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Got this idea from a triplog comment, and was was curious what people's stories are for their adventure of a lifetime.

Going into space (and coming back). Perhaps the moon, or some planet in the solar system. Doubt we'll ever leave the solar system, so no sense in even thinking about it. I'm no astronaut, so...

In hiking or outdoors stuff? I don't know, maybe something like crossing the Sahara on foot and camel. Maybe trekking across the mountains and deserts of central Asia or South America. In reality, I have probably already done what I may someday look back on as my,"adventure of a lifetime". Sounds sad, but I'm no great climber, no great anything, so my Whitney in a day or Grand Teton last summer might be chalked up as my "adventure of a lifetime". Not really what it is, but I'm just being realistic. I enjoy a good hike, but "adventure of a lifetime" is something you look back on as your crowning achievement or the greatest most exciting thing you did. Friend of mine did some high 5000 meter peaks in Ecuador last year, that might have been his moment. Actually, I think the "adventure of a lifetime" is overlooking that life isn't about one giant orgasm of adventure, it's more a slow prodding along, making it happen slowly and steadily.

kingsnake wrote:Got this idea from a triplog comment, and was was curious what people's stories are for their adventure of a lifetime.

Still waking up to her each morning. It ain't over yet. I'll let you know when it's over. A quote I love (perhaps for the irony) "Adventure is just bad planning." Roald Amundsen

Al_HikesAZ wrote:"Adventure is just bad planning." Roald Amundsen

I also like the irony! My fellow countryman with an excellent quote. I've never read that one before. Thanks for sharing!

Discovering one of the many missing such as Garrett Bardsley, Jesse Capen or even our GPSjoe to bring closure for the families and friends.
Please please include them in your planning of future outings. :thanx:

For me, the adventure of a lifetime is always just on the horizon... at least I hope it always is. I figure that if I'm completely content with what I've seen and done in my life, then I'm going to have to start eating my words about an afterlife \

I know that back in 2000, when I did the GC for the first time backpacking, I sorta thought it would be the adventure of a lifetime. I didn't believe in myself enough then to think that I'd be doing the stuff I do now. Today, I'm planning a 2-3 week trek in the Indian Himalaya and hoping to get myself lucky on a "all-the-way" trip down the GC on the river. Oh, and I still want to do the AZT, GET, and JMT. Then there's that trip to the Tepuis in Venezuela, cave diving the cenotes in Mexico, oh...and I really want to trek to Petra, and... fades off into the sunset with a smile and a plan...

Still my favorite quote:
“Life is not a journey to the grave with intentions of arriving safely in a pretty well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming ... WOW! What a ride!”

writelots: Sounds familiar. Do you remember who said that?

Life is not a journey to the grave with intentions of arriving safely in a pretty well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming ... WOW! What a ride!”

Hunter S. Thompson, I'm pretty sure. By the way, he committed suicide.

azbackpackr wrote:Hunter S. Thompson, I'm pretty sure. By the way, he committed suicide.

Yeah, but his adventure did not end.

FuneralOn August 20, 2005, in a private ceremony, Thompson's ashes were fired from a cannon atop a 153-foot (47 m) tower of his own design (in the shape of a double-thumbed fist clutching a peyote button) to the tune of Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky" and Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man."[35] Red, white, blue, and green fireworks were launched along with his ashes. As the city of Aspen would not allow the cannon to remain for more than a month, the cannon has been dismantled and put into storage until a suitable permanent location can be found. According to his widow Anita, Thompson's funeral was financed by actor Johnny Depp, a close friend of Thompson. Depp told the Associated Press, "All I'm doing is trying to make sure his last wish comes true. I just want to send my pal out the way he wants to go out."[35]

Reminds me of the "Search for Animal Chin"....doubt anybody here will get that reference, however....

As for the adventure of a lifetime, I am doing two Grand Canyon private river rafting trips over the next year and a half. I hope these are great trips, but I don't expect them to be the "ultimate." But since one of them is for 20 days and the other one for 25 days, they do qualify as expedition-length trips. And as they are non-commercial, they qualify as something I can have a hand in planning, especially since one of the permits is mine.

Sailing around the world in a Tahiti ketch comes to mind as an ultimate, life-changing adventure. Thru-hiking the CDT or PCT. Canoeing the entire Yukon River or other long Arctic river. I am sure there are foreign trips (I don't count Canada as "foreign") which I might like which would count. I have no desire to bag peaks in the Himalayas (too cold and bleak for me), but one of those long "treks" such as Writelots described would be great!

I personally would not really count something the "trip of a lifetime" if I did not have a hand in creating it. If all I did was reserve a spot on one of those ecotour vacations, well, then, that would be really fun, but it would not count as "trip of a lifetime" if I were basically just a glorified tourist. A friend of mine in Tucson has climbed Kilimanjaro in Africa, and hiked the Milford Track in New Zealand. Both were ecotour trips. She had a blast, and I can see where, especially with Kili, it is a good thing to go with a tour group--in fact I am not sure you can get a permit to climb Kili without using the porters, etc. Milford Track, however, is quite touristy, and it may actually be cheaper to hire a guide than to pay all the little fees and hut reservations, etc. which start to add up.

Oh, I forgot, I also would like to ride my bicycle on a very long trip, such as across the U.S.

Incidentally, some of these ecotour trips are pretty affordable. My friend said she paid about $6000 for the entire Africa trip to climb Kili which included a safari with elephants and lions, airfare, etc. This was about 4 years ago.

Rich people can afford to fly off and do this or that, and some of my friends have been to some pretty exotic places--one pal of mine went to Antarctica this year. I can't afford to do that. However, I notice that some of these people don't know how to put together a trip on their own. And that is something I CAN do--I have been a trip leader for backpacking many times. I am taking an intensive one-week class this month in river guiding. I'll be learning everything from menu planning and shopping to packing the boats and setting up the kitchen and cooking the meals. In the fall semester I'm going to take some more of that type of class. Hopefully I'll gain more skills in trip planning. So, if I can't afford to be a rich ecotourer, maybe I can guide rich ecotourers instead!

hippiepunkpirate wrote:Reminds me of the "Search for Animal Chin"....doubt anybody here will get that reference, however....

Animal Chin, the OG Skateboarder that the bones brigade is searching for while tearing up every ramp in sight? Now I need to go find my VHS copy and dust it off to watch it, probably haven't seen that in 10 years or more.

Everyday is an adventure of a lifetime if you make it one.

"Never Satisfied"

The best adventure is the next one. This topic reminds me of a little boy who lived next door to us years ago. (He was five then, he's in college now). He used to come over and talk to us when he saw us working in the yard. After one such conversation, he went back to where his mother was and we could hear him crying his eyes out in that heartbreaking way of young children. I asked his mom what was wrong. She replied "He said you two were going on an adventure, and he said we never have adventures". I had to explain that we were just going to ride around in the country for a bit on our way out to dinner. Sometimes I have to be a little more careful how I say things.

desert-boonie65 wrote:
Animal Chin, the OG Skateboarder that the bones brigade is searching for while tearing up every ramp in sight? Now I need to go find my VHS copy and dust it off to watch it, probably haven't seen that in 10 years or more.

Yup. The supposed "deep-meaning" of it is that "Animal Chin" is the greatest happiness and if you expend energy to search and find it without enjoying yourself, you will never find "Animal Chin", to find Animal Chin is to enjoy the journey!