On A Remote Canadian Glacier…
My frozen hands scrambled to unclog my ski bindings from packed snow.
“Not now…”
My harness and rope were irritating obstacles that just added to the hassle.
“If only I could take this crap off…”
The three of us stood on a glacier we were desperate to get off. Surrounded by hidden crevasses that threatened to suck us into their depths.
The unsettling crack and rumble of an avalanche a few hundred metres to our left had confirmed that we needed to get back into safer terrain immediately.
My numb digits couldn’t get the icy-snow out of my bindings, and panic began to settle in.
A distant voice whispered to me. The memory of an admittedly terrifying sergeant who helped put me through Royal Marines training…
“Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.”
Why was this bloke’s face and voice in my mind at such an urgent time?
“Oh, it’s a lesson!”
I took a breath, detached from the situation, and slowed down.
The solution came to me, I had to melt the snow with the only warm liquid I had: my own pee.
Now I think back to that remote glacier in British Columbia, Canada, and laugh. My two friends’ faces as I began to urinate on my own skis in a hostile alpine environment was a picture.
But this isn’t a blog about tactical tips, it’s a blog about who you fundamentally are, and more interestingly, who you have the potential to become.
The Character Forge of Adventure
Adventure has given me far more than fun stories, epic photos and piss-soaked skis, it has given me an avenue to develop who I fundamentally am. From pub walks in a soggy English field, to an upcoming 2 week ski mountaineering trip in the Karakoram Mountains…
…And from the constant agony of Commando training, to teaching friends how to tie into a climbing harness with a sea sunset in the background, adventures have provided me with a forge for my character.
Mishaps are the furnace of resilience. Challenge & difficulties, the anvils of a cool, calm mind. Deep connection with nature and friends, the hearth of love.n And peak experiences a glimpse of something truly transcendent. Without adventure, I would be a fraction of the man I am today – it has shown me who I am meant to be, and I’m guessing it has done the same for you too.
But it’s my opinion that we can use adventure as a more intentional tool, rather than relying on the perfect circumstance.
The Hero’s Journey
My day job is coaching people to become who they’re meant to be. When I do this, I continually refer them to Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey.
The Hero’s Journey is a narrative framework that outlines a common pattern of stages many heroes undergo in myths and stories worldwide.
It begins with the hero receiving a call to adventure, leading them to leave their ordinary world. They cross into an unfamiliar, challenging realm, where they face trials, meet allies and enemies, and undergo a central crisis.
This crisis leads to a victory or achievement, after which the hero returns to the ordinary world, transformed by the experience and often with a boon or insight to benefit their community.
The Hero’s Journey is not only a framework for every great movie you’ve seen, it’s a structure for personal development that is pre-built into every single one of us.
One of the key concepts is that once we accept the call to adventure, we are littered with progressively more challenging trials to pass.
The obstacle in front of us requires every sinew of our character and skill set to overcome.
It feels beyond our capacity.
Yet succeed in that challenge we do, which only brings us to an even greater challenge which looms in front of us; intimidating and dangerous.
But when we meet this challenge, we are not the same person we were when we planned our first hike.
That person would have been massively insufficient for a challenge of this scale. You have grown.
Yes, your skill set has developed, but so have you. You have activated parts of you that have been dormant until challenge brought them out to play.
Adventure is your most intuitive mentor, the perfect balance of maternal and paternal encouragement.
I intentionally use adventure to help myself and my clients grow.
First, we can learn to see the adventure in all of life. From becoming a parent, to aiming at career progression, it’s all an adventure.
Then we can consistently put ourselves into the environments that will extract the best from ourselves.
By answering the call to adventure, you are answering the call to your better self.
So, what’s next on your adventure list?
A Bit About Tom
Tom Foxley helps freedom seekers become who they’re meant to be. He was formerly a Royal Marines Commando and is a skier, mountaineer, climber, and business owner. He coaches people through a combination of mindset coaching, biohacking, and actionable philosophy. For more info, connect with him at the following:
blogkitupadventures.com 