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Bold: Urban hiking, coffee canoeing and simple ways to enjoy the great outdoors

In the first installment of a new yearlong monthly series on outdoor adventuring in the North, Len Gillis shares a tale of geese at Chutes and a tip about going out for coffee the Northern Ontario way
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Take a hike eh. No, it's not my impression of Bob and Doug Mackenzie. Although the popular Canadian entertainment duo were more fond of saying "Take off, eh".

Taking off or taking a hike. Either way it's a great excuse to get into the great outdoors, especially in Sudbury and Northeastern Ontario.

One of the reasons could be the existence of so many provincial parks and municipal parks, not to mention conservation areas.

One of the nice things about living in Northern Ontario is that there is plenty of greenspace to be enjoyed.

There are also plenty of online resources to explore and choose some options for hiking and outdoor activities.

I have fun memories of visiting Chutes Provincial Park, located near Massey, west of Sudbury. I was with Cubs and Scouts from the First Val Caron scouting group at the time, decades ago. We were on part of the Twin Bridges Trail next to the Aux Sables River. At one point on the trail there is a scenic lookout beside a spectacular set of chutes and waterfalls.

As our scouting group stood there enjoying the scene, we saw a large white van pull up nearby. About half a dozen tourists from Germany stepped out and were more than pleased to see the river and waterfalls surrounded by the tall pines swaying in the wind. They were laughing, talking and taking photographs as part of some organized group tour. It was nice to see. 

Suddenly and without warning, there was a honking noise from above. As we looked up we saw a magnificent flight of Canada geese soaring just above the trees and over the waterfall. There might have been 20 or 25 birds. Just enough to thrill us. As we laughed and enjoyed the sight, the group of tourists broke out into applause. It was as if the geese had arrived just for them, just to put on a show. It's a happy memory.

Not all hiking has to be an adventure. But you can make it interesting. You can try urban hiking. And yes, it really is a thing. 

Perhaps a good thing to do to get yourself out of the house is to set a goal or a mission to be accomplished as you briskly walk or hike.

For many years, when I lived in Timmins, I would spend summer weekend mornings canoeing for coffee. There was a Tim Horton's on Riverside Drive that I could visit after I paddled up the Mattagami River from the Algonquin Boulevard bridge. 

It wasn't far, but it was a couple of hours of nice outdoor exercise. I would paddle upriver, reach the backdoor of the Timmies, pull my canoe out of the water, go inside for a coffee and then paddle back to the bridge, put the canoe back on the top of the jeep and drive away.

Sudbury is a city with an amazing number of coffee shops of all descriptions. What a better way to get out for a fairweather morning hike than to step out the front door and enjoy a brisk walk to your favourite cafe or bistro. There are a couple of spots downtown, where I have seen customers sitting outside at a table enjoying the day with a refreshing beverage. I admit I always feel a bit jealous.

So here is the challenge for you. 

Call up Google Maps online for Greater Sudbury. To save you some effort, here is the link.

In the upper left corner, type these three search words as follows: coffee, cafe, bistro.

You will be amazed at the number of choices you get and you will have places to go every weekend this summer. You can make the hike more interesting by bringing along a camera and getting photos of some of the more interesting older buildings along the way. I know when I walk in my neighbourhood, I really do like to stop and smell the flowers, especially in June and July. 

There is a move afoot, no pun intended, to make it easier for Sudbury residents to get out and about for walking and urban hiking.

Also, there is a Facebook group, called Sudbury Safer Sidewalks, that you might find interesting and helpful. 

Len Gillis is a reporter with Sudbury.Com. In Bold, our yearlong series on outdoor adventures, he will be writing about other outdoor activities and adventures in Sudbury in the coming months. Bold is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.


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Len Gillis

About the Author: Len Gillis

Graduating from the Journalism program at Canadore College in the 1970s, Gillis has spent most of his career reporting on news events across Northern Ontario with several radio, television and newspaper companies. He also spent time as a hardrock miner.
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