Autumn is a great time of year to try a new sport. It doesn't have to be a "competitive sport" per se. It is possible to do a sport just for the fun of it. And Autumn is a great time of year to be trying these new sports. There are a number of benefits to trying a new sport in the Autumn.
#1. The weather. Not too hot, not too cold. And unlike Spring, not too rainy.
#2. Less crowds in public parks and national parks.
#3. The scenery. Is there any more beautiful time of year to go outside and enjoy the wonder of nature?
So lets get started.
Fun Sport #1 - Mountain Biking in Autumn
You don't need a mountain to do it. You also don't need a fancy mountain bike either. A hybrid bicycle will get the job done. And the scenery you see will take your breath away, even in the bicycle trails of Toronto.
Below is 3 real photos taken on Toronto bicycle trails.
Fun Sport #2 - Archery
Am I biased because I happen to teach archery lessons? Yes. Is Autumn my favourite time of year to do the sport? Also yes. Seriously. The weather is wonderful. The scenery is amazing and if you get lucky you will even see some deer and other wildlife at the Toronto Archery Range.
Update, October 11th - Student and myself saw two whitetail stags today who wandered into the archery field and to the south of the target butts. It is currently the pre-rut. In a few weeks these stags will be fighting over the doe we've seeing lately.
The photo below is a screen capture from a video I made of the two stags.
But yes, Autumn is truly a special time of year to be doing archery. There is a reason why bowhunters most often hunt during the Autumn.
Fun Sport #3 - Basically Any Outdoor Team Sport
Soccer, field hockey, road hockey, lacrosse, baseball, etc. Pick one.
For the purposes of choosing a photograph, I am going to go with road hockey because it is pretty popular in Toronto and thus easy for people to find others who are also interested in road hockey.
Fun Sport #4 - Nature Hikes or Fell Running
Someone should turn nature hikes into a competitive sport. Oh wait, someone already has. It is called Fell Running and it even has its own marathon, known as the Barkley Marathon, and is a 100 mile hike that must be completed in less than 60 hours. The competitors have 2 and a half days to do a 100 mile hike over difficult terrain. Not for the faint hearted either. People have been known to die during the Barkley. It is a cold wet affair done in late March / early April, but the athletes who compete in it train all year long. So Autumn is a good time to train.
But if you would rather have fun doing this activity, maybe stick to bringing your camera along and enjoying the scenery. There is no need to make it a competitive sport.
Fun Sport #5 - Canoeing and Kayaking
Remember to take your camera!
Fun Sport #6 - Sandyachting
Yes, that is a real thing. See the photo below. A bit expensive to get into, but certainly a fun way to spend your Autumn. Or Spring. Or Summer. Stick skis on it instead of wheels, and you could do it in the winter too.
Fun Sport #7 - Horseriding
I wrote a post awhile back about horseback archery where to get horse riding lessons in/near Toronto. If you skip the archery stuff, just read the section about where to get horse riding lessons in/near Toronto and that will help you on your journey to finally taking up horsemanship as a skill.
Scratch that off your bucket list during the Autumn and you will get some great Autumn trail rides in the process.
Or better yet, learn how to ride a horse AND do archery, and then you will be able to do both at the same time!
Fun Sport #8 - Spelunking
The Niagara Escarpment in Ontario has various caves, caverns, crevices and chasms that a person can explore. True, you can explore caves any time of the year, but the crevices that dot the landscape along the Niagara Escarpment are best explored during the Autumn because you typically have to hike quite a bit just to get to the crevices. Summer? Too many mosquitoes and too hot. Winter? Too cold and slippery. Potentially dangerous too. But Autumn is a great time of year to explore as the weather is perfect for it.
Take a friend with you who likes to do photography and you will have a fun time.
If caves and crevices are not your thing, the Niagara Escarpment is also home to many waterfalls. Like Inglis Falls or Hilton Falls. The photo below is of Hilton Falls, near Milton Ontario.
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