Joe the Real Deal

If your social media feed looks anything like mine, you’ve probably seen a lot of motivational content saying “Do it tired. Do it alone. Do it scared.” Or maybe Yoda’s timeless wisdom: “Do or do not. There is no try.”

I’ve created this blog to tell you the same. Because my first rule for adventures is simple: Go. Get out there and take the trip or else there is no adventure.

The idea is simple: the perfect opportunity for your adventure may never come, so grab the good opportunity when you can. As Voltaire said, “le mieux est l’ennemi du bien.” The perfect is the enemy of the good. Carpe diem. YOLO.

And you can’t take for granted that you’ll always have the time, the opportunity, or the good health to pursue your adventures. I know this too well – I was recovering from surgery when I originally wrote this for Good Wolf Gear and had to cancel my planned backpacking in Quebec and hiking in France. While the centuries-old Chemin de St. Jacques will still be there next year, it’s a powerful reminder of how important it is to go when you can.

I’m not saying to be reckless and hike a ridge in a thunderstorm or ford a dangerously-swollen stream. But don’t let every iffy forecast keep you home, either. I can’t count the times the forecast has been grim, I went out anyway, and the actual weather turned out to be fine. Even if the weather isn’t ideal, it’s usually tolerable, plus the worst weather often makes the best stories. That said, I know my limits, so I delayed a trip when single digit temperatures were in the forecast, I turned back in a storm on Mt. Washington, and bailed out mid-trip when snow made the scrambles too risky. Those decisions embody my second rule for adventure: Be smart. Or, as some people say, “the most important day of your adventure is tomorrow.” Make sure today’s choices enable tomorrow’s adventure.

Because that’s my third, final, and most important rule for adventure: Have fun. Our customers, friends, and community at Good Wolf Gear made the adventure such a joy for us. And although that chapter has closed, I am hoping to keep the spirit and community alive and growing.