A Guide to Adventuring.
Introduction.
“Experiences. I live for the experience” I told my friend as we talked about money, his, not mine, and how much he was making in the stock market. In the moment, it was a glib retort to his obvious cunning and skill at making money. However, the words stuck in by brain. I truly do value experiences. As you are reading this book, I suspect you too place a high value on the experiences life has to offer. Seeking adventure and exploring our world are pure expressions of this idea.
We all start out as adventurers and explorers. One of my mother’s favorite stories is about me as a small child. She recalled how I would walk out through the back yard and disappear into the fields for hours. Always, I would return with some treasure: an old hat, discarded tool or shiny rock. I remember those early adventures. Exploring the fields and hills around our house is some of the most fun I can remember having as a kid. That kid still lives, still yearns to explore and go on adventures.
People always ask me why I do the things I do, go the places I’ve been and suffer through the minor and not-so-minor booboo’s along the way. Simple, it’s fun. If you prepare yourself and pack an open frame of mind, the world is yours to explore. While you and I may not have appeared on the cover of National Geographic magazine, that’s really not the point. Adventure is a lifestyle. It is a lifestyle that calls to us and offers many rich rewards. These prizes will not make your bank account any fatter, but they will make your soul richer for the experiences you will have. More to the point, who would you rather talk to at a party, the guy telling you about the last big insurance deal he landed, or the one recalling his trek along an ancient Anasazi road to visit a mysterious cluster of ruins.
It’s the hardest thing to do. I recall an interview with one of the best adventure racers around, Robyn Benincasa, wherein she was asked the question: “what is the hardest part of your training?” Her reply: “getting up off the couch.” But everyday, she got up off the couch and put in some truly grueling workouts. The payoff, she got to travel the world as a sponsored racer. The lesson: with a little effort and preparation, we can all live a life a little less ordinary and see things most will not. Life is too short and there is so much to see and do. Set down that remote, get up off the couch and see what’s out there! You will be surprised at the opportunities for adventure and the places to explore that exist not far from your home.
In this Guide to Adventuring, I hope to pass on what I and others have learned through a lifetime of adventures. To help you regain that adventurous person you where born to be. To sharpen your skills, refocus your mind and expand the possibilities you see in this world. In the next installment, we will discuss the most important skill an adventurer must master: preparation. The Boy Scouts’ motto: “Be Prepared” should be the adventurer’s credo too. In future installments, we will go over navigation skills, choosing the right gear, researching your destinations, choosing companions, and other topics to help you on your journey to explore the strange and interesting world around us.
Go adventuring, explore your world!