible deadheads in the bay by the cormorants, and our ability to get through some channels that are typically hit and miss.

1000 Cormorants and a Moon, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

We had a good tour around the various bays and the marina near the red bridge and had a minor altercation with the damn beaver.  He hates it when we smack our paddles on the water but he started it.

After an enjoyable paddle exploring the sheltered western side of the spit, we put our cameras back into the dry-bags and headed across the open bay to the lifeguard hut.  The paddle back was easier with the wind behind us as we rode the swells.  Once ashore, we took a few more photos, goofed around and headed back to Queen Street for a real coffee.  Unfortunately most of the coffee joints were still closed but thankfully we found the Tango Palace open.  They have an amazing copper and brass espresso machine that makes a fine Americano.

Nessie at Rest, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

All and all, it was another great urban voyageur adventure complete with a new collectible to boot!  How cool is that?  Thanks.

The Birds [Leslie Spit]

Time: ~7:30 AM to ~9:30 AM

Launch Point: Cherry Beach, Toronto, Ontario

Destination: Leslie Spit

Crew: Michael Mitchener with neighbours Alan & Amanda
Conditions: Breezy with choppy waters

Sightings: Cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants,cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, cormorants, and a few more cormorants.

I had a great paddle with my neighbours this morning out and about near the Spit.  It was a breezy morning but enjoyable with a paddle around the marina and out past the red bridge to the dead trees.  

 























Alan, who is an amazing photographer, was fascinated by the multitudes of cormorants nesting in the trees and took many photos.  By the time we headed back across the bay, the wind and waves had picked up a great deal and we had to work to get back to shore but it made for a great workout and a great morning.  I hope to get Alan and Amanda out again soon.

This to That [Toronto Islands]

The Morning After, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

Time: ~5:30 AM to ~9:00 AM

Launch Point: Cherry Beach, Toronto, Ontario

Destination: Toronto Islands

Crew: Michael Mitchener & William Self
Conditions: Light and variable winds with smooth seas

Sightings: Tall ships (from a distance), sleepy boaters, duck w/ducklings, a swimmer with face firmly planted in the lake, dragonboaters, rowers, one stand-out island home, sunrise, Cherry Beach dogs, and a lot of tree fluff.

Today was the first canoe trip of the year (I know Dean, there's no excuse) and it was great to get back on the water and take Nessie for a spin.  We headed out at 5:00 am to Nessie's new home with no problems and hit the beach around 5:30.  Surprisingly, there was no one there!  Given this was the first paddle of the year, we treated ourselves to a wee dram of scotch whiskey with a borrowed line from a boat blessing by Lucille Clifton as a toast (full verse appended at the end of this blog entry):

May you in your innocence sail through this to that

Untitled, a photo by William Self on Flickr.

Untitled, a photo by William Self on Flickr.

The scotch was smooth and peaty and surprisingly good at 5:30 in the morning and a perfect way to start the season.  From there we pushed off from the shore and headed over to the Islands with Bill in command.  T'was a beautiful morning with smooth seas and warm temperatures.  We were hoping to see some tall ships but found they were docked across the bay and decided we'd stick to the island side of the harbour. 

Absolutely No Wake, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

Untitled, a photo by William Self on Flickr.

It was a peaceful paddle through the various marinas, channels and lagoons as we made our way past Far Enough Farm to Centre Island where we realized this was dragonboat weekend and there was much activity in preparation for the races.  We opted not to venture into the dragonboat course and headed back to Cherry Beach along the north side of the islands past the RCYC.  By now, water taxis and ferries were starting to make their runs back and forth to the city so we kept our distance and took a few pictures.  

Untitled, a photo by William Self on Flickr.

Untitled, a photo by William Self on Flickr.

Untitled, a photo by William Self on Flickr.

 After a while, we found ourselves back at Cherry Beach where we took our time unloading and wandered the beach taking pictures.  We followed the paddle with a coffee at Mercury Espresso Bar, took Nessie back to her home and called it a day.  All in all a great morning and hopefully one of many this summer.  Next trip we hope to include Frank Lemire who was slumming in Muskoka this weekend.  Thanks Bill for a great paddle. 

A Suitable Buoy II, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

Untitled, a photo by William Self on Flickr.

blessing the boats

by Lucille Clifton
(at St. Mary’s)

may the tide

that is entering even now

the lip of our understanding

carry you out

beyond the face of fear

may you kiss

the wind then turn from it

certain that it will

love your back may you

open your eyes to water

water waving forever

and may you in your innocence

sail through this to that