Call to Adventure
This article was for the Ripcord Adventure Journal. Link: http://www.ripcordadventurejournal.com/read-raj/volume-1/volume-1-issue-3/a-call-to-adventure-megan-hine.html
I am proud to stand amongst the ranks of mountain and wilderness professionals, the silent corps with the thousand mile stare. Gazing towards future adventures, dreaming of remote places, living and breathing the outdoors. We follow in the wake of the great explorers, the trail blazers, the likes of Shackleton, Hillary, Amundsen, and the explorers and pioneers of a bygone era discovering and settling new countries. Those incredible humans who lit the flame of exploration and pushed the boundaries of human imagination. In all of us there glows a residual ember of this time of exploration, a dull need inside to push boundaries and discover new horizons, to fight for survival. This ember sits waiting for the draft of inspiration and opportunity to fan it into a burning passion.
For some of us this flame burns bright, ever threatening to consume, we need to feed it with experiences and travel, it makes us restless and drives us towards new goals. It pushes us, ever onwards, searching for the next big hit, for moments of pure clarity, those moments of flow where the self and nature are one, the body lost to the rock or to the trail we climb or run. For me I find this in the wildest of places. The endless horizons offer a multitude of possibilities and a hefty dose of adrenalin draw me in. There is nothing more satisfying to me than pushing myself to the edge of what I thought was physically, mentally and emotionally possible. Like surfing on the peak of a breaking wave, nothing makes me feel more alive or connected to the world. I am privileged now to be able to share this with others, to take them by the hand and lead them over the threshold and into the wild. To help them face their own challenges and to over come hurdles they never thought possible. Watching people change in the wilderness and build confidence in themselves and their decisions, seeing that spark ignite and their life take on a whole new meaning is such an incredible experience to share.
Somebody expressed recently to me their admiration for my adventures and how they wished they could be more adventurous but lacked the confidence. This struck a chord with me, there must be others, others whose image of themselves and what is ‘normal’ stops them from following their heart. Their dreams weighing them down, the frustration and failure they must feel in not being able to answer the call. It is so often our own self that limits our possibilities, creating barriers of self doubt, seemingly impossible to overcome.
Stop waiting, stop dreaming of ‘what ifs’! A whole world awaits you! Adventure isn’t just summiting the towering, snow capped peaks or kayaking the gnarliest of falls. Adventure is subjective, it is what drives you and what calls to you, it is different in each of us. I love reading articles of passion from people pushing their own personal boundaries and what this means to them. For them their achievements equate to summiting their own, personal Everest. I have as much respect for the first time traveller as the seasoned. For those brave enough to take their first forays to discover themselves and their dream I salute you.
This is a call to all of you dreamers, you ‘wannabe’ adventurers! Come stand shoulder to shoulder with us, bring your dull ember and let us help you to find the inspiration and opportunity to ignite it into flame. Let us share our knowledge with you, discover new horizons and give you the confidence to believe in yourself and to turn those dreams in to reality.