The French River

Five days of SUPing and camping around the islands and channels at the mouth of French River.

This was a different type of summer vacation Throughout my life, there have been very few times that I chose to visit a place that doesn’t offer waves or a coastline. I could probably count them on one hand. This time, my destination was Toronto, Canada, over 500km from the nearest ocean. A trip to get to know and visit my boyfriend’s family that would lead me on one of the most memorable adventures of my life. When traveling with an inflatable SUP, believe me, anything is possible! The idea was to visit the province of Ontario, with a few excursions to the touristic sites and lakes around the area. Tom was born and grew up in Toronto, and spent every summer of his childhood camped along the shorelines of the numerous lakes surrounding the city.

He has spent the last few years trying to convince me that his country isn’t just a frozen white landscape with igloos and dogsleds with countless hours telling me about the beautiful lakes and rivers, beaches, excursions and incredible hiking trails all within a few hours drive of his hometown. He talked about the blossoms in springtime, the beautiful summers, and the vibrant colors as the trees shed their leaves in the fall. I listened to the stories and nodded, but what I was really thinking was that he was a bit mad… Of course Canada is just a land of snow and ice!

Exploring Canada – Native style