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Home , Confederation Trail, East End of Rundle, Ha Ling Peak, Maligne Range

Wilderness in the middle of our biggest city? Check out Toronto's Rouge Park, our first Micro-Adventure (next page).

C a n a d a ’ s B e s t M i c r o - Expeditions sound like fun—adventuring across new lands and waters for weeks or months at a time. But most of us A d v e n t u r e s can’t afford the time away from work and home. Plus, expeditions E x p e d i t i o n s w i t h o u t typically require advanced skills, lots of money and complicated c o m m i t m e n t — h e r e a r e logistics. But you can still put in a similar effort and experience the 21 micro-adv e n t u r e s t o same reward. All it takes is a subtle push your limits mindshift. Alastair Humphreys, an English By Ryan Stuart explorer, calls this new idea of ex- peditioning, “micro-adventures.” These are trips that are close to home, affordable, easy to organize and doable in short periods of time—but wild, original and chal- lenging. “Adventure is only a state of mind,” Humphreys says. “It is about doing what you do not normally do, pushing yourself hard and doing it to the best of your ability.” Imagine the possibilities here. That’s just what we did. Read on for 21 micro-adventures to get you started. And then get out there and find your own.

Difficulty Ratings Easy: Barely sweating; it won’t hurt a bit. Moderate: Breathing hard; some minor pain. Hard: Legs are cramping, a stick poked me in the eye, where am I? Brutal: It doesn’t have to be

Scott Munn/Parks Munn/Parks Scott “fun” to be fun. Micro Adven t u r es

Manitoba

4 Get Lost in a Swamp Where: The Delta Marsh Wildlife Management Area on the south shore of Lake Manitoba, 24 km north of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. Why: One of the country’s largest coastal wetlands and no maps to show you the way. What: Stretching 30 km along 3 Lake Manitoba’s south shore and Algonquin Provincial stretching up to four kilometres Park's legendary inland, the marsh is a vast labyrinth leaf show. of channels, passages, lakes and dead ends. The protected waters see few people, but harbour abundant flocks of migrating waterfowl in the fall and all kinds of 5 wetland and songbird species during Paddle right into the rest of the year. Bring a GPS and Saskatchewan's a canoe and put in on a channel biggest city. from the lake where Highway 240 meets Delta Beach. Explore east and north, poking around ponds and lakes towards Saint Ambroise Beach Provincial Park. Difficulty: Easy paddling; hard navigation. Time: Day-trip. Logistics: With no landmarks rising above the watery world, a GPS is vital. Resources: gov.mb.ca

1 Toronto's Rouge Saskatchewan Park—as adventurous as you make it. 5

upon, but there’s also Glen Rouge the Credit River becomes a little on the southeast side of Paddle the Trans Campground near the beginning, the wild as it tumbles towards Lake Algonquin Provincial Park. Canada Trail only campground in the city. Ontario. Put in at Steeles Avenue Why: Fall colours, few bugs, fewer Where: The South Saskatchewan Ontario Difficulty: Moderate, some and then rock-and-roll past golf people and no reservations. River into Saskatoon. bushwhacking may be required. courses, parks and roadways. The What: While it’s one of the better Why: Prairie paddling and dark Time: Half-day to two days. green artery of forest and river backpack trips in Algonquin, to nighttime skies on a newly noted 1 Logistics: Plenty of roads crisscross not only harbours an impressive trudge the full 35-km loop (or one Canadian Heritage River. the park, so shuttling is easy. diversity of critters—beavers, of the shorter options) with a full What: It’s 130 km from the Gardiner Traverse the Newest Park Better, use public transit. There’s a muskrat, otters, raccoons—but backpack can be painful. Instead, Dam to Saskatoon on the South Where: Toronto’s Rouge Urban Park Go Transit train station close to the also an instant escape from the go light and fast and hike or trail- Saskatchewan River. With fall’s low Why: An almost wilderness-feeling southern border of the park. surrounding city all the way to Port run the whole thing in a day. You’ll water and shorter days, that’s a solid trek in the middle of our country’s Resources: pc.gc.ca/rouge; Credit. speed through the monotonous pull for a weekend trip. It’s possible biggest city. rougepark.com; gotransit.com; trca. Difficulty: Moderate; up to Class II portions and shrug off the big to bite off a smaller chunk or just What: Take the fact that there on.ca/glenrouge whitewater; watch for sweepers. hills at the northern end, leaving commit and let the changing colours is no obvious route leading from Time: A long day. energy to savour the panoramic along the bank fuel long hours in a one end to the other in this future Logistics: Car shuttle from Port views. boat. Camp at abundant sandbars 2 Credit to the put-in (or take a taxi). national park as an invitation to Difficulty: Hard (full loop). Rough en route. Resources: creditvalleyca.ca ramble. Start walking near Lake Paddle the Credit trail and lots of ups and downs. Difficulty: Hard, because of (maps) Ontario and head north. Stop at Where: Through the heart of Time: Four to 10 hours. distance—easy paddling. two national historic sites, farms, Mississauga. Logistics: Drive to the trailhead, Time: Three long days. the zoo and plenty of wild-feeling Why: A rarely considered whitewater 3 30 km east of the west gate on Logistics: CanoeSki Discovery Carolinian Forest in between. Day- run with a taxi shuttle. Highway 60. Company runs shuttle and rental FROM TOP: Ethan Meleg/Ontario Tourism; Hans-Gerrard Pfaff/Tourism Saskatchewan Pfaff/Tourism Hans-Gerrard Tourism; Meleg/Ontario Ethan TOP: FROM hike and return on public transit. What: While it’s a lazy float in the Run the Highland Resources: Canada Munn/Parks Scott TOP: FROM services. Random camping is frowned summer, after a solid autumn rain, Where: Highland Backpacking algonquinpark.on.ca Resources: canoeski.com

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7 Could you do Jasper's famous Skyline Trail in one day?

Instead, lace up at and hit the trail running. After a steady climb into the alpine at Little Shovel Pass, the trail stays above the trees for 25 km. Views across ’s craggy peaks 6 are constant, as the trail follows Explore Alberta’s Sandhills the before diving Where: On the north shore of into the forest for its final plunge to the Athabasca River near Fort Maligne Canyon. Assiniboine, 1.5 hours north of Difficulty: Hard. Good trail but a Edmonton. long distance and lots of elevation Why: Beyond its namesake gain and loss. sand dunes, Fort Assiniboine Time: A long day. Sandhills Wildland Provincial Park’s Logistics: Have a car waiting for transitional forest is home to 436 you at the end by taking the daily plant species and abundant wildlife. morning shuttle to Maligne Lake What: spider-web across from the trail’s terminus at the the park. With a little imagination, North Skyline Trailhead. link them together into a loop Resources: malignelake.com; stretching 40 km. Start at the pc.gc.ca/jasper Klondike Trail Staging Area and head clockwise, following a wagon 8 route from Voyageur and Gold Rush days. Heading north and east, the Triathlon trails leave the swampier, higher Where: Cochrane to Calgary and ground and enter the dune fields, a back under your own power. unique environment left behind by Why: Paddling the Bow River Ice Age glaciers. On the return, take doesn’t need to be complicated by the River Valley Trail. It descends shuttle logistics. into old growth trees along the What: With a canoe on your car river, home to the most plants and roof, drop a bike off at Calgary’s animals. Edworthy Park, and drive to the Difficulty: Easy to hard, depending Highway 22 bridge in Cochrane. Put on distance. in here and get stroking, portaging Time: Up to 12 hours. around Bearspaw Dam, 25 km in. Logistics: Drive to Fort Assiniboine Float through downtown Calgary and follow Township Road 620A to and take out at the zoo. Lock-up 621A. your canoe and start running, Resources: albertaparks.ca following the riverside path and then the Douglas Fir Trail for 10 km to 7 Edworthy Park. Hop on your trusty Marathon in the Sky steed and pedal 35 km back to your Where: The Skyline Trail car in Cochrane. backpacking route links Maligne Difficulty: Hard, because of Lake to Jasper, almost all above the distance, particularly the canoe. treeline. Time: A long day. Why: Travel one of the best Logistics: Bring two locks, one for backpacking routes in the Canadian the bike and one for the canoe. Find Rockies without a reservation or a maps and guides to the Bow and heavy pack. Calgary pathways online. What: The 44-km trip is usually Resources: paddlealberta.org; done over two to three days. calgary.ca

48 explore • fall 2015 LEFT: Caroline Roy/Parks Canada; ABOVE: Ben Morin/Parks Canada fall 2015 • explore 49 Micro Adven t u r es

11 10 Urban adventure: Pitt Lake: remote kayak/portage wilderness near 9 circumnavigation Vancouver. Big Peters Lake from of Esquimalt. above South Caribou Pass; Monashee Provincial Park is easily accessed from Sol Mountain Lodge.

What: Don’t let land get in the way of a circumnavigation of the Esquimalt Peninsula, via the Gorge and Esquimalt Harbour. Portage! There are at least a dozen potential put-ins, lots of great side-trips to check out—including the Fisgard Lighthouse—and restaurants, pubs and cafes are conveniently located along the route. Two things to keep in mind: avoid the upper Gorge on an outgoing tide when the currents are strong, and cross the peninsula between Portage Park and Shoreline Middle School using the pedestrian 12 overpass above the highway. Atop Mount Difficulty: Moderate; about 20-km british columbia Seymour, in round trip. North Vancouver. Time: Four to eight hours. Logistics: Rent boats or SUP at 9 Ocean River Sports or MEC. Explore a Resources: oceanriveradventures. Little-Known Park com/victoria-circle-kayak-route; Where: Monashee Provincial Park, mec.ca deep in the southern BC interior. Why: A vast sub-alpine ramble with 12 a chance to see caribou. What: Tucked deep in the Sea to Sky & Back Monashee Mountains, northeast of Where: North Vancouver’s Seymour Kelowna, the park is an anomaly: watershed. remote, but easy to access, rarely Why: Because one type of visited, but with a good approach adrenaline is never enough. trail. Hike to Little or Big Peters lake What: Take advantage of the North campground, both set in an alpine Shore’s topography with a triathlon basin full of lakes and meadows effort from ocean to summit and and surrounded by easy-to-climb back. Drop a whitewater kayak at the peaks and passes. From the base, put-in for the Seymour River. Drive pick a destination and explore—the to the take-out near the industrial big prize being the summit of Mount park at Burrard Inlet. Now the fun Fosthall. begins. Ride a mountain bike up to Difficulty: Moderate. the base of Mount Seymour ski area Time: Three days. and hike to the summit of Mount Logistics: The park is most easily Seymour, with its expansive views reached from the west, via good across the Lower Mainland and on logging roads from Cherryville, or to Vancouver Island. Back at the bike, find the CBC Trail and point it with a stay at Sol Mountain Lodge. from Grant Narrows Regional Park. Logistics: Pitt Lake is tidally down this classic North Shore test- Resources: bcparks.ca; influenced. Try to coincide the start Marvel at the nearly vertical walls piece. Link the trails to your stashed solmountain.com and finish of the trip with a high of forest and paddle all the way to boat. Trade spandex for neoprene tide. the dock at the lake’s northern end; and float the Seymour to the ocean 10 Resources: mapleridge- switch to bikes and pedal 21 km up and your car. the logging road until it crosses the pittmeadows.com (info and canoe Earn a Hot Spring Soak rentals) Difficulty: Brutal. You’ll gain almost Where: The Pitt River above Pitt river. A short trail leads to the hot 1,500 metres of elevation. Up to Lake, northeast of Vancouver. springs. Soak tired muscles, camp Class III paddling. Black-diamond Why: A backcountry hot springs— in a pullout on the logging road, 11 mountain biking. need more? soak again, then reverse your route. Circumnavigate Esquimalt Time: A long day. What: Locked off from Metro Difficulty: Moderate. Easy paddling Where: Paddle the inner waters of Logistics: Two locks for your boat Vancouver by sheer mountain walls, and biking, but a long distance. Victoria. and bike. LEFT: Sol Mountain Lodge; CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP: Brian Henry/Ocean River Sports; Tourism BC; Erin O'Connor-Webb Erin BC; Tourism Sports; River Henry/Ocean Brian TOP: FROM CLOCKWISE, Lodge; Mountain Sol LEFT: getting to the upper Pitt River Valley Watch for wind on Pitt Lake. Why: A fresh perspective on a Resources: nsmba.ca (mountain means paddling 28 km up Pitt Lake Time: Two to three days. charming city’s waterfront. bike trail map); bcparks.ca

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Prince 13 15 Edward Island It is feasible to ride The coastline between the Confederation Halifax and Peggy's Cove Trail in a weekend. is noted for white granite 13 and few crowds. Time-Trial the Confederation Trail Where: Tip-to-tip on ’s railway turned cycling and walking route. Why: A car-free crushed-gravel trail running through the island province’s prettiest farmland. What: Even a nine-year-old and his 78-year-old grandmother have ridden the 273 km of the Confederation Trail between Tignish in the west and Elmira in the east. Most people take at least a week, so to make this a worthy challenge, try it in a weekend. With the grade never more than two per cent and PEI’s vertically challenged topography, this is doable by most fit people. Patronize “Cyclists Welcome” program members, B&Bs, hotels, campgrounds and other businesses that cater to cyclists. Difficulty: Hard, because of distance; easy riding. Time: Two days. Logistics: Make it a loop and ride back along the south shore using Confederation Trail branch lines. Resources: tourismpei.com/pei- 14 confederation-trail The stunning , Newfoundland Newfoundland & & Labrador. Labrador

14 East Coast Trail Slog Where: The planned extension of Newfoundland’s East Coast Trail on the northwest side of the Avalon Peninsula. Why: Wild coastlines, rocky coves and the moody Atlantic as company. What: The developed section of the East Coast Trail stretches 265 well-marked, mapped and serviced kilometres. The organization that manages the trail plans to add a and Bayside is wilder, emptier and further 275 km, including the 25 km of coast between Cape St. Francis more interesting. While there’s and Portugal Cove. There’s already a Nova Scotia plenty of beauty to soak in, the route along this mostly undeveloped highlight is between Sambro and chunk, but it’s unmarked and Prospect, where two parks, plenty of rugged. Hikers are warned it, 15 islands and too many inlets make “should only be attempted by the scenic coast feel more remote experienced remote wilderness Better than Peggy’s Cove than it is. hikers.” Where: Paddling the protected Difficulty: Easy to hard, depending Atlantic Coast just outside of Difficulty: Hard. Rugged terrain on distance paddled and sea and and navigation. Halifax. weather conditions. Time: Two to three days. Why: White granite cliffs, coastal Logistics: Talk to the East Coast barrens and the chance to see Time: A few hours to three days. Trail Association to find out more whales, all less than 40 minutes Logistics: Most of the towns have about this section and other parts from the Maritimes’ biggest city. good put-ins and take-outs and are of the future trail. What: Often overlooked for Peggy’s linked on good roads. Resources: eastcoasttrail.ca Cove, the coast between Halifax Resources: novascotia.com

52 explore • fall 2015 ABOVE, FROM Top: Destination Canada; Chris Hendrickson/Destination Canada; RIGHT: Tourism Nova Scotia fall 2015 • explore 53 Micro Adven t u r es

Curated Ray Zahab: Gatineau Micro-Adventures 18 Gutbuster Joan Roch Who: Ottawa-based ultra-champ, experiments expedition runner and founder of with alternative Impossible2Possible. commuting. Where: The 200 km of trails in Ottawa’s Gatineau Park. Why: “Spectacular wilderness on the edge of the nation’s capital,” and one of the best fall leaf shows on Earth. What: Running with overnight gear, set out on the , right across the river from Parliament Hill. “You start in a total urban area and then slowly the park gets more wild,” Zahab says. Aim for the campground at Lac Philippe, maybe detouring on to the King Mountain Loop for lofty views. Total distance is anywhere from 30 to 100 km. On day two, explore into the wild Lac La Peche area of the park. “There are gorgeous beaches, technical 16 trails and even caves,” he says. As Welcome to Canada's a finale, chug into Wakefield and southernmost point— recover at the Wakefield Mill Inn & about the same Spa. latitude as Klamath, Difficulty: Brutal (running with California. overnight gear!). Time: Two to three days. Logistics: Organize a car pick up in Wakefield. Resources: ncc-ccn.gc.ca; wakefieldmill.com; rayzahab.com

16 Adam Shoalts: Paddle to our Southern Point Who: A Canadian Indiana 19 Jones: archeologist, historian, 17 anthropologist and explorer of 18 unknown rivers, waterfalls and George Kourounis: 19 petroglyphs. Go Deep Joan Roch: Running Ray Zahab Where: Not Point Pelee or Pelee Who: The Canadian-born host and (left) running Island—Middle Island in Lake Erie co-creator of Angry Planet also runs with the Boats in Gatineau (Ontario). storm-chasing tours and documents Who: One of Canada’s top Park. Why: Because you can’t get more extreme weather. endurance runners and Montreal south and still be in Canada— Where: Warsaw Caves native. the actual border is 150 metres Conservation Area, northeast of Where: The frozen St. Lawrence offshore. Peterborough, Ontario. River between Old Montreal and the What: Take a ferry to Pelee Island, Why: Exploring caves that aren’t on south shore. head to Fish Point Nature Reserve the map. Why: Running on the ice “feels at its southern end and beeline What: “There are [caves] there like you’ve just landed on another by kayak four kilometres to Middle that require some real exploration planet,” says Roch. Island, part of Point Pelee National to find,” says Kourounis. “That’s What: Roch stumbled on this new Park. “This is definitely not for the the appeal.” You can start with medium when the Jacques-Cartier faint of heart, given the severity of the seven on the map and then Bridge was closed last winter, forcing the storms on Lake Erie and how wander, looking for other openings him onto the ice to get to work. On fast they pick up,” says Shoalts. in the convoluted topography, full subsequent runs, “I explored a bit Middle Island has an interesting of unusual sinkholes, caverns further upstream and downstream, history (First Nations, slavery, and rockmills. Be prepared with having fun leaving the marina as the smuggling) and rare Carolinian helmets, headlamps, a partner and boats do, or running all the way to forest, prickly pear cactus and gear that you don’t mind getting the locks,” he says. He suggests plenty of cormorants, he adds. filthy—because you will. There’s a being creative with routes. Difficulty: Moderate; long crossing campground right at the park. Difficulty:Moderate. Obviously with potentially dangerous weather. Difficulty: Moderate to hard; slippery conditions, watch for open 17 "Claustrophobics water and thin ice. Time: Two hours, one-way. need not apply"— confined spaces. “Claustrophobics Logistics: Pelee Island ferry need not apply,” he says. Time: 30 minutes to several hours. Ontario's Warsaw Logistics: Check with the Coast service runs from April through Caves. Time: Couple of hours to all day. December. Logistics: Drive two hours from Guard or Environment Canada for ice Resources: ontarioferries. Toronto on good highways. conditions before heading out. FROM TOP: Wikimedia Commons; Otonabee Region Conservation Authority Authority Conservation Region Otonabee Commons; Wikimedia TOP: FROM com; pelee.org; pc.gc.ca/pelee; Resources: warsawcaves.com; Zahab Ray Roch; Joan TOP: FROM Resources: marineinfo.gc.ca; ec.gc. adamshoalts.com stormchaser.ca ca/glaces-ice; joanroch.me

54 explore • fall 2015 fall 2015 • explore 55 Grass Micro Adven t u r es Carp Asian Carps

Bighead Curated 20 Carp Spot the Difference Sarah Hueniken, Micro-Adventures hanging around Asian carps aren’t native to the Great Lakes. In the picture below in Canmore. Silver Carp find the changes that could happen if these fishes invade our waters.

20

Sarah Hueniken: Canmore Four Corners Who: Alpine guide and one of the world’s top mixed and ice climbers. Where: Peak-bagging from her home in Canmore, Alberta. Why: Because they are there. 21 What: The village of Canmore is booked-in by four non-technical Jen Segger: Squamish summits: (2,048 Stairmaster to Heaven metres), (2,571 Who: Coach by day, endurance metres), Grotto (2,706 metres) and athlete by night, mom all the time, Lady MacDonald (2,605 metres). Segger’s racing resume is long and All are regularly climbed as day illustrious. trips, but what about doing all Where: The best trail that no four in a day? “It would be quite a one hikes in Squamish, British feat,” Hueniken says. Start on the Columbia. north side, knocking off the bigger Why: Waterfalls to entertain and verticals of Grotto and Lady Mac. cool on the way up to an alpine tarn Then cross the valley, using the full of fish. Spray Lakes Road to kill some of What: Even Segger admits gaining the climbing on Ha Ling and EEOR. 950 metres in 4.1 km is going to “Bonus points for travelling between hurt, but the scramble to Echo Lake them on foot!” she adds. According follows the waterfall-strewn descent to Hueniken, about 20 people have completed the “Canmore Quad.” of Monmouth Creek, offering a The first is said to be local Jack regular shot of cooling inspiration. Firth—in about 20 hours. Hueniken And then at the lake, the view back has done it in 9:19 (exhausted across the estuary to the Stawamus following a climb the day before), Chief and Coast Range is world- and is shooting for a sub-nine-hour class. But first you have to paddle attempt. across the Squamish River—Segger Illustration: François Escalmel Difficulty: Brutal. The official 21 prefers a SUP, but a canoe will work. “Canmore Quad” is 53.71 Secluded Echo Bring overnight gear and camp at kilometres and 4,791 metres Lake, near the lake, which is stocked with of elevation (walking between Squamish, BC. rainbow trout. trailheads) or 38 km and 3,000 Difficulty: Hard—the trail is difficult metres of elevation (driving between to find and then braided and steep. trailheads). A few exposed sections, Time: Five hours to two days. but mostly hiking. Logistics: Take the second side- Time: 24 hours or more (unless road on the Squamish Dyke and you’re Sarah Hueniken). paddle across the river to a group Logistics: Established routes and of old bridge pilings. The trail starts easy driving between the peaks. here. Resources: trailpeak.com Resources: Ask for directions (descriptions of all routes); at Valhalla Pure in Squamish, Segger Jen Hueniken; Sarah TOP: FROM sarahhueniken.com squamishgear.com; jensegger.com For answers see www.asiancarp.ca 56 explore • fall 2015