Rocky the Raccoon
Moloch the Owl
And of course no visit the Mouth of the Don River would be complete without a pilgrimage to see Rocky the Raccoon and Moloch the Owl.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #lovetheravines #DonRover
Standing on the frozen Don River.
The frozen Don River.
The new mouth of the Don River sees its first fully operational winter.
Its truly impressive what has been accomplished here, never thought Id see the day the Don flowed uncaged.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #lovetheravines #DonRover
Toronto hidden in the fog and clouds.
Usually there is good view of the Toronto skyline here, but not with todays clouds.
And this is where we're going to end it today. With rain starting, its time to head back.
Thanks for joining in for the day
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
On the floating bridge
Busy day on the bridge.
Finally we reach the floating bridge over the channel to Cell 3.
Today was a busy day a the bridge, but I did get some clean shot of it.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
The entrance to the sluice gates.
crossing over the sluice gates.
Cells 1 and 2 are separated by water control structures, or sluice gates or some sort.
I'm not personally familiar with their full purpose, if anyone knows feel free to share.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
Frozen cell 3.
The floating bridge at the channel to cell 3.
As the weather is beginning to turn I'm cutting across the isthmus between cell 2 & 3 to form a loop before heading back.
Today sadly will not be the day we get to the light house.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
Bricks make up a large percentage of the landmass here.
Climbing down the south side of the Eastern ridge, the expose bricks betray the true nature of the land form.
Like I said before, its a brick hill.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
Rebar beach
Rebar beach
Directly below the Eastern Ridge lies Rebar beach.
A large collection of exposed metal rebar and concrete make up this section of the spit.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
Looking south/east
Looking west across the spit.
The view from the top of Eastern Ridge..
As far as the eye can see is all manmade land.. We're about 3km out into the lake at this point. 70 years ago, there was nothing but water here.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
The eastern ridge.
The eastern ridge.. The highest point on the Leslie spit.. Well maybe the lighthouse hill might be as tall.
It is all manmade, mostly out of old bricks. We shall climb it.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
Felled trees, a sure sign of a local beaver population.
The work of beavers is everywhere to be seen on the spit.
Saplings and mature trees are all victims of the beavers veracious appetites.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
A rather large natural rock in an unnatural landscape.
An unusual find on a landform made of manmade refuse.. A natural boulder.
I do wonder why it too ended up on a headland made of brick and concrete.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
Fresh snow on a side trail.
The further up the spit you climb the more trail options open up as the headlands branches out.. Virgin snow is to be hand.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
Someone's earthly possession, abandoned on the spit.
There is no camping allowed. But like all of the cities wild places, it's more than just a refuge for the wildlife.
People too seek refuge here.. On this windswept barren finger of land jutting into the lake.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
Everything is possible or so says the pipe.
While nature has reclaimed much of the clean fill.. Remnants of its past purpose like skeletal remains, persist as reminders of its origin.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
Approaching the outdoor classroom
The open classroom design exposed to the elements.
Climbing to the roof.
View over frozen wetlands of Cell 1.
At just under 2km up the spit we come to the first naturalized wetland in Cell 1. Along with the outdoor classroom built into a small hill.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
Yeah I'm gunna have to disagree with you.
Remands of the old land fill remain.
Like this sign which I've happy ignored for decades.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
The trail are busy today. With the snow, come the cross country skiers.
I stumbled onto dozens of people out enjoying the fresh snow.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
Group of birders out on the trails.
The spit while not planned as a nature preserve has become an integral part of local naturalist efforts
I stumbled onto a fledging flock of birders, guided by an experienced TRCA guide on an organized outing.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
Lone tracks in the snow. Probably a fox or a coyote.
But more than just birds make their home here.. Larger animals have found their way onto the spit.
Beavers, coyotes, foxes and even deer have been seen here.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
Winter view into lake Ontario
In the 70's Toronto & Region Conservation Authority began land reclamation work on the spit to turn it into what it has become now; Tommy Thompson Park
One of the most important bird sanctuaries in the region
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
Industrial remnants from the days of the clean fill.
The new nature centre, standing in contrast to the spits previous function.
About a 800m into the spit we come across the old weight station for the dump trucks and the new(ish) Nature Centre.
The spit massive clean fill. All the land here is not natural, it's all refuse.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
Construction fencing on the eastern side of the Neck.
There is normally a wilderness trail along the east bank of the spit that's a better trek up the neck of the spit, but due to shoreline work, the trail has disappeared.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
The road used by landfill trucks that make for the backbone of the spit.
The spit is a long narrow landform that branches out into a 3 large cell that are either currently wetlands or being converted into wetlands.
But to get there, 1st we must travel up the landfill road.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
Incase you're not familiar, the Leslie Street spit is a manmade headland jutting out into lake Ontario.
It started as a landfill site in the 1950s & has grown to a sprawling 5km landform and nature preserve.
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
Winters call for snowshoeing.
And being we've had snow, and we're going the Nordic route... It mean only one thing.. Snowshoe time!
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
The gate house to the Leslie Street Spit.
Alright since we've had a healthy amount of snow this week its time for a Nordic edition of #RavineRambles
Todays there is no ravine sadly, but we've got a spit! Well technically a headland
Come & join along
#RavineRambles #ravinerambler #LeslieStreetSpit #EastCoastKin #SnowshoeTO #lovetheravines
Another gem in Toronto’s bike network is the Leslie Street Spit. Made almost entirely of landfill and construction waste, the spit is a finger of land extending five kilometres out into Lake Ontario, curving past the Toronto Islands. Over the years it has filled […]
[Original post on hachyderm.io]
www.blogto.com/city/2025/05...
#blogto #tdot #yyz #Toronto #torontosky #canadasky #lesliestreetspit #humanmade #Torontoharbour #lake #lakeOntario #ontario #ecology #nature #habitat #cities #canadiancities #worldcities
An homage to a chance encounter, written on a stone tablet that reads as follows: "IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT, 24 of May 2015 Ok, he's here now! That was too close for comfort. He was definitely curious, it actually became quite amusing the way we circled each other at 50 yards or so. He with his big lens, me feigning casual disinterest. It lasted a good 15 minutes, felt like an eternity, that funny circle dance, stalker and prey We won you and I! He tired first and rode off. Byeee! Our secret safe another day." The stone tablet, with it's story written with a marker pen on the flat surface of one side, was then left with the rest of the detritus on the beach at the Leslie Street Spit, Toronto. I found it in August 2015. The beach is made completely of time- and storm-worn bricks, cinderblocks, rebar, and other construction waste, and is used as a dumping ground for this type of material.
This is the beach where I found the tablet, and the story it contained. The beach is completely covered with time- and storm-worn bricks, cinderblock, rebar, and other construction waste. In fact, all this material IS the beach, which is used as a dumping ground for this type of unwanted building material taken from the city and dumped on the shores of the Leslie Street Spit, Toronto.
I stumbled across this record of a brief encounter, memorialized on a stone tablet, at a brick beach a few years ago. I'm still amazed that I happened to find it amongst all the bricks and cinderblock that make up the beach! See ALT text for transcription. #toronto #LeslieStreetSpit #serendipity
