Laura’s reflections after another difficult stretch down south:
With aching shoulders and throbbing feet, today I spent several hours pondering the question of hardship on expeditions.
I understand that suffering means the ultimate goal is much sweeter and that in hindsight, pain will seem a mere inconvenience – indeed, my memories of the Carretera Austral are now largely of glaciers and condors rather than the moments of near collapse. I am even married to someone whose motto is “It doesn’t have to be fun to be fun”*.
However, I am not sure I subscribe to the view that all adventures have to be arduous. We are walking through hot, windy desert, constantly worried about where we will find water and with a fairly tight deadline meaning we have to crank out the miles. Instead, we could get on a bus (which pass us on occasion) and head to another area of this beautiful country – one with mountains, a pleasant climate and plentiful water.
We could still walk and it would still be an adventure but it would be far more relaxing. Does adventure really have to be arduous?
(*A quote from legendary alpinist Mark Twight – Tim)
One Comment
Laura
I wrote this at a very low point, a real ‘toys out of the pram’ moment, when all I wanted to do was lie down and cry. Two months later and sitting in my office, I can’t believe it was THAT hard, and would give anything to be back there.
I still don’t subscribe to the view that adventure necessarily has to be painful – but a little bit of struggle makes the memories. For me, the best adventures are those where you are reliant on your own human power to get you places – which unfortunately often brings sore knees, shoulders and tears.