I read a lot of non-fiction in 2023, for someone who doesn’t really read non-fiction. The plan for this year is mostly to read more fiction from around the world – or at least from the Nordic region. But I read this in December and it fits the theme too well not to talk about it. Next month will be non-fiction too. Anyway, January’s installment of Travel Library is Adventure Revolution by Belinda Kirk. It was Adventure Queens’ December book club book. It’s held on Zoom on Thursday nights which is Brownie night for me but we finished really early this term and I was free that night. Unfortunately I didn’t realise until a week or ten days before, didn’t have time to finish the book and forgot about the meeting anyway. But I finished it three days later and now it’s Travel Library’s December book.
(Thanks, Amazon, for updating the title on the cover – but not inside – on my Kindle version just before I took the photos!)
Adventure Revolution is basically a 216-page manifesto on the benefits adventure, and being outdoors in general, has on the mind and soul. It’s filled with statistics and snippets from studies, all supporting the Notion that everything from mental health to physical disability via trauma and behaviour issues can be fixed by flinging yourself into a river or rowing an ocean and is illustrated by inspirational anecdotes from various people Kirk spoke to in the writing of the book.
I find myself having two simultaneous and somewhat opposing reactions to all this. My life is more adventurous than many people I know in real life. I get to pass these adventures on to my Rangers, thus bringing adventure to the next generation. Ergo, I feel a little smug. I am one of the superior beings that this book advises becoming says part of my brain. Indeed, I can see some of her points in me.
On the other hand, I find myself criticising Adventure Revolution’s entire being. I know when statistics are being rained on me in the way they are here that there are just as many that lead to a different conclusion and that makes me think they’re being cherry-picked to tell you what the author wants you to hear. You think a hail of numbers is evidencing and bolstering your point. What I see is that this could say anything and therefore is worthless. I also found the point was just made too many times. I said out loud “you’ve already said this four times in the last chapter” several times. We get it. Adversity, near-death, resilience, happily ever after. Point made. Again.
That said, I did appreciate in the last chapter that Kirk addressed one major thing I thought she would gloss over: a life-changing life-threatening epic adventure isn’t going to cure everything for everyone. It just isn’t. My mum, for example, would never thrive on an adventure of any kind even when she was younger. Climbing? No way. Rowing an ocean? Absolutely not. Jumping in a river? Are you joking? At least 85% of the book raved over the effects these sorts of adventures had on various people with various challenges and I was glad she addressed that actually, it doesn’t always change lives and fix everything. But then she shattered it with the conclusion that it’s mostly because they go back to normal life and work too quickly. That annoys me partly because most of us don’t have the luxury of a minimum couple of weeks simply to reflect on our adventure. We’re barely finding the time and finances to have the adventure in the first place. Secondly, it annoys me because it assumes that if the big adventure didn’t fix everything wrong with your life, it’s your fault for doing it wrong, which doesn’t strike me as helpful at all. And third, because stats or no stats, adventure just isn’t the cure-all for 100% of the population of the whole world.
Broadly, I agree with most of the points. I agree that getting outside and doing things is good for our bodies and souls, especially for children. I agree that adventurous experiences can give you self-confidence and leadership skills and resilience. I agree that many experiences can give you a change of perspective that makes you realise that your problems are actually tiny and maybe even meaningless. I think it veers a bit too close to “curing cancer with yoga and aromatherapy” territory a couple of times but overall, yeah, adventure is good for you.
Although most of the examples and anecdotes are of adventures out of most people’s reach – even given “you’re capable of more than you realise” and “knowing the right people can help so join my online community” – there is a certain amount of championing more attainable adventures. You might not be able to able to cross a continent on foot but you can go regularly to your local climbing wall. You might not be able to row the Pacific but you can explore your local area, climb hills, go on night hikes etc. You can join the local cold-water swimming club in that lake. You can camp in the garden.
In some ways, adventure is more a state of mind than an epic expedition. It’s just about doing something that you wouldn’t normally in the course of your day-to-day life. None of my adventures are particularly big. I spent a weekend in a pub in September and went for a largely navigation-free 10km hike on Dartmoor. Boat club with Guides on summer evenings. Hiring a canoe on lazy Sundays. I spent a weekend in the summer doing a sunset kayak, bivvying in the woods, sunrise SUP, camping under a hill, eating cheese toasties and ice cream on the beach and climbing real limestone cliffs – all under the supervision of various commercial adventure providers. There’s plenty you can do on your own but if you want to push your own limits, use someone who knows how to do it safely (and can provide the equipment!).
What I’m taking away from Adventure Revolution is that I want to find time to have an adventure at least once a month in 2024, even if it’s just climbing a hill. There’s always room for more adventure in your life and there are statistics to show that it’s good for you. So, go forth and adventure.