The Urban Voyageur

Labour Day

2011-09-05T18:27:00.020-04:00

Labour Day, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.Date: September 5, 2011
Time: ~8:30 AM to ~11:30 AM
Launch Point: Sunnyside Park
Destination: Humber River
Crew: Frank Lemire, Michael Mitchener & William Self
Conditions: Light chop, 17c, strong winds and cloudy skies.
Sightings: Many forms of transit including a streetcar, subway, Go Train, and a bus, as well as a number of interesting birds, an otter, several crazy fishermen, two shopping carts, and some blow-your-mind homes.

flying away, originally uploaded by syncros.

After a bit of a drought this summer as far as canoe trips go, we headed out for an overdue paddle this Labour Day up the Humber River. We hadn't paddled this far west before and we were unsure how far you could actually go up the river before you hit bottom but we intended to find out. From satellite pictures, the river seemed fairly shallow and we suspected that this might be one of our shorter canoe trips.

Rochester Bound, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

Fortunately, the river is more substantial we realized and we comfortably paddled our way to Bloor just near the Old Mill subway station. The Humber is a beautiful part of Toronto with many isolated sections where there is little to remind you that you're in the city. I was surprised how few bridges cross the river south of Bloor, in fact I don't recall any north of The Queensway.

Peanut Gallery, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

After an initial blustery start with the wind in our face, we found some quieter sections of the river and were able to enjoy the wildlife, the amazing homes that hang on the edge of the river and the river itself.

Urban Colours, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

If our collective memories serve us well, the Humber figured prominently in Hurricane Hazel many years ago and much development was wiped out along the river. Today, the banks of the river are mostly free from development other than the odd winding staircase coming down from a home above and the occasional dock or marina. Hurricanes are pretty rare in Toronto but they are always a possibility.

urban voyageur, originally uploaded by syncros.

All in all, we were surprised at the size and beauty of the river and it was well worth making the trek west of Yonge Street. After our paddle, we pushed our way back through the CNE traffic, across Yonge Street and headed to OK OK Diner for a tasty brunch, and several cups of coffee. It was a perfect way to spend Labour Day and we managed to finish our paddle before the temperatures plummeted. Thanks to my fellow voyageurs for a great day.

Table For Three, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

Sunrise Solo

2011-08-27T22:08:00.015-04:00

Sunrise Solo, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

Date: August 2011
Time: Various early morning trips at or shortly after sunrise
Launch Point: Killbear Provincial Park, Granite Saddle campground
Destination: Daisy's Beach, Dudley's Beach & Lighthouse Point
Crew: Michael Mitchener (solo)
Conditions: Calm waters due the early hour with a light rain one morning but otherwise clear skies
Sightings: A family of deer, one noble seagull, a lighthouse, and beautiful Georgian Bay scenery.

I spent a few days at Killbear this summer camping at Granite Saddle. It's a stunning part of the world and very photogenic.

Lighthouse Eclipse, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

Georgian Bay is notoriously unpredictable, so I tried to take early morning paddles for the calmer waters (and better light). My plan worked out and I had several enjoyable morning paddles where it seemed like I was the only person on the lake.

Ishmael, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

I enjoyed touring the perimeter of the park and photographing the Group-of-Seven-ish landscape.

Granite Saddle, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

We've done so much canoeing on Lake Ontario over the last few years, it was good to get Nessie out on another Great Lake (Huron). I look forward to next year.

Croc Hunter, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

Kelly Green

2011-07-09T22:49:00.010-04:00

Kelly Green, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

Date: July 4, 2011
Time: ~5:15 AM to ~7:00 AM
Launch Point: Cherry Beach
Destination: Inner Harbour & Leslie Spit
Crew: Kelly Visscher & Michael Mitchener
Conditions: Smooth seas and clear skies.
Sightings: Many, many, many cormorants; Chyna and her famous Mom; wolfhounds; and a number of rowers.

I had the opportunity to take my visiting sister out for a sunrise paddle recently. With the long days, we had a very early start and launched at Cherry Beach just as the sky was brightening. It was a calm, warm morning and it didn't take long for us to cross the harbour and reach the Spit. We quietly paddled around the many boats anchored in the harbour and explored the numerous bays and inlets of the Spit. The cormorants were in full frenzy as the sun crested the horizon but we were able to avoid any unfortunate incidents. As always, I felt like I was in an Alfred Hitchcock movie as the birds flew around the canoe.

In the Weeds, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

We circled back around past the Toronto Islands, across the Eastern gap and passed along the shore where numerous dog walkers were patrolling the beach. We spotted a familiar fuzzy face (Chyna) and her talented photographer Mom and had a run in with a gaggle of wolfhounds that were fascinated by Nessie.

Sunrise 5:46 AM, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

All in all a wonderful morning which we ended with a latte at Voulez-Vous Cafe. It was great to get Nessie on the water for the first paddle of the year! Thanks Kelly.

Flannel Friendly

2011-04-03T20:13:00.036-04:00

Photo by Steve Veale

With temperatures around -10 Celsius and 10 inches of snow on the ground, a group of friends and neighbours braved the elements to join Frank Lemire, Michael Mitchener and William Self for the February 3rd opening of our photography exhibition at Voulez-Vous Café.

Photo by Frank Lemire

It was a welcome evening of fun, flannel, food, fromage, drink and photography after a long, cold winter. The Urban Voyageur Show consisted of photographs taken by the trio while canoeing Toronto's waterways over the last two years.

Photo by Steve Veale

While we hadn't had the canoe on the lake since last October, Nessie made a welcome appearance inside the warm cafe and acted as a suitable mascot for the evening, as well as served up some great cheese.

Photo by Steve Veale

Many thanks to all that attended and helped to make this a successful exhibition and to Sean Lacey and his crew who hosted the evening and provided the always great cafe venue. Also, thanks to Steve Veale who took many of these Opening Night photos (along with Frank Lemire).

Photo by Steve Veale

The evening ran late (sorry Sean) and eventually wound up soon after negotiating Nessie through the crowd, out one of the cafe windows, and through the neighbourhood for a short snowy portage back to winter storage.

Photos by Frank Lemire

We were lucky enough to run the show into March for two full month's of canoe photography to help cafe customers combat the winter blues while sipping their lattes.

Photo by Steve Veale

All of us are looking forward to another season of canoeing, photography and lots of laughs. Thanks all.

Urban Voyageur Show (Opening Feb 3)

2011-01-19T20:12:00.005-05:00

Urban Voyageur Show, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

This coming February at the Voulez-Vous Café, Frank Lemire, William Self and Michael Mitchener will be exhibiting a collection of photographs taken during our canoe voyages through Toronto's gritty waterways.

We will be holding an official opening on the evening of February 3rd starting at 7:00 PM with promises of libations, cheese, music, and tales of exploration from the high seas of Lake Ontario. Join us if you can.

Poster designed by William Self

Think Pink

2010-10-09T21:26:00.018-04:00

Think Pink, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

Date: October 9, 2010
Time: ~6:15 AM to ~9:30 AM
Launch Point: Cherry Beach
Destination: Toronto Islands
Crew: William Self, Frank Lemire & Michael Mitchener
Conditions: Light chop and clear skies.
Sightings: The Ongiara, an odd cat-thing, "the" green house-boat, much fall foliage, the CN Tower (you don't see that everyday) and one stealth-like freighter.

After a summer of light canoeing, we were able to get our collective acts together and get out for a sunrise paddle this Thanksgiving weekend morning. We arrived at Cherry Beach in the dark and leisurely organized ourselves while enjoying a cup of Timmie's. Not surprisingly, Cherry Beach was pretty quiet other than a steamed up car or two. The canoe was in the water and all three of us were aboard (cold feet and all) with just a hint of light showing in the eastern sky.

Our goal was to explore the many channels and lagoons of the Toronto Islands and take in some of the fall colours so we kept close to shore in the dim light as we paddled towards the Eastern Gap. It was unusually quiet on the lake this morning, even for this time of day, and we saw very few boats or people for most of the trip. The city was beautifully reflected on the water as we approached Ward's Island with the Ongiara just leaving and heading to Toronto for what must have been one of the first runs of the morning.

Red Blue Canoe, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

As usual we took many pictures, had many laughs and most importantly, managed to keep the canoe upright and our cameras relatively dry. We paddled as far as the dragonboat course at Centre Island and then turned around to head back to Cherry Beach. As often is the case, the wind had picked up as the morning progressed and the water was pretty rough as we approached the Eastern Gap. Cameras went away into dry-bags as a precaution and we hunkered down to paddle into the wind. After a good work-out, and some lake spray, we made it across the channel, past the swimming dogs and back to the lifeguard station at Cherry Beach.

End of Season, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

We wrapped up the day with a tasty brunch and lots of coffee at Lady Marmalade's followed by a visit with Nikolai from Buffalo at Red Rocket Coffee. All and all a great morning paddle, a great meal, many great cups of coffee, and a great way to spend part of an unseasonably warm October weekend. I'm hoping we might manage to fit in one or two more canoe trips this year but if this turns out to be the last trip of the season, it was a fitting way to end the year.

Red Canoe at Dawn

2010-09-02T22:28:00.004-04:00

Red Canoe at Dawn, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

I haven't hit the water as much this summer as I'd like but I hope to make up for it late summer/early fall. Last week, I had a chance to visit Killbear Provincial Park near Parry Sound. This red canoe was spotted on a sunrise photo-walk near our campsite. Other than the canoe and myself, the beach was deserted and the canoe seemed quietly poised for another day on the cool waters of Georgian Bay. I also have an obsession with photographing anything that is red. Click.

Smooth Seas

2010-05-29T23:11:00.023-04:00

Bundle of Sticks, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

Date: May 29, 2010
Time: ~5:15 AM to ~8:30 AM
Launch Point: Cherry Beach/Clarke Beach
Destination: Outer Harbour
Crew: William Self, Frank Lemire & Michael Mitchener
Conditions: Smooth seas, near full moon, and clear skies.
Sightings: Many birds, a possible film crew and/or Ku Klux Klan members, Chyna, Louise, other dogs, other dog walkers, a beaver, and some ugly ass carp.

Port Blue, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

Today was the first sailing of newly named Nessie. It was a beautiful day and we arrived pre-sunrise with plenty of time to christen the canoe and suck back some scotch before putting paddle to lake. The Outer Harbour is a familiar route and generally well protected from the greater great lake. Today was no exception as we paddled the smooth waters of the west side of the Spit and explored the shoreline. The lake is notably lower than last year due to our mild winter and there were some areas we were not able to visit as we had in the past.

Beaver Dam, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

The birds are definitely back and we saw much wildlife in general. The Spit is not a bad place to hang out if you're a bird, fish or otter as much of the land is isolated from the large city across the bay. We had a decent paddle followed by excellent coffee and industrial muffins at the Red Rocket. Not a bad way to start a Saturday at all. Thanks to Bill and Frank for a great morning.

Turn Me Loose, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

The Christening

2010-05-29T22:14:00.008-04:00

The Christening, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

Well, today was the big day. After announcing that my canoe would be nameless no more, and asking for input, this morning was the official christening of... Nessie.

Thanks to everyone for your feedback and creative suggestions. It wasn't an easy decision. In the end, I went for a bit of a connection to my Scottish roots and the image of a green beast in the lake (or loch) that Nessie produces - for me anyway. I was very close to choosing a Gaelic name but after mentioning a couple options to friends, I realized none of us could actually pronounce a Gaelic name and this would limit the use of a name as a means of reference. Many thanks to my patient first-cousin-once-removed, Donna in Scotland who provided several translations.

Thanks to Bark (AKA Steve K) for suggesting Nessie in the first place. You know your boats and I owe you a sunrise paddle if you ever feel like leaving the house at 5 AM and canoeing around Lake Ontario. Just let me know.

Speaking of early mornings, Frank Lemire and William Self joined me this morning for a pre-sunrise launching of newly named Nessie. We hit the beach around 5:30 AM and figuratively broke a bottle of scotch on Nessie's bow. After a slug of Glenlivet and a toast to Slainte Mhath, we launched Nessie into the calm waters of Lake Ontario and explored the Outer Harbour. Thanks for a great morning (and for the Dixie cups Frank). As Bill mentioned, a pre-canoe toast might be something we want to make a tradition. Cheers.

Don the Paddle

2010-05-02T20:17:00.034-04:00

Date: May 2, 2010
Time: ~8:45 AM to ~11:15 AM
Launch Point: Ernest Thompson Seton Park
Destination: Keating Channel

Crew: William Self & Michael Mitchener
Conditions: Warm, overcast, occasional rain at times but thankfully no thunderstorms as Bill was using his metal paddle.
Sightings: Many birds, joggers, politicians, abandoned tires and shopping carts, some people living in the woods plus many, many canoeists and kayakers.

We took part in the annual Paddle the Don event today. The point of the race is to have fun, enjoy nature, and celebrate the Don River watershed. In short it was a blast and a perfect way to start the canoe season.

There are a limited number of boats allowed in the race and I think we were one of about 500 that started the day at Wilket Park near Eglinton and Leslie. After going through a thorough safety inspection where we discovered we were short one whistle, much to our embarrassment, we dropped the canoe in the water and started paddling down river. The Don is normally not a great canoe river but they raise the water level by about a foot for this event by lowering a dam upstream at G. Ross Lord Park at Dufferin and Finch. Today, the water was muddy, fairly fast, and generally deep enough for a canoe.

We soon started to get a feel of what to do and what not to do. Low hanging branches were to be avoided as they can tip you out of the canoe as the boat passes under them. As most canoeists know, you try to stay on the outside of bends in a river where the water tends to be deeper. Most importantly, large rocks are not your friend and should be avoided. We managed to stay away from most visible rocks but we did hit one particularly nasty submerged boulder near the beginning of the course. The canoe made a horrible crunching noise as we passed over it, but managed to recover as we continued on. From that point on, we paid closer attention to the canoe ahead of us to see what route they took and whether they found any rocks, which seemed to work. Other than a few scrapes, we were generally rock free from that point on.

We were amazed how long the route was and for the first half of the race, you wouldn't know you were in the city. It was truly beautiful as we rode the fast water between the trees, passing many bridges, joggers and of course, other canoes and kayaks. There were three portages along the route where we had to carry the canoe around a weir and reload on the other side. The first two portages went smoothly enough although the last one involved stepping into the river to push the canoe around some rocks before we could continue on with wet feet.

The bottom part of the race was surreal as we passed close to the Don Valley Parkway and under many bridges, highway overpasses and urban landmarks. I have to say this is the first time I've been in a canoe while watching a streetcar pass overhead.

It was also rather unusual to see the odd tent setup along the riverbank. There's a great deal of visible homelessness within the Don Valley and it was very apparent that some of these "campers" have been living alongside the Don for a great deal of time. Of course, the underside of the bridges south of the viaduct also served as shelter for Toronto's invisible minority.

We both decided to leave our real cameras at home for the race although we brought along one slightly defective, older point-n-shoot. It tends to add weird purple streaks to images and makes the sky pink, so I opted for black & white processing. We're glad we brought a camera but definitely glad we left the other hardware at home. It's not an extremely tough course but you do need to pay attention and we could have easily tipped over at many points in the course as others did.

All in all, it was a great day, a great event for a great cause and something we'd both do again. Thanks to everyone who provided a pledge towards Don River conservation. Thanks to your generosity, we were able to raise $235! Cheers.

Sheila Tequila

2010-03-27T00:00:00.006-04:00

Sheila, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

I came across an old shot of Sheila Tequila in my Dad's photos this week. I bought her at Woolco many years ago and enjoyed much camping, weekend paddles and general fun in her sturdy fibreglass form. You could fill her full of people, camping equipment, dogs, and beer and still plow through the roughest of waves without skipping a beat. When I moved from Vancouver to Toronto, Sheila didn't make the trip with me but I know she still had many more adventures. Thanks for the countless safe journeys and good times Sheila.

Please consider dropping by our Paddle the Don fund-raising page.

Paddle the Don

2010-03-25T23:31:00.002-04:00

Child of Nature, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

It's official. On Sunday, May 2nd, William Self and myself will be be joining over 400 other enthusiasts to participate in the ultimate urban environment tradition: a paddle down the Don River.

The 16th Annual Paddle the Don event brings together conservationists, business people and recreationalists to traverse one of Toronto's most important watersheds. All donations received will be put toward regeneration projects in the Don watershed.

I invite you to show your support of regeneration efforts on this urban river by sponsoring us as we paddle its lower reaches to Lake Ontario. Wish us luck :)

What's In A Name?

2010-03-13T12:03:00.004-05:00

What's in a Name?, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

My first canoe was orange, fibreglass, 17 feet in length and heavy as a pig. Despite Sheila Tequila's girth, we had many good times paddling, camping, partying, etc.

This is my second and current canoe which is obviously green, 15 feet in length and much lighter than Sheila but missing a name. Can you help? With double digit temperatures in the forecast, I'm thinking a name is way overdue and it won't be long before the first paddle.

Let me know if you have any suggestions or like/hate any of the following names:

Green Eggs & Ham
Evergreen
Urban Escape
Geeze Louise
Wave Runner
Sheila Tequila II
Barely A Wake
Channel Surfer
Green Meanie
It's Not Easy Being Green
Green Eyed Monster
Big C
Sea Monkey
Green Hornet

Your Suggestions:

Nessie
Evelyn
Miss Otis
Pea Pod
Gertrude
The Hulk
Envy
Downtime
Ogopogo
Jade Junket
Otter Buster
Greener Tequill'er
Lorne Green
Green Streak
Am Beathach Uaine
An Curach Uaine
Am Muncaidh Mara

I appreciate any suggestions or feedback. Thanks.

The First and Possibly Last Paddle of Fall

2009-09-27T22:36:00.029-04:00

Red Sky at Morning, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

Date: September 27, 2009
Time: ~6:15 AM to ~9:30 AM
Launch Point: Cherry Beach
Destination: Western shore of Leslie Spit

Passengers: William Self & Michael Mitchener
Conditions: Light winds with a slight chop.
Sightings: A few birds, one otter, one guy standing on surfboard crossing the bay using a kayak paddle, a Degrassi High film crew, a lone fisherman, and of course a few dogs on the beach.

Bill and I headed out for a paddle on Saturday knowing there might not be many more opportunities this year with fall upon us. Despite a pretty good wind when we arrived on the beach, the chop was light and once we headed out into the water, the Spit protected us from much of the wind.

A Buoy's Life, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

We were both surprised at how many stars and planets were visible as we paddled towards the Outer Harbour Marina. It wasn't long before the sky had brightened and we were treated to an amazing sunrise with lots of variations of light and colour. It was the type of sunrise that presents many photographic opportunities and different moods and views from well before sunrise to some time after the sun was comfortably above the horizon. To think I sleep through this show most mornings.

The morning was a good balance of seriously paddling with many breaks for pictures. We toured the Outer Harbour Marina and then headed south to the next marina near the red pedestrian bridge. It really sunk in to me that summer is over when we noticed that practically all of the creepy cormorants are gone and the Spit was strangely silent. We saw a few early morning joggers and cyclists out on the Spit and a lone fisherman nestled in the reeds near the red bridge, otherwise we had the place to ourselves. My first reaction to the sight of the fisherman was that he must be crazy to be out here this early but then I reminded myself that we were in the same boat.

William Self, Canoeist, originally uploaded by Michael Mitchener.

It was a great morning and we covered extra "ground" knowing we might not get out again until the spring but we did note that there are a fair number of deciduous trees on the Spit and we hope to make at least one more trip once the leaves change colour if the marine forecast cooperates. It was really great to get the canoe out so many times this year and I thank my regular paddling partner, William Self, for the many early morning trips.

Suitable For Most Marine Activities

2009-09-08T10:07:00.009-04:00

Date: September 6, 2009
Time: ~6:00 AM to ~9:30 AM
Launch Point: Cherry Beach
Destination: Leslie Spit
Passengers: Kashmera Self, William Self & Michael Mitchener
Conditions: Light winds with a slight chop, small short period wind waves, suitable for most marine activities.
Sightings: One otter, several beavers, many cormorants, ducks, mosquitoes, irritating little flies, one rower and two boatloads of dragonboaters.

After our last paddle in fairly choppy conditions, I decided to do a bit more research into marine forecasting and found a good website that said this past Sunday was going to be "suitable for most marine activities". Given this positive prediction, William Self, his wife Kashmera and I decided to take an early morning trip. This was Kashmera's first trip with us and she was keen to see what could possibly motivate Bill to get up at an insane hour to paddle around one of the Great Lakes.

With the shorter days upon us, we decided to sleep in and head out at 5:45 AM rather than our typical 5:30 AM leave the house time. Even still, it was decidedly dim when we placed the canoe in the lake beside the lifeguard hut at Cherry Beach. With the sky lightening in the east, we pushed off into the calm lake. It's beautiful being on the lake this time of day with the sleeping city glittering across the water to the north, the near full moon shining over Toronto Islands to the west, the dark Leslie Street Spit getting closer ahead of us as we paddled to the south, and the sun just below the horizon to the east.

Our destination today was the south end of the Spit out towards the lighthouse. We spent our time wandering the different bays on the west side of the Spit, watching the wakening wildlife including one very brave otter who was perched on the edge of the shore and allowed us to get within a few feet of him to take pictures. Notable as well was a colony of beavers we saw in one of the bays that swam around the canoe and smacked their tails on the water as they dived (a well known beaver expletive). They escorted us out of the bay once we had our fill of watching them and taking pictures. Damn paparazzi.

At one point, we "hit bottom" on a sand bar and William and Kashmera gamely agreed to walk the canoe to deeper waters. William knows I like to keep the canoe on water and always force passengers to step into the cold lake to board the canoe. I guess scratches are a part of life for a canoe and I should get over it but it's very hard to let go.

We eventually reached the lighthouse after many pictures and many laughs and decided that our collective caffeine levels were reaching dangerously low levels and proceeded back to the mainland. It was a great morning on the water with Bill and Kashmera and ended with a coffee and industrial "have you had these before?" muffin at Red Rocket Coffee. Thanks for a great day to the both of you (and thanks for listening to our geeky camera chatter Kashmera).

Not To Be Confused With A Log Canoe

2009-09-02T13:09:00.003-04:00

A good friend of mine, William Self, suggested on our last canoe trip that it would be great to have a canoe log to record conditions, routes, sightings, misadventures, etc. I thought it was one of his better ideas and wished it was something we had started at the beginning of the summer as it has been an eventful canoe season with many interesting trips.

With visions of picking up a blank book from Office Depot before our next paddle to faithfully record trips by hand, I suddenly realized this would be a good opportunity to learn more about blogging by creating an online canoe log. Also, it would widen the audience beyond my desk drawer and allow for posting of photos which is a big part of our canoe experience.

Thanks William for the idea. I look forward to documenting future trips in this blog and I hope others are willing to contribute as well. Rest assured that the next time we rescue a dog, play chicken with a freighter, spot a vicious otter or startle a pair of randy teenagers, you'll be the first to read about it on this blog so hurry back.