There used to be a time when you’d go to the woods with very little. You’d be prepared with gear, but equipped with far less knowledge. What you did have, you learned from friends and colleagues, and it was often outdated. But that was what it was all about. It was about going to a place, whether others had been there or not, and experiencing it for yourself. Working through the unfamiliar terrain without book loads of beta, approaching a challenge with a fresh, unbiased mind. It was approaching your trip like you were the first to go, with as much emphasis on the journey as the destination.
We live in an information era - yeah you hear that all the time - and at risk of sounding like a luddite, I think it’s honestly bad for the spirit of adventure. So much of the adventures and trips we set out on have become void of excitement, because we know what to expect 100% of the way. We’ve seen the Instagram posts from the lake at the end, seen every nook in the trail through trip report. We’re told what will be exciting along the way instead of making up our own minds about it. Where is the feeling of heading out on a trail and just not knowing? That powerful draw for adventure that sparked the exploration and expeditions that discovered our world. We may have increased our chances of success on whatever our mission will be in the mountains, but have we lost some of the soul?
I believe firmly in safety in the mountains. Maps, weather reports, and avalanche reports are incredibly important safety tools, as is the knowledge to know how to make decisions based on them. When we step further than those tools, however, I believe we start to rob ourselves of experience. We’re gaining efficiency and ease and loosing the ability to see these places with our own eyes, to experience and connect to them as if we’ve just discovered them anew.
I’ve experienced this, and often. I have made it a point to go into my trips with not much more information than a route along a topographic map, and a healthy mind of going with the flow and determination to figure the damn thing out. I encourage you to give it a go on your next trip too. It’s an incredible feeling to feel like you’re taking the first steps in a place, to feel like explorers in an unknown land.
