What is it inside us that seeks adventure? Is “IT” even inside us? Or are we being influenced by something external from ourselves that calls us to venture into unknown situations? What ever it is that you are seeking through adventure travel it is clear that across the board there are some fundamental components which include: adversity, mystery, stamina, masochism, cunningness, wits and many more.
Mike Bowyer at Camp 1 on Ama Dablam. Khumbu Valley Nepal. Photo by Vlad Capusan
Is our need to explore driven by intrinsic needs of self worth? Is it hardwired into our DNA as a natural source of inspiration to progress onward and outward as a species? Our evolution as a species involved exploration, looking back at our progression onto different continents in the past centuries and now into space in the current centuries it is clear that if it had not been for this instinct to venture a bit farther than our comforts and rational thoughts allowed that we would not have moved forward as a race. Adventure in this context was a byproduct of our advancement as homo sapiens. Now, modern day explorers facilitate the experience that they want, determining ahead of time what equipment to bring, what style to adapt, where to go, what to expect when they arrive, etc. The difference between the modern day explorer and the old school explorer is that the modern day explorer is basing his decisions off of decades of information available readily on the web. The modern day explorer does not need to go. It is a personal decision to go. The success of 90% of modern day expeditions has virtually no impact on society as a whole. On the flip side the remaining 10% of modern day expeditions pushes the bar higher and sets a new standard in the particular discipline being used.
Vlad Capusan climbing to Camp 1 on Ama Dablam. Photo by Mike Bowyer
Looking at all this a few things become clear. There is a vast difference between modern day exploration and early pioneering exploration. Early explorers were some of the strongest and bravest members of society, laying their lives down in order to find out whats on the other side of the ocean, or on the other side of a continent. Modern day explorers are pushing the boundaries to see where the limits of the human spirit reside.
But the question still remains: Why do we seek adventure?
