It’s nearly August, and in academic world where I work, that means the beginning of the end of summer. I’m not ready to concede my favorite season.
Meanwhile, not to belabor the point, but my head remains somewhere out on the adventure road between Albuquerque and Long Beach. (If you see it, please take caution to drive around.) I mean, I spent more than two months out there pedaling most the day in the open air on my coast-to-coast bike quest, and I haven’t yet succeeded in making the mental and emotional transition to home. The road is addictive.
So, amid my thirst for extended adventure, and in an effort to accentuate the meaning of summer’s final month, here’s my idea:
August Adventure Every Day.
That is, 31 days of adventure, August 1 to August 31, one per day. I am committing to engaging in some kind of adventure every single day for the entire month.
Starting Sunday, August 1, with a mild adventure of kayaking in Provincetown, I will embark on some kind of adventure every single day. Following each adventure, I’ll write a brief synopsis of the experience here, with pictures.
Mostly these will be physical/mental challenges, but not always. A few examples on the adventure calendar: 1) biking up the 3 peaks with roads in the Valley (Mt. Tom, Mt. Sugarloaf and Mt. Holyoke) in one day; 2) night hike the 7 Sisters; 3) write a short story; 4) give blood.
Adventure can mean several different things. For some, rising up out of bed every day is an adventure. Others need adrenaline. In order to qualify as adventure, an activity must contain four components:
- Unknown outcome. Some sort of risk. There needs to be something on the line, and something to be gained.
- Movement. Adventure should include going from one place to another, such as by walking, running, hiking, biking, boating, driving or swimming. Or it could mean mentally traveling, such as via video.
- It should be out of the ordinary. Adventure isn’t something you do every day, or something most people do every day.
- Challenge. Something to overcome, physically or mentally, that delivers a feeling of reward, or a literal reward, for pushing through and achieving the goal.
I hope you’ll come along with me for Adventure Month. If anyone feels inspired to join me in August Adventure Month, let me know, the more the merrier.