MEC Toronto Paddlefest 2013

The rain held off on Saturday, and the Sun came out to play on Sunday as paddlers took part in the 2013 Mountain Equipment Co-op Paddlefest held at Sunnyside Park in Toronto this weekend.

Parkbus' booth was frequently stopped at as their services to help people explore Ontario's parks keeps expanding. New this year is a service that runs from Ottawa to Algonquin which starts June 21st.

Columbia was on hand to show off their Omni-Freeze Zero clothing and Drainmaker shoes (which look awesome for a day like today when entering and exiting the water a lot). 

There was a lot to see at Paddle Canada's booth which included information on the upcoming National Paddling Week, Magazines from Rapid Media including Canoeroots, free whistles, and Paddle Canada's upcoming courses that you can take to improve your skills.

With the first day of Summer on the 21st, it was definitely time for sandal season. Keen had a wide selection of their footwear on display including their new, lighter line of CNX footwear.

Plenty of places to explore, camp and paddle such as Timmins who had their new 2013 travel guide (which you can also download).

Ontario Parks had plenty to share with pamphlets, maps and helpful tips from park wardens. Dave (pictured left) and others were more than happy to help you plan a route or answer any of your questions.

The Canoe, Kayak and SUP courses were great and the instructors really were top notch. They didn't seem to be in any rush to work through their course plan, and often took the time to help individual paddlers correct particular mistakes. Nick (left) and Peter (right) were very experienced and were wonderful teachers.