Seeking Backyard Adventures: The Cardinal Challenge
With the transition to summer comes the annual anticipation of adventures to come in far off places across the planet. Routes have been planned. Logistics have been thought out. Gear and food have been purchased and organized. Bikes have been boxed and shipped. Duffle bags have been packed and plane tickets have been issued. After weeks of preparation, the moment arrives and all of the planning turns to action. It’s go time!
Air planes—a common mode of travel to get to the start of any big adventure.
Many of us find ourselves in adventure and travel limbo due to the current world circumstances. With the coming of the summer solstice, the usual urge to go and explore is there to be satiated. However, with a virus pandemic, social unrest, and economic uncertainty, the allure of traveling afar has been somewhat tempered. During these times, is it responsible to carry on as we do every summer and expand our knowledge of the world through travel and exploration? The struggle to answer this question is real. There is no doubt that from person to person, the answers will vary…and that is okay. It is a personal decision based upon each individual’s values, beliefs, and perceptions of what is currently happening around the globe.
Given our home in Durango, CO, our personal sentiments, and our community’s response to COVID, etc., the universe seems to be suggesting that this is the summer for more extensive explorations of our own “backyard.” As a motivator to replace the inspiration that always comes when pursuing a grand objective, DD and I have developed a concept for backyard adventure called the Cardinal Challenge. Our summer will be spent visiting the nooks and crannies of our local area that we so often pass by or have deemed to be saved for later visits. For us, the time is now to visit those places and discover a little bit more about the area we call home and our impact upon it.
A stunning beginning to our Cardinal Challenge.
Below you will find the parameters of our Cardinal Challenge. Maybe it will inspire you to create your own close to home challenge or quest with personal criteria. Or perhaps, you will join us in finding adventure in each of the cardinal directions within your own backyard. We recently completed the southern part of our challenge by use of pack raft, bike, and foot. We ventured into a region that had always piqued our interest, but had yet to commit to exploring. Over the course of three days, we expanded our knowledge of the amazing environments, communities, and cultural richness that exist at our doorstep. Though the farthest we were ever from our home was at most an hour’s drive, the vastness of the experience felt like we could have been a plane ride or more away.
As we took the final pedal strokes to our home, the mind wanderings began as we started thinking about the directions yet to be explored. Maps are now spread out across the living room floor. Routes are being discovered. Gear is being prepped. Logistics are being discussed. Let the adventures begin!
The Cardinal Challenge
Four different backyard adventures corresponding with the four cardinal directions (N, E, S, W)
All modes of travel must be completely human powered (bikes, feet, pack rafts, roller blades, etc.)
Each adventure must begin and end on one’s doorstep and must be a loop in the corresponding direction.
Time frame—minimum of 72 hours for each adventure (going bigger and longer is permissible)
There must be some objective (quest) in each adventure (i.e. summit a peak; deliver a letter to a friend; pack raft in an alpine lake; volunteer at a food bank; etc.)
The adventure must be confined to one’s “backyard”
The challenge must be completed by the end of the summer (Sept. 22)
A possible parameter addition for a group of adventure partners:
Each partner draws a direction from a hat and then is responsible for planning a subsequent route in that direction, including the corresponding quest. Each quest will remain a secret to the other participants, however, prior to the departure for each adventure, the trip leader will provide the rest of the group members with an equipment list (including group gear); the adventure time frame; and food recommendations. The trip leader will reveal the quest when on their respective doorstep to depart.
Let the adventures begin!
The Lesson Collective would love to learn of your personal Cardinal Challenge. Feel free to reach out and share. We will be posting each of our four adventures in the coming months. Wahoo!—the LC