'It's been the experience of a lifetime': Amherstburg man solo kayaking the Canadian Great Lakes

Amherstburg kayaker Ian Parish has returned home after completing another chapter towards his lifelong goal.

Parish is solo kayaking all four Canadian coasts of the Great Lakes, most recently navigating the shores of Lake Huron.

"Just the nature of the Great Lakes, it's a beautiful place to explore... and it's been a lifelong dream of mine to kind of do that," said Parish from the shores of Boblo Island.

Parish, 43, explained it's been a childhood dream he challenged himself to achieve, first kayaking Lake Erie alone in 2020.

"It was something I wanted the experiences of," he said. "I often tell people I'm out here just collecting experiences."

"Where some people collect items, I like to collect outdoor experiences and be with nature as often as possible.""

Parish intends to paddle Lake Ontario next, noting it takes preparation and planning before setting out on such a solo excursion.

"You do have to spend your entire year kind of working and planning and then you can work it out so that you've got the time to do it."

"Solo paddling comes with inherent risks," Parish warned.

"You definitely have to paddle within your knowledge base. The Great Lakes are not a joke. They can be a very dangerous environment and solo paddling can be a very dangerous activity if you don't know how to prepare and be ready."

He cautioned, "If you are going to be out on the marine environments in the Great Lakes alone, you should take every precaution that you can."

"I've been through some incredible storms outdoors that I would have never otherwise thought I would ever experience... but I've also had some of the most, wonderful human encounters that I could ever experience. The kindness of random strangers when they find out that you're paddling the coast of the Great Lakes is pretty incredible."

"There's been times where it's been over a week where I hadn't seen anybody. Then there's other times where you end up at people's campsites and get to have bonfires and enjoy the camaraderie of other people who love nature. I think that's a huge part of why I love doing what I do so much."

Parish noted he navigated Lake Superior in 2021, followed by Georgian Bay in 2023 before falling ill, forcing a brief pause in adventure.

"The marine and boating communities have been wonderful to me and not only that, all the provincial parks and private parks that I get to visit. I've been to nearly all the provincial parks now on the on the Canadian coast and so I think that's been one of the most wonderful experiences of seeing all those natural landscapes."

"This is definitely very Canadian!" Parish exclaimed. "It's been the experience of a lifetime."

He added, "Get outside more."

"The best thing to do is get outside, whether you're hiking, biking, paddling, it doesn't really matter. We need more people outside so that we understand the conservation efforts at hand and can be a part of seeing that positive change that we all really want to see for the outdoor environment."