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.