Toronto urban adventures with Clif bar

Staycation adventures are so underrated, and especially in Toronto, there are so many things to do. To show off just a bit of what Toronto has to offer in our own back yard, Clif Bar invited me out for an urban adventure day for their Make It Good campaign, including a trip up the CN Tower for EdgeWalk.

Make It Good is Clif Bar’s way of helping to inspire Canadians to get out and explore their own city, and urban adventures across the country. At the same time, Clif Bar has some tasty new fruit smoothie filled bars, like Wild Blueberry Acai, that helped power us through the day, and they’re delicious, with only 11 grams of sugar, and lots of good stuff in them including Omega-6 and Omega-3 fats, protein, and vitamins.

We started the day at the CN Tower’s EdgeWalk, where we geared up, and then spent 20 minutes walking along the top of the tower’s main pod, 116 stories above the ground. And, yes, we were all a bit nervous, but it was honestly so much fun.

EdgeWalk is officially the “Highest External Walk on a Building” according to the Guinness World Records, and it takes you completely around the pod, connected to the building by a tether to keep us from literally falling off the edge.

The most nerve-wracking moment for me was the first thing they have you do: step forward and put your toes over the edge of the building so a good couple of inches of each foot sticks out. You’re safe, but it feels so weird, and exhilarating.

After that, you stand so you’re leaning backwards off the CN Tower, and then leaning forwards out, take some photos, and get some facts from the guide.

Once you get over the initial shock, to be honest, the walk is really not scary. You feel kind of giddy and relaxed after about 10 minutes, making the second half of the walk more about seeing the sights than worrying about what you have to do next.

Coming down from the heights of the CN Tower, we walked over to the St. Lawrence Market for lunch, and got a history tour of the building with a local guide. Our lunch included Peameal Bacon Sandwiches from the historic Carousel Bakery at the market, with local cheeses and goodies.

After that, the gang got on bikes, courtesy of Bike Share Toronto, and toured around the waterfront, paddled Lake Ontario in a giant canoe, and then there was a dinner alongside a “campfire” at The Fifth Social Club.

To be utterly honest, I had to bail (almost literally) because my biking skills are sub-par at best, and I had to get across town for another appointment. The experience did make me realize though that I need to work on my bike skills so I can enjoy more of the city, especially since we have so many bike trails around Toronto.

I also absolutely love the backpack Clif Bar gave us, and the impressive bike helmet. I’ve been using the backpack since I got it, and I still have a few bars left from all the goodies they gave us.

What I love about the Make It Good campaign is that a lot of us often don’t think about all the things we could be doing in our own cities and towns. Urban adventures are amazing opportunities that support local initiatives, and in the face of cuts to Toronto’s tourism advertising budget, not to mention saving a little money, this is a cause I can really get behind.

Clif Bar’s goal of “running a sustainable food business by making intentional choices for the benefit of people and the planet” also speaks volumes to me, and I love them for it.

Clif Bar still has a number of summer-themed events coming up until the middle of September, and you can see all of their events this year at clifbar.ca.

I also have to say that the whole day was a lot of fun because of the other media folks and social media all-stars, as well as the team from Clif bar. It was great spending part of the day with Canadian Triathlete Karsten Madsen, as well as Andrew, Danya, Karen, and Jeff.