TORONTO -- Eco-explorer Mario Rigby recently added a kayak trip across Lake Ontario to his long list of adventures.

The Toronto-native began the 355-kilometre journey in Hamilton, Ont., and eventually made it to the Thousand Islands region 20 days later -- all while raising money for MyStand, a mentorship program for vulnerable youth in Toronto.

“I wanted to do something that was domestic and I wanted to encourage people to travel in their own backyards and notice that there are adventures without having to travel far out,” he told CTV News Channel.

Rigby said he hadn’t been in a sea kayak until he began the trip and was challenged with “a lot of storms” at the start, but things eventually cleared up.

“It was just so beautiful to see Lake Ontario and all the diverse terrain that’s offered,” he said.

This is far from Rigby’s only wild adventure. In 2015, he spent two-and-a-half years walking length of Africa, from Cape Town, South Africa to Cairo, Egypt.

“It was definitely a lot of experiences, getting shot at by rebels, being imprisoned and all kinds of different, weird things,” he said.

In 2019, Rigby cycled from Victoria, B.C., to St. John’s, N.L., in 89 days.

“I wanted to show what Canada has to offer, because it’s so incredibly diverse and beautiful,” he said.

Up next is a trip along the coastline of British Columbia with some fellow explorers and photographers to document how climate change has impacted the area.

In 2021, he plans to become the first person to circumnavigate Africa in a custom electric vehicle. The drive is expected to take between 11 and 12 months.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I've had such a great connection with this kayak. Before I went on this expedition I had no clue how to properly handle myself in sea-kayak and used the first 5 days of the expedition as training. I rolled over at least 6 times and got stuck under water for too long once, I swallowed the tasty Lake Ontario water. I believe that human propulsion expeditions are unique in a way that define who we are as humans. We are adaptable to all climate, environments and terrain. My confidence comes not just from my own self but from the knowledge and understanding that I (we all) come from an evolutionary history that's designed us for this world. Thanks to @mec for providing me with this fine tuned tool I used to carve my way through the waters of Lake Ontario. Stay tuned for gear review �� . . #MarioKayaks #KayakLakeOntario #LakeOntario #VisitCanada #paddleadventures #explorecanada #exploreontario #diversifyoutdoors

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Paddling through the 6 with my kayak . . 4 days into the expedition and today I passed by my home city Toronto, ending up at Scarborough Bluffs. __ Ontario has so much to offer in terms of nature and beauty that I'm always captivated by it. By doing this journey, I hope people can see more of what Ontario has to offer. __ This is first time I’ve seen the Scarborough Bluffs on the water, it’s amazing to see different parts of the city connected by the lake. __ What are your local gems? . . . #mariokayaks #Lakeontario #torontocitylife #scarboroughbluffs #localtravel #exploreontsrio #advanturecanada #diversifyoutdoors #marioexplorer #mec #rcgs #prana

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It’s been 3 days so far and let me give you a quick update. I’m quite lucky that I live along Lake Ontario so that even though I’m on the expedition I get to upgrade/update my gear and strategy within the first 3 or 4 days out of the 20 days. It’s also been a learning curve for me getting used to a sit-in touring kayak from a sit-on kayak I used to paddle across Lake Malawi. . . The most important lesson I’ve learnt so far on my venture is to relax, it’s not a race and I’m doing this to promote domestic adventures as well as raise money for @mystandorg . My Stand is a local charity offer mentorship service for vulnerable low-income youth focus on employment / entrepreneurship and educational achievement outcomes. . . �� @queenie000x #mariokayaks #domestictravel #travelcanada #exploreontario #diversifyoutdoors #marioexplores #paddlelife #kayaking #youthengagement #youthentrepreneur #overcomingobstacles #mec #rcgs #pranaadventures

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