Page 52 - Sharp Winter 2023

TRUE CRAFT
FAMED EXPLORER ADAM SHOALTS DISCUSSES HIS CANADIAN ADVENTURES WITH SHARP AND ECCO
THE IDEA OF BEING IN THE WOODS WITH NO CELLPHONE reception might sound like a horror movie to some. We daydream that escaping into nature is a practical idea, away from the comfort of the skyscrapers we inhabit. Still, the reality is we are comfortable
here in our giant city bubbles. It’s why we pay exorbitant amounts to live here each month. Not everyone is built to live outdoors for extended periods. We might be mammals, but we’re far from animals. Adam Shoalts, however, is constructed differently.
Shoalts is a Canadian writer with a focus on exploring nature. He’s a modern-day explorer and a part of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. He’s written three books and travelled all across Canada. He’s seen sights and things most people will never experience. Canada is his home; day by day, he’s uncovering more of it. He spoke about his adventures recently from a forest in the boonies of Ontario, outfitted in vintage-looking ECCO Staker boots in oiled nubuck and brown
leather, available as part of ECCO’s new Heritage collection. He had a busy weekend ahead, leading guided hikes for nature enthusiasts and curious wanderers, which is something he does every year during
the fall. Guided walks start at 8 a.m. and go on all day, giving people a chance to escape outside their norms for a short period.
In one of his earlier expeditions, he talks about his expedition partner that just up and left halfway through the journey. His partner said, “the whole exploring thing was much more glamorous to read about than to actually experience,” so he hopped on the next float plane back to civilization. This predicament left Shoalts between a rock and a hard place, as this was his first genuine expedition, and he was on the coast of Hudson Bay surrounded by polar bears, but he didn’t want to back down from the challenge, so he completed the journey on his own. This tale turned into a story in his first book, and when readers got their hands on it, they started emailing Shoalts about coming with him on an expedition. The requests kept coming as his books grew in popularity, and eventually, these became the start of his annual fall hikes.
He picked fall as it’s his favourite time of the year; it’s the perfect time to be outside. There are no bugs to nip at your exposed skin, the weather is crisp, luscious fall colours surround you, and it’s the best time for learning about mushrooms. Shoalts picked out three of his favourite locations in Ontario to give people the opportunity to join him. Hikes are only once a year, but sound like a magical trip for those that want to try something that doesn’t involve them hunched over a computer. The hikes take place in Temagami old-growth forest, Algonquin Highlands, and in Queenston Heights, on the Niagara River in southern Ontario.
Participants will learn about ancient trees and how to identify and appreciate them on these hikes. They will also learn to identify hardwood and softwood trees, and which trees have edible nuts. Shoalts teaches about medicinal and edible plants and mushrooms. He says, “There’s always some exciting mushrooms they find on these hikes.” Often, he will also teach Canadian history on these trips so participants can better understand the surroundings. He wants to show “how the natural world, the natural geography, influences the history of the country and the development of Canada.” The hikes are not typical; they are a memorable once-a-year experience.
Being an explorer is about being alone and comfortable in your skin and with your thoughts. Shoalts likes to be alone; he jokes that he was social distancing “before it became mainstream.”
He’s primarily known as a solo explorer, meaning he spends weeks or months alone in the wilderness in some of the most remote places on Earth — places where the nearest cell tower, road, or human is hundreds of miles away.
This lifestyle is peaceful, if perhaps lonely, but it requires a level of diligence and seriousness that takes nothing for granted. To not only survive but thrive in the great outdoors, Shoalts relies not only on his wits, but on formidable equipment, including footwear. With its functional, premium-quality Heritage collection, ECCO combines superior Nordic craftsmanship with a slew of timeless workwear, with versatile, premium pieces that are both durable and stylish. Ideally suited for those who, like Shoalts, are unafraid of roughing it alone, the Heritage collection is all about simplicity, functionality, and quality.
Shoalts recalls a solo journey he took last summer that lasted three months and seven days, from Lake Erie, at the southernmost point of Ontario, to the Arctic. At the trip’s start, he was not in the most remote locations you can imagine. Southern Ontario is littered with both small and large towns. But eventually, the cities became a distant memory as he travelled on his journey, not seeing another human being for months.
When asked how he manages to be alone for such a long time, he says, “I don’t even think about it.” He thinks that might be the
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