“That’s what was in my head. If anything went wrong, if I let the paddle slip out of my hand, if it broke, if I had some freak muscle spasm or cramp, I’m going over Niagara falls.” 

It’s always great to have RCGS Westaway Explorer-in-Residence Adam Shoalts back on the podcast. And this conversation underlines why. He joins us to talk about his epic, solo 3400-kilometre canoe and hiking journey from his backyard near Long Point on Lake Erie all the way to the Arctic Ocean in northern Quebec. It’s also the subject of his newest book, Where the Falcon Flies: A 3,400 Kilometre Odyssey From My Doorstep to the Arctic. Unlike his previous journeys, in the remotest parts of Canada, this journey first takes Adam through the mostly densely populated parts of this country, providing lots of insights about Canadians, our cities and their relationship to nature, as well as Adam’s more familiar adventures with northern wildlife and fast flowing rivers heading into the Arctic ocean.

If you haven’t listened to episode one of our canoe series featuring Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, go back and check that out where you listen. It’s a fascinating conversation about how canoeing has shaped him into the person and leader he is.

And there’s a video version on Canadian Geographic’s YouTube channel.

We also want to let you know that on November 29th, Adam Shoalts will be appearing in person for a CanGeo Talk about this latest expedition in the Alex Trebek Theatre at RCGS headquarters, 50 Sussex Drive in Ottawa.