High Adventure
While participating in Boy Scouts and my troop's Venture Team I was exposed to high adventure activities. Backpacking, river rafting, rock climbing, snow shoeing, obstacle courses, and sailing were common activities for the Team. No matter what it is I am always up for adventure.
Back Packing
I have grown to love backpacking despite my initial love hate relationship. It can be a lot of work to climb mountains with your house on your back. Hiking day after day in the summer heat or winter rain can be exhausting as well. Living with the same group of people 24/7 comes with its own host of problems. However what you get to see and experience is well worth the effort required. Despite many advances in transportation there are still an uncountable number of wonders that you can't get to any other way than by walking. Hidden valleys, breathe taking vistas, and stunning panoramas are hidden around every corner. It is because of these things that I love backpacking.
River Rafting
White water rapids are like nature's roller coasters. I've been in everything from a category 1 up to a category 5. I have always gone in group rafts with 6-8 people and a guide. These are uniquely cool because they require everyone to work as a unit in order to successfully navigate the rapids. The paddlers provide forward or reverse thrust on each side while the guide can steer with a rudder and call out directions to the paddlers. If your boat isn't synchronized you may end up going down a falls sideways or backwards (not on purpose). Plus adventure is always more fun in the company of others.
Rock Climbing
Rock climbing is a great exercise in trust not just of your belayer but of yourself as well especially if you set the anchors. While the belayer will catch you if you fall, it is up to you and your body to prevent yourself from falling. This is even more apparent when free climbing. I first started climbing on rock walls and in gyms in elementary school and then started on real rocks some time later. I must say that I far prefer real rocks to the fake ones. They allow for limitless creativity. My style of climbing is fairly casual, preferring unique routes over speed. I normally try and take a new route almost every time I complete a climb. While the view from the top of the rock is always a worthwhile reward, so is repelling. Here I let speed take over and love to run down Aussie style (head first).
Ice Climbing
As far as snow sports go I haven't ever done the traditional skiing and snowboarding (though hopefully that will change eventually). Instead my experience has been in snow shoe back packing and ice climbing. Snow shoe backpacking has several differences from normal hiking. For one it is cold, usually below freezing. Besides the normal hazards like frostbite and hypothermia you also need to worry about food and water freezing solid. In addition, it requires more energy to travel the same distance making it harder to travel the equivalent distance you would normally take in the summer. Nevertheless, I am always amazed at just how clean everything looks after a fresh snowfall. On my first trip I distinctly remember thinking I was in one of the nature films I watched in a biology class. That is not to say that everything was always tranquil. I thoroughly enjoyed glacading and practicing arresting when crossing glaciers. These were often chaotic but full of fun and excitement. However enjoyable the snow may be it's always nice to get home and sit in the warmth of a fire.
Obstacle Courses
I love obstacle courses as they present a fun mental and physical challenge. Full of zip lines, jumbles of logs, and spider weavings of rope, they are tons of fun. They can also bring out some friendly competition when done with a group of friends. I've never experience anything exactly like it. The mental and physical stress that you willingly go through just to reach the end seems unnecessary. But at the end there is always a sense of accomplishment for completing the course and getting your team through it.
Sailing
Having rowed for years (canoes, dragon boats, and crew shells), I have a deep appreciation for transportation that isn't purely human powered. For me sailing strikes a good medium. It doesn't require as much exertion as rowing but I am still integrated into the process as a necessary component. Unlike a motorboat there is a certain amount of skill involved in sailing. Because you rely on the winds you can't always just sail as a crow flies from point A to point B. This creates a need for strategy and tactics that are necessary to get your boat to where you want to go. While I have the most experience sailing mono hulls my favorite set up is a catamaran. I also know that to get the most speed you want the least amount of drag which means getting the boat up and out of the water. The greatest incarnation of this so far are hydrofoils. It seems ideal then that the Americas Cup boats AC72's are hydro foiling catamarans with rigid wing sails. While I have never sailed in one I can only imagine how much of a thrill it would be to fly over the water on one.
