Finding Adventure

Radical Reels Tour

Every year, during Australia’s spring, the Radical Reels Tour makes its way around the country, bringing mountains, rivers, and forests into the cities via a series of short, action-packed outdoor adventure films.  The films are chosen from the 300 plus entries to the annual Banff Mountain Film Festival run out of The Banff Centre in Banff, Canada.   

The festival is a fun way to revisit the mountain culture we left back in Colorado, while the films are a reminder of the awe-inspiring scenery found on the planet and the thrill that comes from pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.

Every time I see one of these outdoor film festivals, I feel a longing for the mountains and the outdoors.  I also feel inspired to add a bit more adventure and outdoor activity into my life. 

Radical Reels Tour, and its sister festivals, serve as a reminder that there are like-minded people living in Adelaide.  I don’t often meet other outdoor and adventure-loving people in my day-to-day life, but every year they emerge from various parts of Adelaide’s suburbs to fill the Capri Theatre for the one-night-only showing.

2021 Tour

This year’s Radical Reels Tour showed eight films between 3- and 34-minutes long.  They featured mountain biking, paragliding, rock climbing, alpine skiing, rafting, kayaking and ski touring.

One of the films, ‘A Few Steps from Home,’ highlights that adventure doesn’t require a trek to the other side of the planet.  In it, three friends spend a long weekend in a small mountain share hut.  The hut is located halfway up a mountain between their homes in Munich and Innsbruck.  They spend the weekend ski touring, living off-grid, and reconnecting with nature and each other.  The friends marvel that they can feel so separated from the hustle of the big cities and their ordinary lives while only being a short distance from home. 

It is a good reminder that adventure can happen anywhere and that you can fit it into a weekend, while still keeping a full-time job. 

What is Adventure?

But what does adventure really mean?

Ad-ven-ture (noun): an exciting or very unusual experience

Ad-ven-ture (verb): to risk or hazard; to take a chance

dictionary.com

By that definition, adventure doesn’t have to be an epic, life-changing experience that requires taking long periods of time off work (although I recommend taking at least one of these in your lifetime). 

An adventure could be taking the chance on a new activity, spending money and time on something you might not like.  An exciting or very unusual experience might be an afternoon hiking through the forest when you spend the majority of your time inside at a desk.  A risk doesn’t have to be the possibility of physical harm, it could be the danger of embarrassment from failing at something new. 

Adventure is all around if you look for the opportunity.  Adventures come in all sizes; they are near to and far from home.  Adventures involve some level of risk and a chance to learn something about ourselves and the world around us. 

Finding Adventure

The tagline of my blog is ‘Finding Adventure’ because I want adventure to be a regular part of my life.  To me, having adventures is how I live my life to the fullest, and looking for them encourages me to see my surroundings with fresh eyes. 

Sometimes, my adventures are exciting overseas trips, or life-changing experiences that require months of planning. Sometimes, my adventures are small and spontaneous: a new trail discovered out my front door or a visit to a new winery.

I find adventures big and small in my adopted home of Adelaide, South Australia and mountains abroad.  

This weekend, I went on a new hike. 

What adventure are you planning for next weekend?