8 friends, 5 hours, 2 cars, and 1 fantastic day! It all started a few months ago when my friend Kaila and I were discussing how we need to make this summer fun in Toronto. So we started a facebook group called 'Summer of Fun' and invited many of our friends. Quickly the news spread and now the group boasts 125 members. The point of the group was to bring people in Toronto together by planning adventures and posting them for all members of the group to join. The group has helped me reconnect with old friends and make new ones!
One of the suggested activities was kayaking down the Grand River in Paris, Ontario. My friend Mira planned this trip. It kind of reminded me of the organized trips I have done in Israel. We had an early wake up call since our aim was to be on the road by 7:30am. Naturally we were all running behind schedule, but we managed to make it on time. The scenery was stunning and we were only an hr and a 20 min outside the city. It is amazing how beautiful this country is just at our doorstep! I had a very proud Canadian moment today and felt like it would have been a great ad for Tourism Ontario/ Canada.
We leisurely paddled our way through the river as we learned/ practiced our paddling skills. We went through a few "frapids" (which was my nickname for fake rapids) lol. They were rapids, but I guess because of the lack of rainfall this summer, they just weren't flowing as much. After a while we found a cute spot to stop and park our kayaks for lunch. We pulled out our coolers and brought out our spread. We ate, lounged, and even went for a swim before we headed back out onto the water.
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| The beautiful Grand River |
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| Lunch break! |
Now here is where the story gets interesting, at least where I am concerned. At this point we have all gotten paddling down pat and nobody has managed to fall out of their kayaks... until I hit rock and get stuck in the middle of one of the more flowing rapids. I use my paddle to maneuver myself out and since the rapids were quite rocky, my kayak loses balance and I tip over! Thankful that I did not hit my head while falling out of the kayak, I quickly began thinking how I could remedy the situation. The rapids were flowing quickly so I went along for the ride, and aside from looking like my legs went through a cheese grater I was totally fine. Needless to say, I went through two rapids until there was a spot where I could get a footing and with the help of my friends got my kayak back in order. Thank god for teamwork! I could not have finished the course without them :)
After arriving home we ordered pizza and just sat around and relaxed. I think we earned that ;) It was an amazing day celebrating the long weekend we have essentially because all other months of the summer have one!
Wherever you are and whatever your budget is, there is always a way to create a little adventure in your life. Remember all mishaps on your adventures just make for better stories at the end of it so keep on adventuring!
