Jenn moved to Toronto in the summer of 2004, fresh out of university and looking for a job. Introduced to the TOC by Google in the Spring of 2006, she figured it would be a great way to meet new people and return to some of the activities which had been neglected during her schooling. Born in Ottawa to an outdoorsy family, Jenn has been camping and canoeing for as long as she can remember. After moving to Saskatoon during high school, she continued to be active outdoors with her friends, exploring the northern Saskatchewan wilderness. It was during university at Queen’s in Kingston that Jenn took up cycling. Camping and Canoeing were never a possibility due to logistical circumstances, so after several years of longing for calm waters and campfires, the TOC seemed like the perfect way to get involved once again.

In November 2007, Jenn took over the role of President from Stephanie Amann. She can be reached at

See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by JennP.

Alison has been in Toronto for about 3 years. Before she made it to our busy metropolis, she bopped around the world, most recently in Northern Italy, working for the European Commission. She has family in this area so the GTA seemed a logical location to come to when she returned to Canada. Alison can be found hiking, golfing, scuba diving, photography when she's outside, but also enjoys reading, watercolour painting, exploring new cuisines (currently into south-east Asian) and needlework of all kinds. When she's not pursuing this great list of activities, she can be found as a project manager for a local municipality.

Alison discovered the TOC in the middle of 2005 and saw an opportunity to meet like-minded people and do outdoor stuff with a friendly group. Alison is our Web Site Analyst, but, if time allows, she might be leading some hiking, golfing, whitewater rafting events in the future.

Alison is also the person to contact if you have ideas for web site content or questions about the site. While she is not responsible for programming the site, she is the team lead for the Operations team and she'll make sure that all suggestions are reviewed for possible future incorporation.

• Ensuring correctness and accuracy of static web site content
• Event Content Management: ensuring correctness and accuracy of event details and write-ups
• Member Content Management: ensuring correctness and accuracy of member data
• Consult with TOC volunteers, especially the executive team, to determine web requirements
• Communicate web requirements to the web developer and participate in discussions with affiliated clubs to determine common development requirements

[A little known fact about the word, "paparazzi", that many people don't know (this may be disputed?) It's originally Spanish, more specifically from Venezuela and Victor's grandfather was the very first! His name was Razzi and his grandchildren called him Papa Razzi to distinguish him from their other grandfather. The tradition has been passed down through the generations and therefore Victor cannot be trusted with a camera. Whether you just woke up and crawled out of a tent, or spilled food down the front of your clothes, you should keep an eye out for Victor. He's everywhere!]

See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Victor.

Aside from the real outdoor activities, Dan is also interested in indoor/outdoor cultural events like concert, museum and gallery going, ballet, theatre.

See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Dan.

Matt is currently certified by Canadian Red Cross in First Aid and CPR Level ‘C’ until 6 December 2012.

See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Matt E.

Growing up in Mississauga, she found herself in fierce competition, year after year, with another girl for the shortest student in her grade class (as was always well evidenced on class photo day). So, in spite of having a marathoner / coach dad, she ended up shying away from gym class and athletics for a long time.

But ten years ago (and counting), a couple of different things happened in her life which sparked the interest in running. To help make it through the cold winters, she joined a gym; and that's when she rediscovered a passion for weight lifting. The running has always been a bit of a love-hate relationship, it's hard work to be sure! But as of this writing, she has a half-dozen half-marathons under her belt, and no plans to quit.

Despite being a "runner", though, if there has to be one defining thing about Stacy, it would have to be her love of nature. This simply touches all parts of her life; she's even the "National EcoCare Leader" at her work.

So it's no wonder that each of her interests revolve around one of both of these passions. They include: hiking (in the city or the woods), backpacking, gardening, photography, learning survival skills, and geocaching!

See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Stacy.

He spends most of his time in the club looking for adventure, fun, and friendly people

See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Andrew F.

Raised in the greater Toronto area, Adele’s family roots are in a small island in the Caribbean. As a result, she loves warm weather, and she particularly loves the outdoors in the summer, when there are so many ways to enjoy nature -- in the hot summer sun!

She enjoys gentle bicycling trips, hiking, inline skating, canoeing, and camping. She’s a certified SCUBA diver who loves both traveling and gardening.

See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Adele.

Chuck was born in Hong Kong and came to Toronto when he was 11. When he was 3, he took off with some older neighbors to a mountain stream for a swim, and didn’t tell his mother. That was when his love for the outdoors began. The first outdoor encounter in Canada was on a 6th grade week long school trip to Boyne River Conservation Education Center. He learned cross-country skiing , snowshoeing and orienteering. From that point, he knew he was in love with the Canadian winter.

He has lead wilderness canoe trips to places including the Spanish River, French River, Killarney, Algonquin Park and Temagami. When he isn’t camping on summer weekends, Chuck is most likely rollerblading or biking. He also plays beach volleyball and tennis. In winter, he cross-country skis at least once a week. Snowboarding and downhill skiing on the bigger mountains outside of Ontario also nurtures Chuck’s obsession for the outdoors.

A keen sense of extreme adventures has taken Chuck around the world. Among his favourites are trekking in the Himalayas; scuba diving with bull sharks in Belize; climbing an active volcano in Guatemala; solo backpacking among grizzly bears in Alaska; downhill skiing in Austria and Italy; white-water rafting in Honduras and Nepal; and surfing in Costa Rica.

In the city, he likes to go out with friends to dinner, dancing, movies and bars.

He is certified for First Aid and CPR since 1999, and is a volunteer for the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA).

Hi there, and welcome to the Toronto Outdoor Club! I hope you, like me, will find the club to be a wonderful experience with lots of amazing new friends and opportunities!

No one could be more surprised than my own family that I not only belong to an outdoor club, but lead events for one! I grew up on a farm, but it was only during my first trip to British Columbia in 2005 that I realized how much nature meant to me. Since becoming an event coordinator in the spring of 2006, I’ve tried to offer events that are friendly to those who might be unsure whether this whole nature thing is for them (even the tree-planting events are fun!).

I can also tell you that you don’t have to be an athlete to be a full participant in the Toronto Outdoor Club. I have a genetic neuromuscular condition that moderately affects my balance and coordination, and makes walking and running about twice the effort as for someone else. While I have to be selective about the activities I sign up for (for my own safety and enjoyment), the TOC has been amazingly accepting and I’ve still been able to participate in many cool events.

So now that the testimonials are over, here are some other random details about me: I work in downtown Toronto as a manager/analyst in a busy IT department; I love photography; I avidly read blogs, and have a blog that I update daily; I have degrees in biology and education; I once lived in South Korea, teaching English, for two years; and I am a vegetarian. Community is very important to me, both in concept and practice. Among my newest passions are my volunteer work rescuing migratory songbirds that fly into our city’s buildings, and my twin niece and nephew, born in January 2007.

I look forward to meeting and hanging out with you on future events!

See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Cynthia B..

He has travelled to many places in search of adventure and stayed in Japan for three years, mostly for the sushi. Darrel is game for any kind of play or adventure that comes along, when work doesn't get in the way, and is especially interested if it involves a frisbee (a permanent fixture on his backpack) or an impromtu game of shinny.

Now there's been some talk that Darrel might be a bit grumpy. Not true, not true! In fact, he was seen to smile once. It was on one of his fast D5 hikes and one of the participants, somewhere around the 35km mark asked, "Can we stop now?!"

Darrel is currently certified by Canadian Red Cross in First Aid and CPR Level ‘C’ until 18 August 2012.

See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Darrel Nantais.

David has lived in Toronto all his life, except for 3 years traveling, studying and working in Europe. He heard about the TOC a few months ago, and liked what he saw on the Web site. David earns his keep by tutoring people to use their home computers and repairing them – that’s the computers not their users!

David enjoys "gentle" cross-country skiing, bicycling and car camping – that’s not camping in a car, rather near a car :-) - and he looks forward to organizing and leading these kinds of trips for the TOC. David is also willing to try other activities.

He is interested in organizing hiking, mountain biking, backpacking, and cross-country skiing events, often venturing south of the border.

See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Dima.

Gary grew up and went to school in Montreal. As a teenager he enjoyed cycling in the summer and cross-country skiing in the winter months with some camping adventures in the Laurentians at friends cottages.

His outdoor horizons opened up when he got involved in the Dawson College Outing Club. There he found, some great athletic department teacher/mentors and fellow students that craved adventures like hiking, canoeing, winter camping and cross-country skiing. During these school years, Gary turned into an endurance athlete training for running/triathlons events during the summer and cross-country ski loppets during the winter.

Over the next 25 years, he has completed countless races, including; 3 Boston marathons, numerous triathlons/duathlons, running and cycling races. He is a 5-time Courier de Bois - Gold Canadian Ski Marathon finisher, 2-time Dr. Johnson award winner (Ottawa marathon, ski marathon, canoe marathon, Rideau Lakes cycling tour), 2-time Toronto-Niagara Falls-Toronto Hairshirt (340Km) cycling event finisher and a 2-time Cabot Trail Running Relay Race finisher.

Gary was a member of the Oshawa Cycling Club for many years and is a member of the Whitby Tigers Running Club and the Durham Mountain Bike Association.

Gary has mellowed over the years but still has the drive ……but at a slower pace. He enjoys week long tripping by canoe or kayaking in Ontario and Quebec and mountain biking in the Oak Ridges moraine area. Hiking adventures include; New Hampshire, Vermont, NY, Washington, Arizona, Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland, BC, Alberta, PEI, Nova Scotia, England, France and Germany.

Gary studied mechanical engineering at McGill University. In the early 80’s, he moved to the Whitby/Ajax area where he designs landing gear for aircraft. His work sends him to interesting places in Europe and the US. Gary earned a master of mechanical engineering in 1990 and an MBA in 2005 from U of T, while continuing to work. He is currently working on the Boeing 787 aircraft.

Gary joined TOC in September 2008 looking to meet new people that also enjoy similar activities. Within the first few months he decided to become an event coordinator. He tends to run his events in the D5 range of adventure but at a D4 pace. Send him your suggestions.

Gary completed the Hike Leader Certification Course as provided by Hike Ontario as of 24 October 2009.

See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Gary Ataman.

Ghanesh was born in Guyana, South America and has also lived in London, England.

He currently lives in Toronto and having studied fine arts and graphic design, is currently employed as a printing and graphic arts specialist.

His interest includes canoeing, kayaking, biking, hiking, swimming, yoga and cooking.

He joined TOC because of the diversity of it’s membership, range of activities and he is willing to help out the club in graphics, fundraising, coordinating events and committee issues.

Ghanesh is a member of Paddle Canada and The Bruce Trail Club.

See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Ghanesh.

Jenn has lived in Toronto all her life - actually, she grew up in the suburbs, but we won't hold that against her. She currently resides in the O dot Ton. For those not in the know, that's Blossington, aka Ossington. .

She's an avid outside gal, she prefers to be called a serious "performance hiker" (or so SOME people say), although you will see her on easy hikes just as often as her 30+ Km hikes and trail runs. She loves to canoe and backpack and enjoys fastpacking solo as well as group backpacking trips. She admits that she's a terrible cross country skier. She dreams of someday trekking in the far reaches of the NWT and Nunavut, amongst polar bears (so the Prez says....Jenn is less enthusiastic at the thought of trekking amongst polar bears!!! and wonders what the Prez is really trying to tell her!) and caribou.

Jenn hopes to plan more trail events for the TOC.

Jim grew up in rural Alberta, on a grain farm north of Edmonton. Since leaving Alberta in 1985, he has lived in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and, finally, Ontario. He has a particular fondness for Nova Scotia and the Maritimes.

Jim enjoys hiking and biking, as well as winter activities such as snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. He is also interested in travel, literature, live concerts, movies, and theatre.

See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Jim O.

Although she cannot play any sports with a globe-shaped object (e.g. volleyball, basketball, soceer etc), she is in love with endurance sports (e.g. cycling, trail running, cross-country skiing etc). Her new found passion is pilates and plans to obtain a teacher certificate.

See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Josephine.

Child: "Is that your Mum calling?
Kate:...listening..."Uh, no, it's my Dad."
Child:..."He sounds mad..."
Kate:...listening..."Yeah...hm..."

Teenage sisters (who had better things to do) were constantly being dispatched to find the errant child. Trails from one friend's house to another were followed, just not in time. Kate and her dog would eventually toddle home when they got hungry - both dirty from climbing under, over or up something and often the dog (and occasionally Kate) would not be allowed to come back inside because of it.

Not much has changed, really. Kate likes hiking above most things but loves fun and adventure of all kinds. If it requires that clothing be permanently ruined in the process - all the more rewarding!

See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Kate.

Katherine is from the Toronto area. She grew up doing day hikes and car camping with her family, progressing to backcountry hiking and canoeing with friends in high school and university. She joined the TOC to get back to these activities and to meet new people with similar interests.

Katherine’s outdoor pursuits include: backcountry camping, canoeing, car camping, cross-country skiing, urban and wilderness hikes, and walking tours. She also enjoys social events such as movie nights and dinners, and just about any other excuse to meet with TOC members.

Lisa grew up in Oakville, outside of Toronto. She became an outdoor enthusiast as a kid, camping with her family & dog in a tent trailer across Canada. She joined her high school's outdoor club and went on many canoe trips. To this day she hates "boil in a bag" food. She enjoys back-country & car camping, kayaking, cross country skiing, swimming, and leisurely walking/hiking in & outside of the city.

Many years have passed since that first canoe trip and Mark has gone on to develop a passion for backpacking, canoeing, kayaking, and hiking. This communing with nature stuff can be kinda cool. He's also been known to don on some running tights for a few kilometres of low profile running, and the occasional visit to yoga studios across the city. Send him your event suggestions.

See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Mark M.

Michelle enjoys organizing ski/snowboard and golf events

See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Michelle.

Min is an art and outdoor lover. She has studied Visual Arts and Education at York University. She dedicates herself in helping people with special needs particularly when it comes to children. As an educator, she uses her creativity to help students realize their ability and potential towards achieving personal goals. Teaching gives Min the opportunity to express herself in a spontaneous manner. The spontaneity and a sense of curiosity have allowed her to travel all over the world to see and experience new things. As well as Canada, she has been to such places as France, Italy, Hawaii, Spain, Thailand, Hong-Kong and England. Her next adventure is to take a year and backpack around the world and maybe work in a third world country.

Min was born in England then went to Hong-Kong before coming to Toronto.

Besides art, travelling and outdoor adventures, Min also enjoys yoga, cardio workout, cultural events and dance. Min believes that in order for the body to function properly, it must be balanced in three ways, mind, body and spirit. TOC has helped her in achieving this balance and now she wants to contribute back to the club so others can experience the same.

A favourite quote… “Don’t waste time trying to be happy. Happiness most often comes unplanned and unexpectedly- like a shooting star on a silent night”. –Unknown author

Perkin had a dream once, and that was to become the first Philipino Down Hill Skier to win a gold medal at the Olympics. His dream was quickly shattered along with his knee in a freak accident involving an escalator and a piece of gum, and now he contents himself by teaching others the ways of the powder.

Little else is known about Perkin, except that he hails from San Francisco and came to Toronto to chase after a two-headed golden cow. It has been said that this two-headed cow gives Perkin the ability to play a better golf game, and as such, you’ll find him on the greens practicing his exceptional putting stroke.

While not teaching young minds the way of the powder or duffing it on the golf course, Perkin also enjoys Hiking, Biking, and Kayaking, and looks forward to posting future events involving these fun activities.

Pia was born in southern England where she lived until she was 8 years old. It has taken many years for Pia to develop an appreciation of Canadian winters (and summers too) since England has a much more temperate climate. While Pia spent many winters hibernating like many Canadians, these days she is constantly trying new winter sports to get the most out of the season. Otherwise, she says, you spend half a year inside wishing your life away while you wait for warmer temperatures. Look for Pia to set up hiking, climbing (indoor, rock and ice), cross country skiing, snow shoeing and some fun adventure trips as well.

Pia has recently traveled to Tanzania where she realized a long time dream to climb Kilimanjaro. She has also trekked to Everest Base Camp and followed the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. She recently climbed mount Washington with fellow TOCers on a trip down to New Hampshire.

Pia enjoys hiking, trekking, mountain climbing, rock climbing, photography, travel, reading and the movies. She can also be found at Good Life Fitness on a regular basis where she enjoys pump, step and flow classes. For relaxing times, Pia enjoys going to the spa, shopping (what girl doesn’t) dinner with friends and the movies. For not so relaxing times, she plays with her nieces and nephews who are full of energy and mischief.

See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Pia.

Life before Toronto: yes, it does exist for some of us. For Rob, it was a prairie upbringing alternating between Saskatoon, Edmonton and Winnipeg—always keeping one step ahead of the bullies. The earthly charms of Hogtown eventually beckoned which was soon followed by several attempted escapes from said town’s all-embracing clutches: a youthful period of wandering aimlessly about through the Middle East and Indian subcontinent; five more purposeful years in Europe (France and England) and numerous other international adventures in between. Rob now finds the urge to get away sated by his annual two-month getaways (yes, he’s a teacher). Although he's been on most of the continents at some point or other, his current goal is to get to know the one he lives on a bit better.

Rob’s outdoor interests are equally varied: canoeing when the ice is thin enough, snowshoeing and skiing when it’s not; hiking and camping in all weather. Although happy to participate in any activity that pulls him away from his house renovations, Rob's main goal this year is to increase the amount of time he spends in the backcountry, far from roads and people yapping loudly on cellphones beside him on the streetcar.

Upon completing high school, Simon moved west, all the way to Calgary. Out west he got to really try some adventuring with hiking in the Rockies, rafting and canoeing some great whitewater.

After spending a year in University, and realizing that academics wasn't for him, Simon went to work in the oilfield. Working on a seismic crew is probably some of the most difficult work in the country. Temperatures of -55 were common, in fact the coldest day for work had a windchill of -72! Long, long days 12-14 hrs/ 7days a week fo 4-6 weeks at a stretch. But it was in this line of work that Simon learned about surviving extremes, learned how to deal with wildlife encounters, and learned more about a person's physical limits.

After the oilfiled slump in 1998 (oil fell to $13/barrel), the oil companies didn't want to find oil until the price rose. So with severance cheque in hand, Simon went back to school to become a Pilot. After two years of training, he graduated as a Commercial Pilot with a class 4 instructor rating. He spent almost 3 years teaching flying at Okotoks airport(near Calgary), rising to Chief Flight Instructor. In January 2004, Simon accepted a position in Windsor, ON, to become the Chief Flight Instructor at the Windsor Flying Club. That was to be Simon's final position as a Pilot, as in March 2005 he joined Nav Canada to become an Air Traffic Controller.

He parted ways with Nav Canada in Aug 2006, as the work was just too stressful. He currently works in Landscaping in the Toronto area.

Simon joined the TOC in spring of 2009 hoping to find people of similar interest. He loves water excursions, by kayak or canoe. Hiking and cross country skiing are also favourites. Exploring places off the beaten path is always a hit, send him suggestions for events.

See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Simon Pauze.

In November, 2007, Stephanie decided to step aside and let a new generation of TOC volunteers takeover the day to day administration so she can spend more time with her husband, Dominic, and her two dogs Rocky and Trixie. As the founder she is always around and continues to coordinate events.

Sue is currently certified by Wilderness Medical Associates to perform First Aid and CPR until 26 April 2012.

See Upcoming Events or Past Events being coordinated by Sue.