Adam Shoalts grew up in Ontario with the forest as his playground.
His childhood home and school both were both surrounded by the forest and he spent a lot of time outdoors with his brother and dog. Shoalts said he remembers feeling drawn to the woods and wanting to go deeper and deeper into the forest.
Today, he is a professional explorer and national best-selling author, known for his solo canoe trips in the Arctic, in which he has paddled up to 4,000 kilometres.
His canoe journeys began as soon as he graduated high school, using his homemade canoe.
Now a father, he takes his kids into the forest on the regular.
On Thursday Shoalts spoke to students at Vernon’s outdoor education program, Awaken Inquiry and Adventure-Okanagan. He spoke with Chris Walker, host of CBC’s Daybreak South about his 20 year career, and what he hopes to inspire in young minds.