Adventure is deeply rooted in the psyche. When we could have stayed in central Africa we chose to wander. We explored and pushed the boundaries of the known world until we spanned every continent and ocean on this planet. Now we have taken this innate sense of expansion and taken it beyond the limits of our home planet. Every human has a different sense of adventure, yet it lives within us all.
I choose to adventure because it fulfills a deep need to push my own boundaries, to seek the wild places, the moments in which I could never have fathomed, to stretch myself into the unknown and come back changed. Adventure can take on many forms, from epics that involve airplane flights to far away places, to backyard rambles. It is the focus, the purpose behind the action that makes it an adventure. When we let the preconceived fall away and step into the unknown we are on an adventure.
This past year my eyes have been set on the ocean. I have been cultivating a deep appreciation for one of the most foreign environments for our bi-pedal species: water. Deep water scared me when I was young. I wouldn’t go into water that I couldn’t see into, murky deep water gave me the heebie-jeebies. I was a teenager before I was really comfortable swimming in lakes, rivers and eventually the ocean. Surfing has always held an allure for me, when I started to surf I saw the ocean in a new light. A force to be reckoned with, but also one that can be harnessed and danced with. Surfing has taken hold of my heart, it is so raw, there are so few ingredients needed to make an amazing moment happen.
Driving from Ashland to the coast is an adventure, we traverse multiple bioregions and travel along the last un-dammed river in California, the Smith River. Once we arrive it is time to assess conditions, almost never do we surf where we envision. There are so many nooks and crannies that catch the swell directions; or keep the wind at bay, so many factors that can really only be weighed once we arrive.
Plunging into the water with only a board underneath, and in the northern latitudes a wetsuit, is a leap of faith. Fighting the breaking power of the waves to get beyond them is the first test. One that has sent me sprawling back on the beach many times. Once that is complete you have to be patient. Bobbing in the ocean like a seabird, waiting for the right moment and wave to begin the next test. Can you paddle strong enough to catch the surging beast? There is something so raw about a wave, a pulse from some distant place in the ocean that when it gets close to land rises up and roars. Surfing has captured my soul and embodies so much of what I call adventure.