The Anatomy of Adventure

In the end, it is the people we meet who make all the difference.

We had returned to camp early to catch a ranger program on the reintroduction of bison into Banff National Park.  Just as we sat down a light rain began to fall that quickly, as it often does in mountains, became a hard rain.   The crowd was leaving but the interpreters continued to give their program so we tightened up our rain gear and enjoyed the amazing Canadian interpreters.

Back at camp was waiting our dry chairs under tarp.  Across from us sat three young men at picnic table in heavy rain gear who looked miserable so I invited them to our camp to dry out, something that proved to be a highlight of our trip.

Drew, Brandon and Danny were all in their late 20’s and are technical “trad” mountain climbers.  The three did not know each other before that day but all were in the Candian Military and met through friends who climb.  They showed us photos of their climb during the day on ice and sheer rock faces, their lines tied in a way that if one fell, the other two supported him as he gained his hold.  The conversation moved from climbing to political to education on Canada to whisky.   Then they shared their thoughts of the Anatomy of Adventure.

Great adventure, great memory.  We all have had times where we never wanted the day to end, and thinking back on it, it was amazing.

Great adventure, bad memory.  These are the kind where you took a great adventure and you grew personally from it and it still stays with you but variables were bad, like the weather or your fellow participants.

Bad adventure, great memory.  We all have those adventures where everything seems to go wrong and they add up to a comedy of errors where you look back and shake your head and smile.

Bad adventure, bad memory.  This is the one you want to erase from your life.  If the old saying, ” Nothing ventured, nothing gained” was applied, you would have to say, skip number one.

The wisdom that you gain from sitting in camp, learning from others is an amazing experience. I learned about climbing hard rock and the exhilaration of reaching the top through the enthusiasm of three men.  I was educated to the struggles of young men finding their place in life and their fears and joys.  Most of all, I was reminded that people are good and each of us can give to the other through our sharing with each other.  We all have something to teach or learn.