MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Summer 2019

38 carve through fairytale valleys, perfect for exploring on a SUP. East of the city, the wildlife-rich Rouge is part of the protected Ontario Greenbelt, where the second most popular recreational activity is paddling (drawing over 2 million people and generating hundreds of millions in economic value every year). Public transit makes it easy to zip around and do one-way trips with inflatables like Red Paddle Co’s new 9’6” compact board. On the opposite side of the Greater Toronto Area, in Oakville, Larry Cain also makes his living through SUP. An Olympic gold and silver medallist sprint-canoeist turned paddleboard racer and instructor, he runs the online coaching site paddlemonster.com and has travelled to Hawaii to train world-champion waterman Connor Baxter. Almost as impressive, the 56-year-old is on Lake Ontario about 340 days a year. Cain got into dragon boat and outrigger canoe racing after his national-team career and reluctantly stepped onto a SUP at a race around 2010 when a friend insisted he give it a try. He was struck by the similarity to canoeing (in the stroke), and how subtle muscle shifts had an immediate impact on how the board was moving. Captivated by this intimate connection to the water, and an opportunity to discover something new, Cain dons a drysuit and hops onto his narrow 14-foot hardshell on frigid February mornings. It’s not as cold as walking the dog, and nowhere near as dangerous as driving. “Once you learn how to become stable,” he says, “it’s like strolling on the sidewalk. Then you learn to play with the waves and wind, to make the most of what the lake is offering. It’s an amazing way to get out into nature without a yacht or sailboat. SUP is so simple. It’s the optimal human-powered watercraft. You can do it entirely on your own terms.” After a laid-back traverse of the islands’ canals, passing cottagey houses and stopping for a dockside picnic, my friend and I carry our boards across a grassy field to a breakwater that borders the vast expanse of Lake Ontario. We jump in for a short restorative swim and dry off quickly with the southwesterly breeze and hot sun at our backs on the paddle home. SUP is so simple. It’s the optimal human-powered watercraft. You can do it entirely on your own terms. LEFT Antonio Lennert on a SUP workshop. LUCAS MURNAGHAN. ABOVE Larry Cain on Lake Ontario. WARREN WON