Explorer and author Adam Shoalts to speak at library event

From 90 days and nights alone in the wilderness to speaking to larger crowds hanging on his every word, Pelham-born Adam Shoalts knows both extremes. 

Shoalts, a  Westaway Explorer-in-Residence at the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, is known for his many journeys into the Canadian wilderness, often alone and through some of the most challenging extreme conditions. But he’s also known for the bestselling books he writes about those adventures and the scintillating talks he gives between his journeys. 

“It’s a contrast to go from total solitude deep into the wilderness to doing book tours,” laughs Shoalts on the line from his home on a day off between appearances two days apart in Hamilton and Waterford, Ontario. “I enjoy both. You wouldn’t want solitude all the time, and I wouldn’t want to be in front of 100 people all the time either. I’m really lucky I get to enjoy both ends of the spectrum.”

On the heels of the publication of his fifth book, Where the Falcon Flies, Shoalts appears Thursday, October 26 at Caroline Cellars as part of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library’s Wine and Words Series. 

Where the Falcon Flies recounts Shoalts’ 3,400 kilometre journey from Long Point on the shores of Lake Erie to Ungava Bay in Nunavik, the northern part of Quebec. The title is quite literal, as Shoalts’ latest adventure follows the annual migration path of the peregrine falcon, a trip inspired when the 37-year-old spotted one of the majestic predators outside his porch window.

His itinerary that began in April, 2022 took him from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario and along the St. Lawrence River before requiring an abrupt left turn where his trek continued toward the northern reaches of Quebec and Labrador.

“In the old days peregrine falcons were known as duck hawks,” says Shoalts, who holds a PhD from McMaster University. “That’s their favourite food. They will hunt just about any type of bird, but they love ducks and waterfowl. If you have lakes, falcons will be around.”

He adds that in the 1950s and 1960s, when the peregrine falcon was declared an endangered species, there were successful efforts to attract the birds of prey to urban spaces. There, skyscrapers would substitute for the high cliffs that they prefer to swoop from to hunt for their dinner.

That meant that unlike the journeys recounted in his previous books. this particular three-month-long trek brought Shoalts, with his canoe and backpack, through some urban landscapes.

A long portage down the Niagara River Parkway between the Chippewa River and the village of Queenston is recounted in the new book. Onlookers who had never seen a man pushing a canoe on a makeshift two-wheel cart in front of the Sir Adam Beck Generating Station gawked and asked curious questions. 

And following the route of Falco Peregrinus took him to some interesting locales.

“Through the whole journey I ended up sleeping in all sorts of strange places,” Shoalts tells The Local. “Underneath the Burlington Skyway, on Toronto Island, under the Cartier Bridge in Montreal, and occasionally in people’s backyards when they gave me permission.”

That led to some stunning revelations for the man the Toronto Star called “Canada’s Indiana Jones”.

“No matter where you go in Canada, even in our biggest cities like Toronto and Montreal, you never fail to find wild places,” Shoalts says. “It was one of the most rewarding aspects of my journey to find all of these urban greenspaces that I wouldn’t have experienced otherwise, all interconnected by the flight of the peregrine falcon and other birds that migrate.”

And though Shoalts is known for taking readers through areas of the country most will never themselves experience first-hand, it’s these urban greenspaces that have been capturing the attention of his followers on social media and attendees at his book talks, 34 of which are scheduled for the months of October and November.

“People are thrilled that I went through their backyards,” Shoalts laughs. “I heard from someone who lives in Brockville who loved that I paddled where he kayaks. I’ve heard that everywhere from Lake Erie, through the Niagara River and Lake Ontario. People have been expressing their local pride.”

Of course, fans of Shoalts will still hear about the explorer lining his canoe through rapids while walking over slippery rocks, paddling and portaging for up to 17 hours a day through arctic conditions, and dealing with painful blisters on his feet from constant hiking through wet marshes and rivers. 

And at the NOTL stop on Line Two Road, they’ll have a chance to see some of the amazing photos taken with his GoPro camera along the way. 

“I will be showing a slideshow in Niagara-on-the-Lake,” Shoalts promises. “I’ll share photos from the journey, satellite images, some maps, anything that helps to bring the story to life. Audiences seem to enjoy that.”

The Local’s own explorer-in-residence, Owen Bjorgan, can attest to that fact.

“I’ve been to see Adam a number of times,” Bjorgan says. “He is amazing. You don’t want to miss this event.”

Debbie Krause, the library’s community engagement coordinator, adds that Shoalts first appeared at a library event in 2019, and this week’s will be his fourth talk in town. 

“He reached out to me this summer,” Krause tells The Local. “His incredible and unique adventures and his ability to tell his stories give him a standing invitation with us every time he releases a new book. His books are popular here, especially when there’s an event coming.”

Shoalts is enjoying meeting his fans and readers on his current book tour.  Even more, he is elated to be back at home with his wife Aleksia and their two sons, two-year-old Thomas and Adrian, four months old.

He has, however, already begun planning his next adventure. He’s hoping to dig into the mystery of the disappearance of the little-known arctic explorer Hubert Darrell. The experienced explorer and special constable with the Royal Northwest Mounted Police went missing in September of 1910 in the Anderson River region off the Northwest Territories.

No doubt he will be back for a fifth appearance for the NOTL Public Library once that  journey has made it to print. 

Thursday’s event at Caroline Cellars is nearly sold out. Tickets are $40 and include a glass of wine and food pairing, with proceeds going to library programs. Visit notlpubliclibrary.org for information. 

And if you can’t make this week’s event Shoalts will be speaking in Port Colborne on November 12 and at Old Fort Erie on November 15.