Courage

Going on an adventure tests your courage to face uncertainty.

Any adventure has some level of uncertainty, given it’s something new you’re doing. There’s always something different or unknown about what you could experience.

You can’t be a control-freak in the mountains, or any natural environment, when nature has the upper hand. While you can plan for possible eventualities, you are still never 100% certain what will happen. The weather, the trail conditions, altitude, the obstacles you might face can vary. You need to be comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity.

Having Courage to Face Uncertainty

Every adventure we’ve been on has had some level of uncertainty. Whether it’s stepping into the unknown, or even signing up to learn something new like an Alpine Skills Course. Weather conditions might threaten your adventure such as the 10 Peaks Challenge we did in snowy, blizzard like conditions – in summer!

Trekking in the Khumbu valley, such as the trek to Everest Base Camp or the Everest Circuit, always has that level uncertainty of being able to fly into the small mountain airstrip of Lukla due to weather. Travelling to Tibet, we were never sure until the last minute whether our visa would be granted or we’d be allowed through each checkpoint.

Then there are the big surprises like the Covid pandemic when all your plans go out the window. That really is one big adventure!

What do you think?

• How comfortable are you with uncertainty?
• Is it time for your next adventure?

Want to discover more?

See what else can you discover through adventure here.

Discover the Secret of the Mountains.

Read our other posts on Self Discovery.

Going on an adventure tests your courage to face fear.

Sometimes the euphoria of signing up to an exciting adventure is then met with a moment of panic when the realisation sets in of what you’ve committed to.

Fear not, as it’s probably a good thing that your panic is highlighting things you will need to prepare for. Perhaps it’s your fitness, your mental strength, your gear, your skills or your knowledge of what you’ll be facing. Your confidence will grow the more you prepare.

But there’s always that nagging doubt or question in your mind. Am I good enough? Who will be my companions? Uncertainty is the nature of adventure. Isn’t that what made it exciting in the first place?

Having Courage to Face Fear

Our very first trek in the Himalayas, to Everest Base Camp, was an exciting prospect. A big challenge doing something completely different. Once signed up though, a million questions came into our minds. What would the trail be like – would it be dangerous or scary? What are the risks at high altitude and how would we cope?

One by one we worked through these questions. We prepared for our trek and set off. Most of our fears were not even realised. But each challenge we faced, we got through it one step at a time. By the end we were amazed with what we had achieved.

What do you think?

• How have you overcome fear before?
• Is it time you stepped out of your comfort zone?

Want to discover more?

See what else can you discover through adventure here.

Discover the Secret of the Mountains.

Read our other posts on Self Discovery.

Going on an adventure tests your courage to face a challenge. You never quite know exactly what you’ve signed up for and that’s what gives it the edge.

An adventure could be trying anything new or different in life – even a new job, moving to a new place or learning a new skill can be an adventure. However for this purpose we’re talking about outdoor adventures.

Of course there’s the initial challenge of taking on the adventure in the first place. But then you’ll no doubt face challenges along the way – some which you can anticipate and others which throw up surprises.

Whatever happens, you always learn something about yourself in the process. You might take away valuable lessons about what you’d do differently next time.

Having Courage to Face Challenges

Our first big challenge was the trek to Everest Base Camp. Going on this life changing adventure and at altitude spurred us on to explore more.

Each experience gives us confidence to go on and do more, and the appetite to see new places. We have also learnt new skills along the way. For example on the Pyrenees Winter Expedition Skills course we learnt rock-climbing as well as survival in snowy, blizzard conditions. In Australia we tried snow climbing and also did an Alpine Skills course.

We’ve taken on challenges with a theme. For example the Australian 10 Peaks Challenge, and also our own Project Base8000 challenge to trek to the base camps of all the world’s 14 highest mountains over 8000m. There’s nothing like inventing your own challenge!

What do you think?

• How have expanded your comfort zone in the past?
• Do you need a new challenge?

Want to discover more?

See what else can you discover through adventure here.

Discover the Secret of the Mountains.

Read our other posts on Self Discovery.

Going on an adventure or expedition can sometimes test your courage to face isolation. Yourphysical and mental resources need to be up to the task.

Being in remote locations with limited or no communications with the rest of the world can be scary. It can also be liberating. Having to rely on your own resources, limited by what you brought with you brings things into sharp reality.

So do you have the courage to face isolation?

Isolated Adventures

In our trekking adventures, we’ve experienced isolation both in remote destinations as well as those closer to home.

Take for example, the 7-day hiking/camping trip that we did in the Jagungal Wilderness at Kosciuszko National Park, Australia. While we weren’t ridiculously far from civilisation, we were still out there on our own – just us and the small group we were with. We were reliant on all the gear and food we carried on our backs – too bad if we’d forgotten anything. The hiking was enjoyable without bumping into too many others on the trail. So were the campsites and the starry night sky.

Other more isolated adventures that come to mind are the more remote treks we’ve done in the Himalayas of Nepal. For example Kanchenjunga and Makalu base camps. The freedom of having the trails to ourselves was a luxury. In contrast, the isolation was brought home to us when being surrounded by the massive walls of a glacier while crossing it. Or listening to rockfalls and avalanches coming off the nearby mountains overnight while trying to sleep in the freezing cold.

Yet a different experience was in the Canadian wilderness, where we were dropped off by a floatplane in a remote area for a few days to do some hiking. Pure bliss … until the gale force winds howled down the valley and we hoped our little hut would stay put!

What do you think?

• What’s the most remote place you’ve been to and what was the experience like?
• Do you have the courage to take on your next adventure?

Want to discover more?

See what else can you discover through adventure here.

Discover the Secret of the Mountains.

Read our other posts on Self Discovery.

Going on an adventure can sometimes test your courage to face adversity. Sometimes you have a choice, sometimes you don’t. Depending on your perspective, the level of difficulty or unpleasantness of the situation faced could be different.

Signing up for an adventure usually means you’re up for some element of risk. But of course that provides an opportunity to discover what you’re capable of.

Mountaineering is all about being comfortable in uncomfortable places.

Sir Edmund Hillary

Facing Adversity

There are many types of adversity that you can anticipate and prepare yourself for. This might involve practical solutions like taking the right gear, physical solutions such as getting your body in shape, or solutions to prepare yourself mentally. Knowing you’ve prepared well can help give you courage to face adversity, rather than relying on blind optimism.

On the other hand you may end up in situations which you didn’t foresee. These really test your courage and ability to manage the challenge you’re faced with. Take for example Pam, one of our fellow Everest Base Camp trekkers, who on a subsequent trip to Nepal found herself caught up in the 2015 earthquake – you can read about it in her book How the Hell Did I Get Here.

Either way, you’re faced with decisions when you face adversity – what do you do? Do you persevere or do you give up? Maybe there’s no option but to go on.

Having Courage

In our trekking adventures, we’ve faced different forms of adversity. We’ve learnt something from all of them and the experiences made us stronger for the next expedition. Isn’t that what they call ‘Type 2 fun’? It might not be fun at the time but it’s fun to look back on afterwards. Some people like a level of hardship or difficulty because it enhances the whole adventure experience.

While Everest Base Camp was our first trek, it wasn’t until after our expedition to climb Mera Peak that we were inspired to write a post on 12 Tips to Build Mental Toughness For Your Next Trek. On that expedition we found that all the little things built up to become a big problem. The result was that we didn’t achieve our summit. This quickly turned to disappointment and frustration with ourselves that we’d not persevered and pushed through. However the whole experience taught us so much and has helped us to this day. For example, we now ensure we’re in the right headspace before a trek. On the most recent 10 Peaks Challenge we courageously headed out in strong winds and snowy conditions. We persevered on what turned out to be an epic 11 hour day.

There are definitely benefits in mustering the courage to face adversity, providing of course that you live to tell the tale! You always learn something and there’s the satisfaction of having achieved your objective.

What do you think?

• What challenges in life have taught you the most?
• Do you have the courage to take on your next adventure?

Want to discover more?

See what else can you discover through adventure here.

Discover the Secret of the Mountains.

Read our other posts on Self Discovery.