My Secret Suburban Forest

On the outskirts of Toronto, Ontario, there lies a forest nestled on the border between Toronto and the city directly east of it, Pickering. That's where I live - right on the border, on the Pickering side.

I've lived in Pickering for nearly 12 years. Not my entire life, but long enough that it feels more like home than any other place I've lived. I moved around a lot when I was young, travelling from city to city, country to country, so it was a relief when my family settled down in Pickering. It's not the most glamorous place in the world, but my family's here, and that's good enough for me.

Despite having lived here for over a decade, I've never felt fully comfortable in Pickering. With its dull grey streets, too-quiet suburbs and lack of people (most folks here keep to themselves), I've always felt like something was missing. Sure, I went to school in Pickering and had a few friends in the city, but the blandness of the city eroded any sense of loyalty I had towards it.

I also spent a great deal of time in Toronto while growing up, since it was just a few minutes' drive from my house. Toronto is a much bigger and more vibrant city than Pickering, and since I had some extracurriculars and family members in the city, I often spent my weekends and holidays there. Despite all this, my connections to the city were too fleeting for me to truly call the place home.

And so, my imposter syndrome continued to persist. I felt equally out of place in both Pickering and Toronto, but I soon found a solution where I could enjoy the best of both worlds - in the forest that borders them both.

The true name of that forest is Rouge National Urban Park, but I grew up simply referring to it as "the forest". It sprawls over 75 square kilometers and is smack dab in the middle of civilization - that's why it's called an "urban" park.

The forest sprawls far and wide throughout the park, passing through several cities and municipalities that border Toronto and Pickering. This gives visitors several points of access to the park and its available amenities, making it a hub of both natural and human life. It's the only national park in the Greater Toronto Area (which is the most densely populated area in Canada) so people from all over the place come to visit.

I didn't have many friends in my neighbourhood when I was growing up, so I spent a lot of time in the forest. It sprawls all the way up to my own neighbourhood, a mere 3 minute walk away from my front door, so I spent my summers hiking and biking through the trails, becoming as familiar with the landscape, the trees, and the ecosystems as I was in my own skin.

I have been all over the Rouge. All the battered, well-worn hiking paths. The wide, winding curves of Rouge River (pictured above and below), which snake through the park and peacefully merge into Lake Ontario. I know the dewy grass of the hills, the ancient bark of the grand deciduous and coniferous trees, the off-white of the stones and rocks lining the stream. I know how everything changes from season to season, but eventually comes back full circle.

As I mentioned before, the Rouge is an urban park - and that's part of why I love it. Since it's situated in-between several major cities, the park is constantly full of people - there's a major road, Twyn Rivers, that winds through the park; the many hiking trails are consistently populated with the patter of visitors, and the buzz of city life thrums through the natural landscape. The forest itself is expansive and dense, but I've never felt alone while in the Rouge. There are always people wandering through the park, and it's comforting to be surrounded by people who enjoy being in nature as much as I do.

The Rouge is a hub of pure life - urban, suburban, and natural alike. People from all over the place come to admire the natural sights, and the thrum of pedestrian visitors interweaves through the park, creating a unique and special place that is very close to my heart.

It's beautiful, and I love it. It's my (well, not-so-secret) suburban forest.

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