Adventure and Fear

At my friends house in Toronto, when I looked out of the bedroom window, the phrase "fear is ruining your life" was plastered on the wall facing me. I like these words because someone has clearly put them there, in big red letters, for passers-by to think about how fear is preventing them from doing what they truly want to do in their life. I too was faced with this struggle for many years, and am glad that I have conquered some of my fears. However, I also like these words because they are a reminder that I must constantly be challenging myself to deal with fears that are preventing me from 'being awesome', as one of my friends likes to say, on a daily basis.

Though I would consider myself adventurous, I am definitely someone that is constantly fighting to overcome my fear. To avoid emberrassment, I will not list all of the fears I have, but I would like to explore the idea of the necessity of fear in adventure.

Recently, a friend and I had a discussion about the 'fear requirement' for an activity to be defined as an adventure or not. He proclaimed, that unless a person had to overcome fear to achieve their goal, then the activity could not be considered an adventure. I, on the otherhand, believe that a person can adequately prepare themselves with enough knowledge and practical experience to be both mentally and physically prepared to undertake any adventure without needing to be afraid of what they are going to do.

My friend believes, that the planning and preparation I encourage prevents a person from truly experiencing 'adventure' because he considers this kind of preparation to make an activity to be completely prescribed. To counter, I think that an adventure happens when you are uncertain of the outcome or the elements you are going to be faced along any journey, yet you are fairly certain that no matter what comes your way, you will be able to handle it as a result of your preparation.

Ultimately, I think a person's definition of adventure comes down to their confidence, their life experience and their comfort level. Every person's tolerance for the unknown is very different. I like very much to be exposed to new experiences, new cultures, new lands and new physical challenges, which would make certain people consider me to be an adventurer. However, I also need a certain amount of predictability in the adventures I undertake, or else I may very well cower away.

Maybe this is why I enjoy planning so much - it is what has allowed me to participate in so many awesome activities because I considered myself prepared for whatever I am going to face. I am usually the one that is prepared on any excursion, and though I envy those that are able to just go with the flow and 'make it work', I doubt that I will ever be one of those people.

Nevertheless, I enjoy being pushed outside my comfort zone, though it does take patience, encouragement and trust. The best way to get me to do something outrageous is to let me know what I can expect, talk me through the process and then let me do it at my own pace. Once I am confident in whatever I have involved myself, I know I will be a rockstar.

So may the adventures of 2012 be filled with elements of fear for those who need it, and be predictable and jam packed with fun for those than need it.

Enjoy.

Adventure: Leavenworth, WA

Since 'cultivating adventure' has been a primary focus of my lifestyle change, I am pleased to report that I have been able to successfully incorporate adventures into my weekly routine. This summer the adventure focus has mostly involved outdoor rock climbing.

Climbing is addictive. It requires physical strength and flexibility, mental stamina (read stubborness), problem solving, technical skill and a certain level of bravery. The wall is what challenges you. Sometimes you win and other times the wall does; but with persistence, you usually are able to overcome whatever problems are presented to you on a route.

I started climbing outdoors in June of this year. I luckily was connected with a fabulous group of young professionals who spend all their free time climbing, talking about climbing or dreaming about climbing - it was a good fit. Their level was much further advanced than mine, so I quickly had to improve to be a respectable participant in our weekly hangouts. Needless to say, my stubborness, has paid off.

Two weeks ago I went on a climing trip to Leavenworth, WA with some friends from the area. The climbs were mainly traditional, which means they required gear, and the climing was definitely graded much differently than where we normally climb. It made for some interesting ascents as we never knew what to expect when starting a route. (Including not having an anchor at the top of one route and having to then figure out how to get down safely then rescue the gear thereafter!)

The two most memorable moments of the trip are this. First, we arrived late into town and headed directly for the campsite. It turns out that Leavenworth is an American-style tourist destination that has taken the Bavarian theme to a whole new level. For this reason, the Leavenworth population had exploded from 2,000 to 10,00 for Oktoberfest celebrations the weekend we were visiting to climb. This meant, around midnight, there were no free campsites. In the end, we ended up crashing someone else's enormous campsite and hoped for the best - that is that they wouldn't throw a fit that we were there. I was informed by doing this, and generally being a climber, meant that I was now a 'dirtbag climber'. I was not glad to hear this information, nor did I want to accept that I was a dirtbag. Unfortunately, my new friends insisted that this is the case, that it is not so bag to be a dirtbag, and that I might as well just accept it. In the end, if camping on a crystal clear river, waking up to snow-covered mountains, meeting many interesting local outdoor/climbing enthusiasts, ascenting challenging and scenic mountaintops and cliffs, and laughing with friends at the end of the day around a campfire means I am a dirtbag climber, I will accept ownership of the title.

The second awesome thing about the trip was lederhosen.

Fellow dirtbags, Andrew and Flo.

Our crashed campsite.

Shauna and Catalina with a local lederhosen enthusiast.

Adventure: Skaha Bluffs

I often find myself sad when I am not adventuring. I believe everyone has an image of who they would like to be and how they would like to live their life, even if it is sometimes (or often) far from the reality of their lives. My imaginary self is definitely a woman who can be considered a great adventurer- she likes to conquer her fears, push her physical and mental limits, and is a highly skilled and capable person outdoors. I also think this is why I dream of travelling to far off places, of climbing mountains, skiing great traverses, kitesurfing high into the air and scuba diving deep into the ocean - all things which I also do whenever I get the chance.

This weekend, I took a top rope anchors course at the Skaha Bluffs just off of Skaha Lake near Penticton. The course was nine hours long in which I learned what gear I need and how to set up fail-proof anchors outdoors for top rope climbing. (I have not yet done any lead climbing but hope to by the end of the summer.) We also spent a fair amount of time trouble shooting different set-ups that contained obstacles, sharp ledges, anchors over the edge of the rock face or no bolts in the wall. I am always very keen to learn new skills and to test out my knowledge too. At the end of the day I was climing on routes where I had set up the anchor - it is a little nerve-racking to have your life hanging on by a system you only learned how to build a few hours prior.

Regardless, the climbing was fabulous and I can't wait to get back out. You see I have a fear of heights and especially cliffs. Climbing has certainly helped me start to overcome this fear, and the fact that I am still always afraid I think is what attracts me that much more to the sport; every route I need to not only puzzle-piece my way up a rock face, using technical moves and my strength to accomplish the summit, but I also need to deal with the fact that I am so high in the air. The challenge of climbing is so involved, that you get such a rush and sense of accomplishment from doing the activity whether you get to the top of the route you are attempting or not. Also, the fear, or respect of heights as my instructor called it, does ensure that I am that much more cautious with my set-ups and partner selection.

I have been toying with two possibilities for my future in recent months: 1) become an organic farmer or 2) pursue a career in the outdoor adventure industry as a guide, tour operator or in gear retail. After talking with my course instructor this weekend, I have been convinced that agriculture is the route for me. Without going into depth about the reasons, it appears that most individuals who go down the outdoor adventure route for life, end up living in their vans for a good number of years while pursuing this lifestyle. Well, living in a van and the lifestyle that entails, no matter how happy I will be outside, is not appealing. It seems, that the best route is to make your money elsewhere so that you have money to spend on 'playing' while not at work. Now to make some money farming!