A JOURNEY OF 1000 MILES STARTS WITH A SINGLE STEP LOOKING AT A MAP

OBJECTIVES NEED TO CONTAIN THE MOTIVATING FACTOR(S) THAT SET THINGS IN MOTION AND BRIDGE THE BITS THAT ARE NOT ALWAYS EXCITING. OBJECTIVES ARE THE CRITICAL ELEMENT THAT KICK A TRIP OVER FROM FANTASY INTO WHEELS IN MOTION AND THAT MAKES YOU THE PROTAGONIST NOT JUST ANOTHER SPECTATOR.

THE SINGLE BIGGEST ELEMENT NEEDED IS CLARITY; KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO DO. WITHOUT THIS THE IDEAS DRY UP, THE INSPIRATION FADES AND THE LOGIC IS LOST. THERE BECOMES TOO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS SO NO PICTURE OF AN OUTCOME EXISTS.

THE MOST COMMON THING THAT KICKSTARTS A TRIP OVER TO REALITY IS LOOKING AT A MAP. READING TRIP REPORTS, DISPATCHES & ARTICLES IS VOYEURISM, BUT LOOKING AT A MAP YOU’RE ENGAGING A BASIC EXPEDITION SKILL YOU WILL REPEAT A THOUSAND TIMES. THE INVERSE ALSO HOLDS – IF YOU CAN’T BE BOTHERED TO LOOK AT A MAP YOU DON’T DESERVE THE RESULTS.

STARING AT A MAP GIVES YOU THE RAW INFORMATION OF WHAT’S OUT THERE; IF THERE’S PEAKS, RIVERS. DESERTS, JUNGLE, CITIES, BORDERS ETC. MANY EXPEDITIONS ARE FUELED 90% SIMPLY BY WHERE THEY HAPPEN, CLIMBING IS JUST THE REASON AND WAY OF BEING THERE. YOU DON’T NEED TO COMMIT DOLLARS, YOU DON’T NEED TO READ THE LANGUAGE, YOU DON’T NEED ANYONE’S APPROVAL, YET YOU COME AWAY WITH ENOUGH INFORMATION TO START THE CONVERSATION. WHEN IT COMES TO THE OBJECTIVE, YOU HAVE THE WHERE, WHAT & HOW IN A NUTSHELL.

THE THING THAT KILLS MOST TRIPS IS TIME, OR MORE SO, MAKING IT. THINKING OF EXPEDITIONS AS ONE-OFF’S OR A HOLIDAY IS THE FIRST MISTAKE; EXPEDITIONS HAPPEN BECAUSE YOU SET ASIDE THE PERIOD WHEN THE THING YOU WANT TO DO WILL WORK.

THE IDEA OF A PERFECT WINDOW IS ALMOST AN URBAN MYTH, AND WITH ATTITUDE AND PREPARATION YOU CAN SHIFT THINGS INITIALLY SEEN AS IMMOVABLE. THINK LATERALLY, DO SOME RESEARCH, AND RETHINK YOUR YEAR AND MANY PEOPLE FIND THOSE DEAD WEEKS AT WORK IN NOVEMBER OPEN UP OPTIONS THEY’D BEEN BLIND TOO.

THE TIME THINGS ACTUALLY TAKE SURPRISES A LOT OF PEOPLE, AND ONCE THEY REALIZE YOU SEE THE LIGHTS GO ON. SOME PEOPLE ARE UNAWARE THAT YOU CAN BE AT BASECAMP FOR A 6000m PEAK IN ASIA WITHIN 5 DAYS OF LEAVING HOME IF YOU TIME IT.

WHEN TIME IS OPTIMALLY ORGANIZED, TRIPS CAN BE SIGNIFICANTLY SHORTER OR OBJECTIVES EXTENDED. THE KEY HERE IS ADAPTABILITY. HALF A DAY FROM ARRIVALS YOU CAN BE AT 4000m IN TIBET WHEN YOU HAVE THE ADAPTABILITY OF PLANNING. AT THE OTHER END OF THE NARRATIVE WE’VE HAD PEOPLE FINISH TRIPS IN EXCEEDINGLY REMOTE PLACES AND BE ON THE FLIGHT HOME WITHIN 24HRS. ALL BECAUSE OF GOOD SCHEDULING.

9/10 PEOPLE WE RUN TRIPS FOR ARE AVERAGE INCOME WITH KIDS, RENT & RESPONSIBILITIES. THE DIFFERENCE IS HOW THEY MAKE THE COST WORK. WHETHER YOU GO ON EXPEDITION OR NOT YOU STILL SPEND MONEY EACH DAY REGARDLESS OF IF YOU ARE ON A MOUNTAIN IN TAJIKISTAN OR AT WORK – AND IT’S OFTEN MUCH CHEAPER TO EAT AND LIVE IN A TENT ON EXPEDITION THAN IT IS AT HOME. TRAVELLING TO XINJIANG IS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN STAYING HOME, BUT YOU EAT FOR $10 A DAY.

VALUE WHEN YOU PAY FOR AN EXPEDITION YOU GET AN EXPEDITION IN RETURN. YOU GET SEVERAL WEEKS OF RESOURCES, LOGISTICS AND ABOVE ALL EXPERIENCE DOING SOMETHING INTERESTING. IT’S ALL A MATTER OF THE VALUES YOU HAVE. $100 A WEEK ON DRINKS IS AN AVERAGE NIGHT OUT, $5000 FOR A YEAR – OR IT’S A 6000m PEAK IN TIBET.

WE HAVE PLENTY OF CLIMBERS WHO FIND VALUE IN EXPEDITIONS NOT JUST WITH THE PERSONAL SATISFACTION BUT WHO ADD IT TO A REFERENCE, OR PRESENTATION SERIES OR RESEARCH THAT CONTRIBUTES VERY TANGIBLY TO INCOME AND LIFESTYLE. THIS DOESN’T MEAN EVERYONE SHOULD WRITE A BOOK ABOUT IT, BUT IT DOES MEAN WHEN TRIPS ARE A LIFESTYLE THEY DON’T FUNCTION LIKE HOLIDAYS, BECOMING CLOSER TO EXTENSIONS OF WORK.

THE TEAM WORKS AS BOTH A COLLECTION OF INDIVIDUALS AND AS A UNIT ITSELF. WHEN A GROUP IS ALL KNOWN TO EACH OTHER IT CAN WORK AS A VERY EFFICIENT UNIT WHERE 1 + 1 = 3. ORGANIZING A TEAM VIA A SINGLE ‘LEADER’ CAN BE EASIER, AND COSTS CAN BE TEMPERED ON THINGS LIKE SHARED FOOD, ROPES & GROUP PURCHASES.

JOINING A TEAM CAN WORK WELL OR IT CAN SINK. WHEN IT WORKS, THE ELEMENT OF SEPARATION PEOPLE HAVE GIVES THEM THE ABILITY TO PRESENT HOW THEY CHOOSE AND BE THE PEOPLE THEY WANT. SOME PEOPLE WORK VERY WELL THIS WAY AND IT’S ESSENTIALLY HOW WE WORK ALMOST EVERY TRIP. BUT IT’S NOT FOR EVERYONE.

SINGLE CLIMBERS USUALLY FIND THAT THE COSTS OF DOING THEIR OWN TRIP IS WORTH IT FOR NOT HAVING TO RISK A DYSFUNCTIONAL TEAM. WE GET THAT, SO WE DON’T RAMP UP COSTS TO MAKE UP FOR IT. LIKEWISE WE KNOW SMALL TEAMS OF 2 OR 3 WANT TO DO THINGS TRADITIONALLY GEARED TOWARDS MUCH LARGER GROUPS SO WE SCALE THE LOGISTICS INSTEAD OF RUNNING TRIPS AT MINIMUMS OR CONSTRUCTING ARTIFICIAL GROUPS THAT COST WELL BUT CAN GET VOLATILE AS ANYONE WHOSE DONE A COMMERCIAL 8000mER WILL KNOW.

EXPEDITION GEAR NEEDS TO WORK FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE EXPEDITION AND IT NEEDS TO SURVIVE THE RIGORS OF REMOTE TRAVEL THAT DESTROYS GEAR FASTER THAN ANY ACTUAL CLIMBING WILL.

EXPED GEAR NEEDS TO BE SIMPLE ENOUGH TO FIX. DON’T LET THINGS BE TOO MULTIPURPOSE – THEY STILL NEED TO DO A TECHNICAL ROLE. IT’S INSANE TO SOURCE THINGS LIKE ROPES FROM LOCAL MARKETS, BUT THERE’S A LONG TRADITION OF SCROUNGING, RE-PURPOSING AND ADAPTING LOCAL STUFF.

DON’T BRING SOLAR PANELS UNLESS YOU’RE OUT LONGER THAN 2 WEEKS AS POWER BANKS ARE LIGHTER. GET A GOOD PISS BOTTLE. LAUGH NOW BUT GETTING ONE AT THE LAST VILLAGE INVARIABLY RESULTS IN PISSING ON YOUR SLEEPING BAG. DON’T SAY YOU WERE’NT WARNED.

MONEY NEEDS TO GO PRIMARILY TO FOOT WEAR, SHELTER, STOVE & LOAD CARRYING. YOU NEED ONE SET OF EACH THAT’S AS GOOD AS YOU CAN AFFORD. BOOTS NEED TO BE FULLY UP TO THE WORST POSSIBLE SCENARIO OF THE TRIP, NOT THE EASIEST. YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY GLOVES. YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO BOIL WATER WHEN ALL ELSE HAS FAILED. AN EXTRA 500G ON SLEEPING SYSTEM VOIDS THE KCAL EQUATION AFTER A WEEK. BY EXPED STANDARDS A LARGE PACK IS 150L.

PACK AS MUCH AS YOU CAN BY HOW YOU WILL USE IT, WHICH ISN’T ALWAYS JUST DUMPING EVERYTHING INTO DUFFEL BAGS. STUFF FOR TRAVEL AND APPROACH USUALLY ONLY TAKES UP A DAY CLIMBING PACK. ACCEPT THAT SOME GEAR WON’T BE COMING HOME. STUFF WILL BREAK, GET ABANDONED OR LOST, OR MAYBE JUST NOT BE UP TO IT. AN ASCENT OF 20 PITCHES COULD LEAVE BEHIND 30 BITS OF HARDWARE.

YOU NEED TO GET READY TO AVOID ARRIVING IN A FOREIGN LAND WITH PROBLEMS YOU COULD HAVE SOLVED EASILY AT HOME. THE MAIN MISTAKE IS OVER THINKING THINGS.

FLIGHTS ARE MUCH OF A MUCHNESS BUT EARLY CHECK-INS MAKE NAVIGATING AIRPORTS WITH LOADS OF GEAR EASIER. ALLOW TIME FOR VISAS BUT MOST PLACES ARE STRAIGHT FORWARD THESE DAYS. FOR CHINA MAKE NO MENTION OF ANYWHERE NEAR BORDERS. GET INSURANCE. YOU MAY HAVE BASIC TRAVEL IF YOU HAVE AN AMEX CARD ETC. NOT ALL POLICIES COVER EVERYWHERE, AND GLOBAL RESCUE ARE NOT INSURANCE AT ALL. BE CLEAR ON THAT.

IT TAKES ABOUT 6 MONTHS MINIMUM TO TRAIN YOUR CAPACITY TOWARDS ANY CLIMBING GOAL. DON’T OVER DO IT AND DON’T EXPECT TO GET FITTER WHEN YOU’RE THERE OR TRAIN ON THE APPROACH / AT BASECAMP.

THE BEST INVESTMENT TOWARDS SUCCESS ON A BIG TRIP IS GOING ON SMALLER ONES. WEEKENDS AWAY BARELY DO IT, BUT WEEK LONG STUFF THAT’S INTENTIONALLY PREPARATION TICKS MANY MORE BOXES IN A SINGLE PERIOD THAN LOTS OF LITTLE CASUAL TRIPS. TIME SPENT SIMPLY LIVING IN TENTS IS HIGH VALUE – THE BETTER YOU CAN SUSTAIN YOURSELF IN A LITTLE TENT THE LONGER YOU CAN STAY OUT THERE.

MORE THAN ONE CLIMBER HAS CONFIRMED THE TRIP, SORTED THE TEAM, BOUGHT & PACKED THEIR GEAR, TRAINED, BOOKED FLIGHTS AND GOT THE STAMPS ONLY TO IMPLODE AS THE TRIP STARTS. YOU NEED TO ASSESS YOUR MOTIVES AND WAYS OF APPLYING THEM OTHERWISE TRIPS FEEL OUT OF CONTROL. YOU NEED TO DEFINE WHAT IT IS THAT IS FAILING AND CHOOSE FROM THE OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO RESOLVE IT.

FOR MANY THE BREADTH AND DEPTH OF CULTURES LIKE CHINA, TIBET OR XINJIANG CAN BE CONFRONTING AND PEOPLE THERE DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR WESTERN VALUES. TIBET ISN’T LIKE RICHARD GERE SAYS IT IS. SOME PEOPLE LOVE IT ALL AND TAKE PLEASURE IN THE LEFT-OF-FIELD STUFF AND BRUSHES WITH AUTHORITIES – OTHERS SEE IT AS RAIN ON THEIR PICNIC.

LEAVING THE COMFORTS OF FAMILIARITY CAN BE ROUGH. TAKE TIME TO FEEL THINGS OUT – LOOK AT A MAP, WATCH SOME LOCAL TV, EAT AND SLEEP. CULTURE SHOCK HAPPENS AND IT’S EXPECTED TO BE OVERWHELMED BY VERY DIFFERENT PLACES WHEN THERE’S NO TOURIST BUBBLE. DROP ANY SERIOUSNESS FOR A DAY OR TWO, HAVE SOME FUN LOCAL STYLE, FOLLOW YOUR CURIOSITY.

THERE’S WORK TO DO. THERE’S MAYBE TIME FOR A BEER IN THE EVENING; AFTER THE FOODS BEEN BOUGHT, PORTIONS BAGGED UP, CLIMBING GEAR SORTED OUT, PACKS REPAIRED, PORTALEDGES TESTED, PERMIT MEETINGS FINISHED, LIAISON OFFICERS BRIEFED, EXTRA GEAR FOUND, WEATHER CHECKED, ROAD CONDITIONS CHECKED, VEHICLES CHECKED, FUEL BOUGHT AND CREW ARRIVED. PROBABLY TOMORROW WE ROLL OUT AT 0430 WHICH MEANS GETTING UP AT 0330 FOR COFFEE, FINISH PACKING, CLEAR THE ROOMS, GET EVERYTHING TO THE VEHICLES, RE CHECK THE WEATHER, RECHECK THE ROADS, MEET THE LO, DOUBLE CHECK THE ROOMS, GET PASSPORTS READY, ANOTHER COFFEE, STOP FOR WATER AND GET OUT OF TOWN BEFORE THE TRAFFIC. YOU CAN REST IN THE CAR.

WHEN THINGS GET INTENSE, COMMUNICATE. RAISING A PROBLEM AS SOON AS IT COMES UP GETS EVERYONE FINDING SOLUTIONS RATHER THAN COMPRESSING IT. FEELING CONFRONTED IS FINE AND EXPECTED, MANAGING YOURSELF SO YOU DON’T STALL THE MACHINE IS IMPORTANT.

EVENTUALLY YOU COME BACK. YOU ACHIEVED WHAT YOU DID, GOT YOUR EXPERIENCES AND THE OBJECTIVE BECAME GETTING HOME. FOR SOME SHOWS SADLY DRAWS TO A CLOSE. NO ONE LIVES ON EXPEDITION, EVEN US.

FOR SOME THOUGH A TRIP CONCLUDING IS CONFUSING OR DEPRESSING. IT’S COMMON TO HEAR THAT A MONTH AFTER GETTING HOME SOMEONE HAS HAD ISSUES READJUSTING. SOMETIMES AN EXPEDITION CAN BE HARD TO STEP BACK FROM AS HOME LIFE DOESN’T ALLOW FOR THE HEALTHY PROCESS TO PLAY OUT.

YOU WILL BE MORE TIRED THAN YOU EXPECT AND A WEEK WONT FIX IT. AFTER WEEKS IN THE STATE OF ALERTNES YOU NEED TO REST YOUR BRAIN NOT JUST YOUR BODY. GOING STRAIGHT INTO THE PRESENTATION CIRCUIT DOESN’T ALWAYS HELP.

BE CRITICAL. WHAT WENT RIGHT, WHAT DIDN’T. WHAT COULD BE DONE BETTER. NOT EVERY TRIP NEEDS TO BE ON AN UPWARD CURVE TO K2. SOMETIMES THE NEXT TRIP COULD BE SOMETHING NEW. SOMETIMES TAKE A YEAR OFF.

THE POINT OF EXPEDITIONS IS TO DO UNIQUE TRIPS WHERE EXISTING NORMS MAY NOT APPLY. COMING HOME ONLY TO UNTHINKINGLY SIGN UP AND TROT OFF TO THE NEXT ONE IS MISSING THE DEEPER EXPERIENCE. FROM INITIAL CONTACT AFTER PLAYING WITH WINDY TV THROUGH TO BEING GREETED BY YOUR KIDS AT ARRIVALS, THESE THINGS ARE NOT MEANT TO BE FOR EVERYONE BUT FOR THOSE WHO DO THEM THEY ARE UNIQUE.