Adventure is an attitude – and you can get it anywhere
I blame Trail, and Instagram. More and more people have a bigger and bigger appetite for the outdoors. That’s fabulous, of course. My social media feeds offer up ever more photographs of beautiful landscapes. But I’ve noticed a mindset that seems to be growing every year alongside this. The sensory bombardment of beautiful people doing beautiful things in beautiful places seems to dull the brain, even as it builds the appetite for adventure. Have you noticed, like me, that there are more and more pictures of fewer and fewer places? Everyone on the Internet seems to be going to the same places and doing the same things. Adventure is becoming formulaic.
I have been pondering this phenomenon because I get lots of emails from people asking “where to go”. If I post a photograph online I know someone will ask for the location. Years ago I stopped mentioning place names on my blog, partly out of worry about the detrimental impact of more and more people visiting fragile places. But there is more to it than that. I once wrote a book of ideas for adventures without including a single map. The aim was to show that adventure is an attitude, and you can get it anywhere. Believing that you only have an adventure by heading for the Highlands will, for most of us, limit our adventure experiences to just a few outings a year. That is a shame.
Another downside of following adventure recipes is that one of the great joys in the hills are the moments of surprise. If I already know what a place looks like before I crest the ridge, I lose that pleasure. Even worse, because the online world is so carefully crafted and curated, I risk disappointment if the light is not quite as magical as seen on screen.
There is a pleasure in familiarity, in climbing the same mountain in all weathers and all seasons. Its unchanging constancy allows you to measure yourself. The new details you notice on every ascent are a reminder of how enormous a single landscape is. Yet, given a choice, I prefer the newness of climbing a hill or following a river I’ve never seen before.
But heading out without any research is an inefficient way of doing things. And I like being inspired by articles I have read or things I see online. So, by all means enjoy social media for your dose of vicarious adventure when you’re stuck in the office (@al_humphreys), or for whetting the appetite and getting you reaching for the atlas. But resist the temptation to copy what other people have done. Remember the satisfaction of researching and planning your own adventures, not just ticking off the same experience someone else has had. And, above all, adapt everything to your own situation. Wherever you live you can find wilderness and beauty, and as much challenge or peace as you are after. When people ask for specific routes that they can follow, I sense that my answer of “just go” is not what they want to hear. They are after grid references, routes and ‘recipes’. But I urge you to use your imagination, and try something new. The “just go” response is important and simple and so very true!
So try something new this month. Add a wild swim to your walk. If you normally like to be alone, head out with a friend. Or vice versa. If you’re a day hiker, add in a high, wild camp. If you’re a sworn walker, go for a bike ride.
You might be surprised how different it all feels when you approach your adventures with a different mindset.
“The “just go” response is important and simple and so very true!”