Adventuring in America

The 20th century picture of American sporting activity is one of tightly controlled situations that focus on very specifically trained athletic skills. Post-war America has focused intently on sports as the honing of a very specific set of skills to the very edge of what’s humanly possible. This American athlete perfects his or her art, whether it be pole vaulting, swimming, or defending the goal in a game of soccer. In this world, specialization is prized and excellence is demonstrated in highly sterilized environments.

This philosophy of sport can trace its roots back as far as Ancient Sumerian civilization, over 5,000 years ago. However, an understanding of athleticism that can trace its origins even further back is becoming more popular. I’m talking about the range of activities that might best be described as survivalism or adventuring. Although adventurers are not typically viewed as athletes, I’ll be making the case that they deserve that title as much as Tom Brady or Michael Phelps.

What is Adventuring?

facebooktwitterpinterest Getting out into nature. Photo credit: Frontierofficial

Adventure hobbyists are hard to pin down because they don’t perform their sport in the highly regulated environments that we’re used to with football, swimming, and all the other basic sports. On one level adventuring is about pitting oneself against nature, using only your wits and physical prowess to overcome some natural obstacle. As I take it, this sort of adventuring can involve small activities like climbing up a difficult cliff face. It can also involve epic treks, such as hiking from coast to coast through the English mountains.

Also common among adventurers is a thirst for difficult survival situations. Whereas the traditional athlete fuels himself with gatorade on the sidelines, the adventurer will look to more difficult forms of sustenance. These can include common hiking and camping foods such as MREs or freeze-dried meals, but some adventurers who lean far into the survival aspect will limit themselves to only the food items that they find in the wilderness. Things like edible flora to freshly caught fish and even things like bark and bugs in tight situations.

Just like there’s a great deal of variety in the ways that adventurers practice their craft, so too are there many reasons why people do it. Some adventurers, myself included, just enjoy the thrill of conquering an incredible natural obstacle. There’s a great rush that comes when you pit yourself against something bigger than yourself and come out ahead. For others, though, adventuring is a means to an end. Some practice it in preparation for a hypothetical doomsday scenario, so that they’ll be prepared no matter what comes their way. For others surviving nature is a way to discover hidden treasures, such as finding untouched deposits of gold deep in the wilderness.

What is Athleticism?

facebooktwitterpinterest Tennis player Wawrinka vs Federer. Photo credit: Marianne Bevis

We’ve looked at what adventuring involves. Now we’ll try to distill athletics to its most basic elements and I think that we’ll discover some strong similarities.

There are many obvious examples of athletics. Things like football and swimming, which were mentioned above, are paradigms, but what makes these two very different activities similar at a core level? I believe that they are bound together by a shared pursuit of human excellence. Athletes, no matter their sport, work to hone a specific craft to the limits of what’s humanly possible, both physically as they train and strengthen their bodies and mentally as they work to outthink their opponents and their own inner demons.

For adventurers this is no different. Testing yourself against nature requires an uncommon level of physical fitness. The evidence of this is abundant in history. Our ancestors, who had to live off the merciless land, were far fitter than we are today.

Adventurers also need a sharp mental edge. When you’re on your own in the wilderness or pressed up against a nearly featureless cliff face a mental slip can get you killed. They also need to build up their knowledge of the outdoors in order to make the best use of their surroundings, just as a quarterback might study the tackling patterns of his opponents.

What if I Want to Get Into Adventuring?

facebooktwitterpinterest Pit Stop on the road ready for adventure. Photo credit: Frontierofficial

Although the superhuman feats of avid survivalists may be off putting for some beginners, the reality is that taking part in an adventure is an opportunity open to pretty much anyone. Unlike with other sports where you need a groomed and measured playing field to start, adventuring can happen pretty much anywhere with access to the outdoors. Try going on a simple hike, one that you’ve done before if possible, and setting a particular goal for yourself. Something like, “I’ll jog for half this hike,” or “I’ll prepare lunch on the trail.” These basic challenges form the basis of adventuring going forward.

I should point out, however, that just because adventuring is all about testing yourself against nature, this does not mean that there’s no preparation involved. Unless you’re seriously experienced, safety gear and measures are always necessary. This means things like telling someone where you’re going, carrying a first-aid kit with you, and even preparing your car for a long drive away from immediate help and civilization are just as important as getting in shape and conquering your fear.

Adventuring is a new brand of athleticism with ancient roots and it’s about time that it was recognized as such.

Read more about how to find adrenaline when you’re stuck in a 9 to 5 and 6 awesome first time adventure races in the US.