Libations & Explorations

The Harsh Terrain of Nepal “ I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life, the life of toil and effort, of labor and strife; to preach that highest form of success which comes, not to the man who desires mere easy peace, but to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship, or from bitter toil, and who out of these wins the splendid ultimate triumph.” These are the opening words of Theodore Roosevelt from a speech he gave in 1899 in Chicago.  His speech about the merits of the ‘strenuous life’ came to define Teddy Roosevelt throughout his Presidency and life.  A perfect example is, after his Presidency, he led an expedition to the Amazon in search of the source of the Rio da Duvida (River of Doubt).  Between the potential for disease, mishap, and head-hunters; he knew that the journey would be extremely difficult and could very well kill him (in fact, it almost did). But he went anyway, he pursued an interesting life ...

Travel has changed massively in the past 20 years.   Sadly, the act of going somewhere has become more about creating consumable 'content' than actual discovery.  When you go visit Santorini and take a photo, you will most likely be recreating a photo made and posted by millions of 'influencers' and other wankers. The joys of technology, I suppose! In October of this year, I went to the Mount Everest Base Camp. Before I left, when telling others of my plan, the reaction I received was…interesting. The question I kept getting was “Why on earth would you want to do that?”.  They had a point... The English climber George Mallory, before famously disappeared trying to ascend Everest in 1924, was asked by a reporter why he wished to climb it.  His answer, of course, was "Because it's there".  Perhaps a silly reason to freeze to death on a mountain, but I think for the real traveler, the non-influencer; this is the motivation for adventure.   I can say ...