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Sitting at an office desk taking a breath break and peeking out of the window, you see the leaves of a tree quivering in the cold sun. It's the start of the winters, the time of snowfall, of woolen caps and thermal wear, time of festivities and warm food. For most people, that's what winter is! But somewhere out there, someone's shrugging snow off their tent and packing up ice axes to tackle a frozen waterfall in -30 degree C or in the other part of the world, a person is maneuvering in deep currents among colorful fish and coral to experience their breath. One can only perceive the world only so far but a select few who push beyond the set boundaries know that a whole another world awaits them OUT THERE in the wild, into the oceans, on top of the mountains, alongside free flowing rivers and lush green forests.
Wandering in no man's land
At times you need to decide for yourself whether you are going to do something that very few people dare to and that which scares the sh*t out of you. The whole essence of exploration and discovery is that one person or a group of people decided to embark on uncharted territories, the ones which people say you shouldn't tread on. They had a strong self-belief and confidence to overcome any pain and barrier that come along and maybe that is why they could list their names among the greatest in history.
Christopher Columbus, Charles Darwin and Vasco Da Gama are common examples of people who ached to look beyond and challenged the norms. The result - New found lands, Inter-continental exchange and Theory of life!
Once you embark on the path that no one else has, you develop the confidence and mentality that anything is possible!!
The high mountains
When the earth's plates collided, they gave birth to the most beautiful and challenging creations of land. In all shapes and sizes, with ice and rock, mountains posses people. So much so that they try to find a grip on the edges, pierce crampons in hard snow, hang tents to see the storm through and lay their lives in search of themselves.
If you listen or read about the grave challenges of mountaineers who have managed to reach to the top of the highest mountains in the world, you will understand the time and effort it takes into preparing for the ultimate battle and how wrong can things get which may scar you for life. But you will also understand why they do what they do and what makes it so much special in the end.
There is sheer power in the presence of these high mountains. You can stare at them for ages and get new perspectives to life or you can patiently wait for your turn before you can safely climb them to get to the top and be among the select few.
There is charm in their shapes and patterns, there is always preparation and opportunity and there is also a sense of calm and security when you are among the mountains.
Vast oceans
From higher altitudes to the sea and negative under. While the land and mountains are visible from the naked eye, there is a whole world under the oceans. The depth explored under the ocean is as deep as roughly 36,000 feet at the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific ocean. Imagine the kind of flora, fauna and alien creatures living inside these depths.
Human divers have explored as far as 1100 feet which is as daunting and challenging to the body because of high pressure and the ability to hold oneself in that depth and lack of visibility and then safely come back to the surface.
If you have been under the ocean, you know how silently creepy it can get if you're relatively new and on the other hand it can also get a lot calmer than the usual life on land. So much so that diving sometimes becomes addicting to people who would rather spend most of their time under water listening to their own breathing.
Surface is another thing, it is where you witness the most beautiful sunsets, enjoy the waves flowing in and take a dip or kayak towards the other end (which doesn't exist ;P). Sound of the sea waves are so therapeutic that one can sit on the beach and just meditate to these sounds, in rhythm and off if it.
Deep jungles
Coming back to the land and into the vivid flora and fauna that make up the jungles we have, these forests provide such varied experiences to us if we respect its rules and seek to be one with it. It is about survival in the jungle! Either you eat or get eaten, you kill or get killed. This is the rule of the forest!
Forest makes you more aware of your surroundings, visual, mental and physical and keep you on your toes. Unless and until you understand the fact that you are a part of nature and a part of the forest, you won't find means to survive and enjoy what all it has to offer.
Situations can get as scary as being stuck in a rainforest at night without food and drinking water and each step has to be taken cautiously keeping a watchful eye on insects, reptiles and predators. But the means to survive will be found in the forest itself, leaves and branches for shelter, drinking water out of tree trunks and identifying edible food sources to survive lonely nights until you tread a path alongside a river that takes you to civilization (we all enjoy watching "Man vs Wild" don't we ;)).
Deserts
It's astonishing to know that acres of land made of grainy sand and thorny bushes covers almost one third of a continent of Africa (The largest subtropical desert -"Sahara") and takes up a large chunk of land in China, the middle east and Indian subcontinent (Gobi, Arabian and Thar respectively). Extreme temperatures and tough life is how people thrive in these deserts. Camels are readily used as modes of transport and tourist safaris. Many travelers and tourists wish to visit these spectacular landscapes and sand dunes.
Water and shelter are two major challenges in the day and during the night respectively. If you're exploring the land, be wary of rattle snakes, lizards, scorpions and spiders.
Ride an ATV or take a hike on the dunes, get immersed in the lit sky at night or just camp on the cold sand with a bonfire enjoying local cuisines and folk dance.
Camping/Outdoor living
Living in four concrete walls day in day out can get dull, but what if those walls are made up of canvas or tarp? There aren't too many things in life that make us feel liberated and free like camping outdoors in the open with views opening up to snowy mountain peaks, flowing rivers or beautiful lakes.
You can setup your camp after a long day of trekking or maybe to feel the taste of the outdoors over a weekend away from the city life. Owning your camping gear provides one of the most fruitful returns in terms of experiences and skill. In the winters, squeeze in with your fellowmen for the added warmth or curl-up into your sleeping bag when on your own to have a good night's sleep listening to the silence.
Your camping experience can never go in vain and you will never regret watching the star-lit sky with your partner late in the night next to a soothing bonfire or the onw in which few howling dogs wouldn't let you sleep the entire night and you were scared of coming out of your tent to pee :D.
Adventures - Feel Alive !
Stuff that leads you to cheat your head brain to do things that normal human wouldn't dare to. But you take the leap of faith that leads to a higher self-confidence, self-esteem and an added ability to take up higher challenges above and beyond the norm.
Be it wrestling the rapids with your raft, free falling off a platform or tackling the Burma bridge, the feeling of a racing heart and the fight with the mind makes you feels alive! So much so that you can literally listen to your racing heart and the butterflies in your stomach, the racing adrenaline rush and heavy breathing. Trust me on this, it's something that most people wish in silence when they grow old, regretting why they didn't jump into that valley.
Outdoor workouts - Get primitive !
In the day and age of air-conditioned machine equipped “fitness lounges” that hardly make you sweat but provide you with a "great workout" to post on Instagram, there is another dimension out there in the open that tests you like none other. Not only will you be pushed physically in taking your body through floor exercises and running outdoors, you will also be equipped with a minimalist mentality of not wanting too many things to reach your fitness goals.
The treadmill helps you run, while out under the sky you push yourself to take that stride and finish off your distance without stopping. That is the power of the outdoors. It transforms you mentally and physically into a badass machine that can take on any challenge in its way.
When you take up such challenges, you are building up multiple possibilities and horizons for you to move into and try other challenges out and literally find yourself.
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Hi,
Thank you for reading this article. I hope I could educate, entertain or inspire you in any way.
I am Vidhu Mahana, a dual certified fitness coach and a travel enthusiast. Follow my travel journey on Instagram @outlaw_wander
For information and support with fitness topics and coaching, follow my fitness page @outlaw_lift
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