Sidetracked Adventure Journal (Volume 15)
What they say: Adventure. Exploration. Discovery.
There is something to be said for the age-old adage of ‘risk versus reward’, yet, sometimes, that reward element is missing. Sometimes we need to take risks just to survive. In such situations do new paradigms unfold. The unexpected is part of a life spent with adventure. And when luck deserts us, devastating consequences can ensue. Quinn Brett’s heart-wrenching story about healing illustrates this perfectly. Sometimes risk is simply a matter of damage limitation. To take the other side of the coin, the reward might offer a welcome surprise, coming in an unanticipated form as Ben Page discovered when he sought out big ski lines, but instead found a shared journey of friendship. Or Lilly Tjeng, who when facing up to her biggest fear, water, found a life partner in both ice freediving and another freediver.
Carmen Kuntz, long-time advocate of the Balkan River Defence, suggests that exploring and adventuring within a given natural environment does not an environmentalist make. Only action can do that. Carmen and her team’s work accept certain inherent risks – political, cultural, and physical – in order to seek an immeasurable reward: significant progress towards protecting Earth’s natural places. Similarly, across continents, Kelvin Trautman uses his spectacular photography/art to highlight the impact of critical water scarcity in Cape Town.
Adventure takes us away from our nest. It carries inherent risks that, even if mitigated, can rarely be avoided. Yet sometimes, risk is a necessity. We hope the stories we offer in this issue persuade those who read them into active movements for change – in themselves, their localities, or in helping create awareness of global issues. There’s little more empowering than knowing you can, if only you choose to.
What we say: As summer begins and we've just returned from an adventure of our own to Istanbul and Tanzania, we eagerly dig into the newest edition of Sidetracked, and use it as inspiration for our own next journey!
http://www.sidetracked.com/ (Imported from England)
