Happy Wanderer - Hiking along the Lakeshore Palace Pier

Chris, the minions and I had such a blast on our Lakeshore hike a few weeks ago at Colonel Sam Smith Park that another section of Toronto's Lakeshore and waterfront became the focus of our Mother's Day walk/hike this past weekend.  Despite sporadic rain, some pretty mighty gusts of wind, and no actual playgrounds along our stroll, the minions, mom and dad managed to remain entertained and active for over an hour.  We started our hike at Palace Pier and then walked west to the Humber Butterfly Habitat, explored some of the foot bridges and then headed back.

The only complaints we received were when the thunder started up and we had to rush back to the car. All together through the various trails, diversions and time spent climbing on rocks along the lake I'd guesstimate that this was about a two to three km adventure, that was more of a meander than an actual vigorous hike.

For anyone hoping to spot butterflies in the Butterfly habitat, they aren't here yet, it's suggested that you visit between early June and early September.

A rare photo of just me and the minions, complete with Toronto skyline in the background

A swan along the lakeshore trail

Admiring a snail living in the Butterfly Habitat.  

Visiting the ducks

Birdhouse that sits atop the Butterfly Habitat

A stormy sky looms as Molly walks along the bridge

Johnny the swan

As always, the highlight of the walk was climbing up onto the rocks and admiring the lake.  A close second was trying to skip stones.  The more time we get outside, and into nature, the more exposure the kids have to calculated and positive risk taking, which is so important.

I'm happy that on this outing the minions learned a valuable lesson about wild animals: they're unpredictable and you shouldn't get too close.

During a hike earlier this spring, we came across a swan who happily swam close to Chris and Jack while they watched from a nearby rock. This positive experience prompted Jack to want to get very close to the swan we spotted on this walk.  As we neared a rather large swan, it was very apparent that he wanted nothing to do with us, and quite aggressively hissed at us. This gave a good startle to the kids, and also mildly entertained them as the swan proceeded to suspiciously follow alongside us as we cautiously walked over the bridge.  This swan has made such an impact with Jack that he's named him Johnny, has composed a song about him, and has taken to hissing at Chris and I whenever he's annoyed at us. Overall a huge success!  Go nature!

To read about our hike in Colonel Sam Smith park (Lakeshore West/Etobicoke) click here

To learn about exploring the boardwalk path and dinosaur playground at Lakeshore's Marilyn Bell park click here.

Have suggestions for excellent, but family friendly, walks or hikes?  Leave a comment or send me a note to multiplemomstrosity@gmail.com

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