View topic - Along The Banks of Toronto's Don River on Christmas Morning

This morning my dog Viggo and I went for a nice long walk along the banks of the Don River as it flows between Cabbagetown and Riverdale. We walked upriver about six kilometers before turning back. Every once in a while I had a Zen moment when I forgot that I was smack dab in the middle of North America's fifth largest urban sprawl ... and Viggo - Icelandic Sheepdog that he is - had a great time herding the ducks.

The sound of flowing water, the occasional set of rapids, and the realization that the days are getting longer ... well, it cheers this paddler's spirits!









A happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, fantastic Festivus and a Happy New Year - a year when you get to check off a "bucket list" canoe trip - to all!

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http://albinger.me/canoe-tripping/

nice

You should try a little further upriver, true_north. It's even nicer. I hike in there regularly entering either via the access just down the hill from O'Connor Drive, toward Don Mills Road or via the access on Lawrence E. immediately after you exit from the DVP.

Over the last 15 years, unfortunately, the bikers have ruined a lot of these trails, turning them from duff covered trails shared with deer to muddy ruts. A pet peeve of mine.

Algonquintripper - a picture post card scene! I love going down there after a big snow fall. We obviously need to keep going north just a bit more; I usually turn around when I get near Beechwood Drive.

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http://albinger.me/canoe-tripping/

Last year I was working at Broadview and Queen so I drove to the Loblaws off Laird, parked and walked the hour down through Crothers Fields hopped the CN line and down the path. Most days I saw no-one. The only reminder you are in a dense city is the constant drone of the DVP and some days I was going much faster than they were!

Thanks True_North. It is indeed beautiful in there after a snowfall. That picture was taken at the Charles Sauriol Conservation Area which is where the Lawrence Street East entry I mentioned accesses. From the parking lot there is a paved walking/bike path along the river. This is one of two bridges crossing the river from there. At the second bridge you can leave the paved path and access a maze of hiking trails one of which can lead you to a meadow nestled in a wide, lazy turn of the river near Eglinton, that I call the nursery because I sometimes see does with their fawns there. Viggo will love it.

I often take my dog, Corky, for walks along the stretch you mentioned - usually from Pottery Road to Beachwood but I don't let her go in the water there because my wife says she always comes out smelling like sewage. There is a reason for that, of course, as there is a sewage treatment plant just north of there where the Loblaws Gunnelbob mentioned is. The water quality is much better north of there.

I have been thru there a little bit and it's quite amazing for being in the middle of a big city,

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Old canoeists never die---they just smell that way.

Late September/early October along there is always entertaining as that is when the salmon are running upriver. They certainly get Corky's attention when they start splashing in the shallows!

While Corky's ears are tuned to the sound of splashing salmon, the highlight of my dog's visits is when he finds a salmon lying on the river bank. If he can't eat it, he'll roll and rub himself in it. Either way a positive experience in his mind! He's had a couple of showers in the past month and I have tossed a few fish carcasses back into the water.

Today Viggo and I walked south on the river from Riverdale down to Queen on the bike trail. Pretty depressing stretch of the Don- the corridor is much narrower, the sound of the Don Valley expressway deafening, and the river has lost whatever natural twists and turns it used to take before it was straightened out. South of the Riverdale footbridge it is like a canal. We're heading north next time!

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http://albinger.me/canoe-tripping/

Been there, done that!

Algonquintripper, the very day you posted that pic of Corky I had to do the same thing yet again for my dog. We exchanged the fish smell for a something much more pleasant - though I am sure both dogs would disagree.

Here is a shot from a grey morning last week. The Don loses all of its charm and becomes a canal just north of Gerrard. It runs straight in between the DVP and Bayview all the way down to Queen. Then it does a bit of a turn west down to the harbour.

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http://albinger.me/canoe-tripping/

That stretch is a bit prettier when you see it from a canoe!

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In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.
Mark Twain