Our definition of 'Adventure'

Probably the most discussed topic so far in class has been "what is adventure." And after hours and hours of repatative banter about whether or not an adventure can only take place outdoors and so on, it seems clear that there is not one solid definition, and it therefore depends on the individual experiencing the adventure.

With that said, my personal definition for adventure is the following:

Adventure is the encountering of an obstacle that poses some sort of challenge, threat, or danger determined solely by the adventurer.

The Browne Center

About two weeks ago, our class went on a trip to the UNH Browne Center, a complex complete with ropes courses, and rock climbing walls. This was not my first time visiting the Browne Center, as I went there in middle school on a field trip. But even so, the challenge of the high ropes courses never got old.


After some rather wet team-building exercises, we broke off into our three "adventure groups" and tackled the high ropes course. My team was first on the high-jump, where we climbed up to a small platform about 40 feet off the ground then jumped off to hit a dangling ball. All of us who got to try succeeded, despite a couple technical difficulties with the wet rope.



On the next course, two people climbed up on opposite sides of a log parallel to the ground 40 feet in the air. They then had to walk all the way across the log and cross in the middle. Needless to say, it was a bit challenging, even though a few fell prey to overconfidence and fell off the log.



The final course was arguably the most challenging. Known as Jacob's Ladder, this course featured several horizontal logs supported by cables on each side. It took incredible upper body strength and teamwork (well... not for Steve G.) to reach the top. One of my most memorable moments of the trip was watching Joe and Connor scale the ladder with relative ease, as shown in the picture to the right.



When it was all said and done, it was safe to say that everyone had a good day. Though some of us would be nursing our bruises and sore muscles for the next few days to come, the personal feeling of accomplishment that we felt when we conquered the ropes courses made it all worth-while. As David Roberts describes, "Nowhere else on Earth, not even in the harbors of reciprocal love, have I felt pure happiness take hold of me and shake me like a puppy" (1980).