While following up on some other item of interest (about which I can no longer remember *chuckle*), I ran into an interesting idea from Alastair Humphreys where to get outside and active you plan small microadventures;
This is the year of the microadventure: a whole year when, instead of exotic foreign adventures, I am committed to trying to encourage people to get outside, get out of their comfort zone, go somewhere they’ve never been, go on a microadventure. An adventure that is close to home, cheap, simple, short, and yet very effective.
You do not need to fly to the other side of the planet to do an expedition.
You do not need to be an elite athlete, expertly trained, or rich to have an adventure.
Adventure is only a state of mind.
Adventure is stretching yourself; mentally, physically or culturally. It is about doing what you do not normally do, pushing yourself hard and doing it to the best of your ability. …
— A Year of Microadventure
Alastair Humphreys, 2011
Now, this sounds like a really great concept (and one that you could certainly fit into a Venturer unit program). Alastair’s list of microadventures is as follows:
1.) Enter a race
2.) Use your weekend
3.) Sleep on a hill
4.) 24 Hour Bivvy Challenge
5.) Back to Basics
6.) Exploring Islands
7.) Source to Sea
8.) River Swim
9.) Grab a Map. Close your Eyes. Point. Go
10.) Mountain Microadventure
11.) Evangelise!
(www.microadventures.org | #microadventure)
Since I began taking on these provocatively mundane “expeditions” I have discovered that coming up with an interesting plan, and committing to it, guarantees an interesting, informative, challenging and rewarding experience. You don’t need to deal with the Cyclops’ giant or the Siren’s song to have an adventure. All you need is something challenging, somewhere new, and a bit of spare time and imagination.
— Islands
Alastair Humphreys, 2011
I’m thinking the ’24 Hour Bivvy Challenge’ is a good starting point. The first question is whether or not to invest in a bivvy bag; Alastair recommends Ronald Turnbull – The Book Of The Bivvy too learn about the world of “bivvying”.
Rules of the Bivvy Challenge:
1. Your journey must start and finish at your front door
2. You must cover, through non-motorised means, a circular journey of at least 30 miles (or a distance that is moderately difficult for you)
3. It must take at least 24 hours
4. You must sleep outdoors (no tent) in a place you have never been before
5. You must have an outdoor swim
6. Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men
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