Owen's Hiking And Adventures

11/12/2024

An INCREDIBLE and much needed weekend in southern Bruce Peninsula at Camp Whippletree with and crew! What a beautiful area of land, complete with bears, deer and red squirrels (by the millions) it seemed. We didn’t see any big animals, but we enjoyed the peace and solitude of fresh air and good laughs in a forested setting 🤘🏡 that’s therapy!

BOOK your Niagara tour / talk with me:
www.owenshikingandadventures.com
My YouTube channel AND Hidden Corners nature documentaries: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvL2fsztBV-fRcVHDY8c56A

11/08/2024

My Google E(Art)h series, continued, featuring incredible examples of humans shaping the earth and remote regions galore.

1) United Arab Emirate’s city of Dubai is a consistent boundary pusher in terms of engineering and “landscaping” at a colossal scale. These shapes are areas that are either settled or at least destined to be with riches that are unfathomable. Sea dredging pulls up earth, while other earth is imported, to make these urban landscapes out in the water (at the detriment of sea life, of course)

2) Incredibly arranged red sand dunes near Karlamilyi National Park, Western Australia. The cream coloured blobs are areas where perhaps once every handful of years water will temporarily reside.

3) Circular irrigation crops in the desert near Farmington, New Mexico, USA. Water from irrigation canals/dams is brought into these arid areas for agricultural purposes- in the middle of a desert.

4) The streets if Jarkarta, Indonesia- one of the world’s most densely populated cities, and home of what is arguably the most polluted river in the world. Everyone here hustles to work, and works to live in this concrete jungle, or perhaps jungle or concrete?

5) Botswana’s Okavango Delta is the world’s largest inland delta- the water actually never reaches the sea, ocean or a lake. It simply fans out and dissipates into a desert when heavy rains come, which are critical for wildlife such as elephants.

6) A mysterious unnamed settlement located in the centre of a massive crater in Madagascar known as Anosibe Ambohiby

7) A corner store in Taiwan- much like we have corner stores in our neighbourhoods here, just with different language and goods and honest people working them.
BOOK your Niagara tour / talk with me:
www.owenshikingandadventures.com
My YouTube channel AND Hidden Corners nature documentaries: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvL2fsztBV-fRcVHDY8c56A

10/30/2024

More incredible (and sad) patterns and themes I found and imaged from Google E(art)h!

1) Near the Iran / Iraq border, the Shadegan Nature Reserve has its brackish waters (salt and freshwater combo) snake through erosive valleys into the Persian Gulf.
2) The furthest predominant ridge in the west of the Appalachian Mountains gives way to THOUSANDS of valleys in what is called the piedmont region of the Appalachian region in Kentucky, USA.
3) When people think of Canada, they regard British Columbia and the Territories as the wildest regions of the country. Ontario may be the most populated Province, but look at this abyss of wilderness- I see a visual of a bird facing to the left!
4) Lake Huron in Michigan, USA- many creeks meander and carve their way through a myriad of woodlots and farms to empty to themselves into the 3rd largest Great Lake.
5) A disheartening image of homelessness and suffering in Vancouver, Canada’s East Hasting’s Street district. If you get mad at me for posting this, get mad first at your beloved Google for publicizing this reality.
6) I took the previous image I captured and went aerial. From above, you can see blue tarp encampments on the rooftops of this Vancouver neighbourhood. Both homelessness and addiction have skyrocketed since pandemic restrictions from 2020 onwards in Canada and in other parts of the world.

BOOK your Niagara tour / talk with me:
www.owenshikingandadventures.com
My YouTube channel AND Hidden Corners nature documentaries: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvL2fsztBV-fRcVHDY8c56A

10/30/2024

An EPIC blustery fall campout 🏕️ with my amazing pal ! Lake Ontario’s waves were so loud we half yelled at each other all night. That is normal for Rob and I considering how many concerts we have attended together. Sparks flew horizontally but our tents didn’t catch fire. Thank goodness, as it was nearly zero degrees that night. We had sloppy joes and a roasted sandwich for dinner 🥘 it was amazing to take a break from online school and get back to a “wild” night out for the first time in a while!!!

BOOK your Niagara tour / talk with me:
www.owenshikingandadventures.com
My YouTube channel AND Hidden Corners nature documentaries: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvL2fsztBV-fRcVHDY8c56A

10/20/2024

From today’s tour 🍁 birthday boy repping an Owen’s Hiking And Adventures brand new hoodie while we explored the Niagara Gorge for his birthday outing! These three kids were so remarkably smart and adventurous, and this paired well with the INSANELY beautiful peak fall colours in the 12,000 year old gorge with 400+ million year old rocks! This was a tour for the books :) the amazing mother who booked with me 4 times now was one of my first customers in 2016. It’s so cool to watch these families grow and stay immersed in nature 💪 thanks for having ME be a part of YOUR birthday!

BOOK your Niagara tour / talk with me:
www.owenshikingandadventures.com
My YouTube channel AND Hidden Corners nature documentaries: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvL2fsztBV-fRcVHDY8c56A

10/18/2024

🚨🍁🍃Fall colours are about to PEAK in Niagara Region!!! What an excellent time to get outside with reasonable temperatures, no more mosquitoes, and visually stunning ambience. This is usually my “second busy season” for all of the reasons mentioned above. I took these photos from my doorstep- imagine what even wilder areas of the Niagara Peninsula must look like at this time of year!? Let me show you while we learn about these nationally rare environments and species. Contact me for a hike or canoe tour amidst the colours 🤘🇨🇦

BOOK your Niagara tour / talk with me:
www.owenshikingandadventures.com
My YouTube channel AND Hidden Corners nature documentaries: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvL2fsztBV-fRcVHDY8c56A

10/11/2024

I love this particular collection of “Google E(art)h” that I have been tinkering with! 🤯🌍🌎🌏 I want to hear which one is your favourite! Here’s what we’re looking at- or, firstly, what’s looking 👁️ at us?

1) I thought this looked remarkably like some sort of colossal, abysmal eye. Funny enough, I looked into it, and it is called the Eye of Sahara, or the “Richat Structure”. It is about 40 Km wide is an eroded geological dome located in the country of Mauritania.
2) Mt. Kelimutu is a quiet but technically active active volcano on Flores Island, Indonesia. The three lakes are known to change colours multiple times, sometimes in the span of months- this is due to volcanic activity stirring the pot of minerals and temperatures in the area at all times.
3) A man made watering hole in outback Queensland, Australia. This is cattle country- you can see the routine paths the animals take to get to the water.
4) It looks like some sort of ominous blob monster or amoeba coming to take a bite out of the shore, but these are the Belcher Islands in Canada, part of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement (Sanikiluaq Inuit Owned Lands). There are 3 tiny and very isolated communities on the islands.
5) The mesmerizing yet environmentally agonizing practice of the palm oil plantation- oil from these trees “help” us eat junk food and wear cosmetics at the expense of tropical rainforest and orangutan 🦧 populations in Indonesia on the island of Borneo.
6) A remarkable exposed rock cascade somewhere in northern Nigeria- the green water is likely full of algae due to its exposure to the hot African sun.

BOOK your Niagara tour / talk with me:
www.owenshikingandadventures.com
My YouTube channel AND Hidden Corners nature documentaries: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvL2fsztBV-fRcVHDY8c56A

10/11/2024

It’s 9:14 PM and I am joining the northern lights (aurora borealis) posting party! Niagara friends- step outside and look for the faint glow of green and red, or perhaps other colours! Use your phone to really pull the colours that are tough to see with the naked eye.
Northern lights are caused by the the sun ejecting a wave of electromagnetic matter (essentially, solar energy) from 93 million miles away reacting with our earth’s magnetic field and various atmospheric gases.

BOOK your Niagara tour / talk with me:
www.owenshikingandadventures.com
My YouTube channel AND Hidden Corners nature documentaries: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvL2fsztBV-fRcVHDY8c56A

10/08/2024

Some recent photos I snapped of early Fall on my tours 🍁-this time of year makes Niagara Region feel like a colourful jungle- the perfect mix where it’s not too hot, not too cold, no thirsty insects, and summer wildlife is still out and about for a bit longer. Plus, soon, salmon will be running up Lake Ontario’s creeks where I run tours. It’s a great day to get outside, every time!!! Allow me to show you :)

BOOK your Niagara tour / talk with me:
www.owenshikingandadventures.com
My YouTube channel AND Hidden Corners nature documentaries: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvL2fsztBV-fRcVHDY8c56A

10/08/2024

From today’s tour 🦇- the Wild Waterfalls Tour! Our guest brought us some luck as we found a BAT (called a little brown bat) on a rock. It was alive, but unfortunately, it appeared ill… still a positive sign to see bats in a local ecosystem, as they indicate high quality habitat features. We also saw two beautiful waterfalls, salamanders, snacked on wild ginger, and had a beautiful day out in this prime early fall weather!!! Special thanks to my mom for co-guiding with me today 💪

BOOK your Niagara tour / talk with me:
www.owenshikingandadventures.com
My YouTube channel AND Hidden Corners nature documentaries: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvL2fsztBV-fRcVHDY8c56A

10/06/2024

From today’s tour! 🥾🤘 crayfish catching, observing wasp nests (safely!), enjoying the water cascades and searching for salamanders- all at the beautiful Rockway Falls! What a hoot 🦉!!!

BOOK your Niagara tour / talk with me:
www.owenshikingandadventures.com
My YouTube channel AND Hidden Corners nature documentaries: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvL2fsztBV-fRcVHDY8c56A

10/05/2024

This Monday Oct 7th, 10-330 PM! I still have availability on this joinable tour! Please message me asap if you’re interested- $50 per person, $60 if signing up solo. We visit the pictures above- Balls Falls and Rockway Falls!!! It will be a hoot. Hope to see you there! Hike is rated as “moderate”.

BOOK your Niagara tour / talk with me:
www.owenshikingandadventures.com
My YouTube channel AND Hidden Corners nature documentaries: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvL2fsztBV-fRcVHDY8c56A

10/01/2024

https://youtu.be/790pcsZBYKI?si=2kGycRbLLORcOUge
Enjoy this virtual tour of the Niagara Gorge I made for a teacher’s college assignment, and I made within 6 hours before a deadline 😅- and now for your enjoyment! 🙂
www.owenshikingandadventures.com

I made this video for an online class in teacher's college recently, but also thought it was be interesting for anyone who wants to see what the Niagara Gorg...

09/23/2024

JOINABLE TOUR Mon OCt 7th @10 AM to 3 PM. WILD WATERFALLS TOUR: 2 stops! This is an excellent day out for adventurous sorts who want to see Niagara’s hidden nooks! Contact me however you’d like and I can get you on the list for an epic time :)

BOOK your Niagara tour / talk with me:
www.owenshikingandadventures.com
My YouTube channel AND Hidden Corners nature documentaries: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvL2fsztBV-fRcVHDY8c56A

09/16/2024

Goggle E(art)h project continued 🌍🌏🌎 here are the insanely interesting things you’re looking at:
1) A super linear development “inserting” itself into a wild series of sand dunes in United Arab Emirates
2) Westerly winds have pushed sand out of Lake Chad for thousands of years, where temporary water pools collect in between. Chad, Africa.
3) Not the Iran you thought you knew- it contains a small but significant area of lush temperate rainforest.
4) The Nara Canal is still technically part of the massive Indus River system in Pakistan. It brings water over 100 km away from the main river for livelihood in a desert.
5) Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, has grown double in size every year since 1950. Logging and fishing is a huge deal- we see timber looking like match sticks.
6) The world’s longest river doesn’t even crack the top 10 largest deltas in the world- but the Nile River showcases large urban yellow dots and a sea of green irrigation lands.
7) An assumed logging camp seriously deep in Burma’s jungles.
8) A struggling neighbourhood under a bridge in the Kensington district of Philadelphia, USA

BOOK your Niagara tour / talk with me:
www.owenshikingandadventures.com
My YouTube channel AND Hidden Corners nature documentaries: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvL2fsztBV-fRcVHDY8c56A

09/16/2024

Halloween 🎃 in September featuring Bigfoot handing out chips (because Bigfoot eats fish and groundhogs, and kids don’t care for that)… this resort and its COMMUNITY have given SO much to me as a business over the last two years, but more importantly, as a family I have come to know have so much fun with! I showed up as Bigfoot (a nickname and identity that has been attached to me for some time, so very fitting)- and what a blast these lucky kids had as they enjoyed a summertime Trick or Treat!!!

BOOK your Niagara tour / talk with me:
www.owenshikingandadventures.com
My YouTube channel AND Hidden Corners nature documentaries: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvL2fsztBV-fRcVHDY8c56A

09/11/2024

I’m VERY excited to introduce NEW styles of posts on this page, incorporating my love / passion / addiction for the program “Google Earth”… those who know me know how OBSESSED I am with this program. It is like brain candy to me, and I spend more time on it than all of you combined, likely.
It is a genius, free program that allows users to virtually travel the world. Of course it’s not as good as the real thing, but there are so many artistic images and real life patterns that we can see from above- and on the ground.
I give you… GOOGLE E(ART)H… I have many posts to come.
I also can’t wait to use these images with my future biology and geography students. The world is beautiful and fascinating. Let’s protect and celebrate it.
1) A seemingly abandoned high rise neighbourhood in Mumbai, India.
2) Rio Negro’s black waters meet the Amazon River’s muddy waters, Manaus, Brazil
3) The “great chew” into the Amazon rainforest, Brazil
4) Blue, grey, red, and green coloured canyons near Hanksville, Arizona, USA.
5) Enormous delta where major rivers empty into the Indian Ocean at the border of India and Bangladesh
6) Looks like stars in the sky, but these are medium to major cities scattered across northern rural India
7) Plantations where there were once endless grassy subtropical wetlands in southern Florida, USA
8) A dense, ungoverned community in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Tell me what you think and if you would like to see more!!!

BOOK your Niagara tour / talk with me:
www.owenshikingandadventures.com
My YouTube channel AND Hidden Corners nature documentaries: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvL2fsztBV-fRcVHDY8c56A