Less Extreme Adventures
Extreme adventures and travel adventures are becoming more
popular all the time. Some of us, however, want to have the
excitement, without so much risk of injury, without getting shot
at or kidnapped like Robert Pelton, and without spending a
fortune. With that in mind, here are some ideas for less extreme
adventure travel.
- Summit the highest peak in your state. It might be
less-than-adventurous in some states, but it will at least be an
excuse to get outside and get some exercise.
- Canoe down a river you've never been on. There could be an
interesting one an hour away from you. If you don't have one,
you can rent the canoe, and bring a picnic.
- Treasure hunting at the beach. You can rent or buy a metal
detector and spend a relaxing but interesting weekend finding
coins, jewelry and who-knows-what in the sand.
- Vagabonding. Just pack for several days and start driving,
with no destination in mind. See where you end up, and discover
what you can.
- Surfing lessons in Montanita, Ecuador. You might want to bring
your Bob Marley CD to this hippy/reggae/tourist area. The
beaches are beautiful and the lessons are cheap.
- Make a raft. Find the nearest river that is large enough and
has some public forest, then build a raft from dead trees and
float downstream for a day.
- Cliff-diving. Try the small ones, like those on Lake Superior,
near Marquette, Michigan. You'll jump fifteen feet into
crystal-clear water.
- Climbing lessons on Mount Ranier in Washington. It's sure to
be more exciting than my trip up a local sledding hill with my
ice-axe and crampons.
- Travel monastery to monastery. You can make it a spiritual
adventure or just relax. They usually have reasonably priced
accommodations, and they are in beautiful places.
- Take a hot springs tour. Drive around for a few days with a
guide to hot springs or directions copied off the internet.
Bring suits, towels and a cooler full of refreshments. For added
adventure, seek out the ones that you have to hike into the
wilderness to find.
- Take a waterfall tour. If you live near an area of waterfalls,
drive around for a few days to find all the ones you haven't
seen. try to find ones that you can go swimming in.
What is adventure? Any activity you engage in that is somewhat
new to you and doesn't have a predictable outcome. It doesn't
have to be too dangerous to be interesting and fun. It could
even include a trip to the nearest large city for a weekend tour
of the bars. Of course, depending on the bars you choose, this
could be one of the more extreme adventures.