Adventure isn't about "conquering" nature, breaking records, doing things faster or younger - these bring a competitive element to the outdoors, which detracts from the purity of it all. Goals like these are more fitting for a competition or race. I see adventure as a philosophy for living. It's an attitude towards challenging yourself in all facets of life where risks need to be managed and committing to a just-out-of-reach objective. This often sees you living outside your comfort zone, a place where you learn who you truly are and what makes you tick. The simplicity and purity of waking up each day and working towards a clear objective in an unfamiliar and hostile environment, cuts through parts of your personality that may keep you alive in the city, like ego, deception and manipulation.
- Cas and Jonesy (Crossing the Ice).
We found this quote in a book, while resting at the library after a hard day riding in the hills. It resonated with us so strongly that we wanted to share it. It is a precise description of what we are going through during this trip. The North2South expedition is a school of life, just like any adventure is.
All our lives, we have had people guiding us, wiping us, nurturing us and helping us when things got tough. Out here, in New Zealand, we have to do it on our own. There is no Mother to tell us to eat healthy, no Dad to help us when the tent breaks. We have to find our own answers and solutions. We quickly learned that with every action, comes a consequence. In the early days of the trip we quickly saw that eating a whole packet of dates will make you sick for the rest of the day and that sunburns need to be treated quickly to avoid looking and feeling like a lobster.
Slowly, our understanding of ourselves, people and our surrounding environment is deepening. We are forced to answer our own question while taking responsibility for our actions. It is great to have this opportunity to explore this new freedom. This adventure is helping us shape ourselves into the young adults we would like to be.
All our lives, we have had people guiding us, wiping us, nurturing us and helping us when things got tough. Out here, in New Zealand, we have to do it on our own. There is no Mother to tell us to eat healthy, no Dad to help us when the tent breaks. We have to find our own answers and solutions. We quickly learned that with every action, comes a consequence. In the early days of the trip we quickly saw that eating a whole packet of dates will make you sick for the rest of the day and that sunburns need to be treated quickly to avoid looking and feeling like a lobster.
Slowly, our understanding of ourselves, people and our surrounding environment is deepening. We are forced to answer our own question while taking responsibility for our actions. It is great to have this opportunity to explore this new freedom. This adventure is helping us shape ourselves into the young adults we would like to be.
