Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Journey, by Alfred Lansing

“Whatever his mood - whether it was gay or breeze, or dark with rage - he had one pervading characteristic: he was purposeful” (pg. 14).

Shackelton’s unwillingness to succumb to the demands of everyday life and his insatiable excitement with unrealistic ventures left him open to the accusation of being basically immature and irresponsible. And very possibly he was - be conventional standards. But the great leaders of historical record - the Napoleons, the Nelsons, the Alexanders - have rarely fitted any conventional mold, and it is perhaps an injustice to evaluate them in ordinary terms. There can be little doubt that Shackleton, in his way, was an extraordinary leader of men” (pg 15).

“For scientific leadership give me Scott; for Swift and efficient travel, Amundsen; but when you are in a hopeless situation, when there seems no way out, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton” (pg 16).

“Fortitudine vincimus - By endurace we conquer”

“I do not know how they did it, except that they had to” (pg 348).

This book was such an impact, was so inspiring, it made it into my weekly “Thoughtful Thought” staff email!

"Normalize Greatness." I shared this quote at the beginning of the year, and as we head into our final week of the semester, it has repeatedly come back to mind.

The days leading up to Christmas break are tough. We're tired, kids are antsy, projects and papers are due, and well, we're tired! For some, very tired.

Yet, the end is near! Now is the time to dig in and finish strong. Which can be very difficult to do.

So, if you will allow, I'd like to (hopefully) encourage you with this:

I recently finished the book Endurance, which I shared about a few weeks ago (the story of Ernest Shackleton), and I could not help but be fully inspired. Not only did Shackleton and his men brave and survive the frozen south, loving in relative contentment for over a year on the floating ice, but once they finally discovered land it quickly became apparent that it had nothing to offer and that they must quickly move on. So Shackleton and a few choice others set sail for a larger island some several hundred miles away. They were guided by the stars alone, through some of the worst oceans our world has to offer, for roughly two weeks, never really sleeping and quickly running out of water. But they survived and reached their needle-in-a-haystack- destination. Quickly, however, they discovered they were on the wrong side, and because of boat and weather conditions, they could not sail around. So Shackleton and two others decided to walk across the island. The only problem was nobody ever had, because the "saw-tooth thrust through the tortured upheavel of mountain and glacier that falls in chaos to the northern sea. In short, it was impassable" (pg 327).

Shackleton knew it. The men knew it. But, there was no choice. So they ventured on and conquered the just-about-impossible.

"The crossing of South Georgie has been accomplished only by one other party. That was almost forty years later, in 1955, by a British survey team . . . that party was made up of expert climbers and was well equipped with everything needed for the journey {and well fed!}. Even so, they found it treacherous going" (pg 347).

Yet, Shackleton and his men survived. They were also not surprised when they did. Because they had normalized greatness.

This has been extremely convicting for me lately because it is a tangible reminder of how great our bodies and minds can be. But then, the second I say it, the second I begin to believe it and start to live it out, another very real truth comes to mind. The plight of Boxer.

Boxer, the beloved horse from the brilliant short novel Animal Farm, held firm to his motto, "I will work harder" living it out daily, reciting it often, and becoming a great inspiration to his fellow farm animals. His motto encouraged him to get up earlier, work later, pull harder, and, at times, carry the entire success of the farm upon his broad shoulders.

But then, he fell. He broke. And was quickly sold to the local knackers.

Shackleton's story is a great reminder of what we can endure, what we can accomplish, and what we can overcome, if only we normalize greatness and get after it!

Boxer is a great reminder that we can't always be doing treacherous and crazy things all the time. At times, we need a break, to step away, and to heal.

As we head into our final week, remember Shackleton and continue to normalize greatness. Then, as we head into our Christmas break, remember Boxer and get some rest. A new journey will be waiting for your return:)

Grade: A

For more on . . .

-N- Stuff : Books : Reading Log

Indian Creek Chronicles, by Pete Fromm

Into the Wild by John Krakauer always bothered me. Largely because of how selfish he was and how, somehow, is tragic death has inspired many to model after his journey.

This story, I think, is a much more healthy alternative to Chris McCandless. Plus, he lives to tell about and live out all the truths and experiences he gathered.

Grade: A

A simple great read that will inspire yet balance the adventurous spirit with the joy of living in community with those we love.

For more on . . .

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What Doesn't Kill Us, by Scott Carney

Has dependence on technology made us weak? (pg xv).

“But barring an urgent need for survival the human body is perfectly content to simply rest and do nothing. Doing things, doing anything, requires a certain amount of energy, and our bodies would rather save up that energy just in case they need it later . . . “ (pg xviii).

“What happens when we think about the body in terms of its preprogrammed responses to the world? In most cases, the strategies that our bodies used to adapt to stress are completely outside of our conscious control. You don’t have to think about sweating when you’re working out. Your body just does it. You breathe harder at altitude when you need more oxygen. Your heart and adrenal glands respond to threats before you even have a chance to think about them - giving you extra power in a moment of need. There is an entire hidden world of human biological responses that lies beyond our conscious minds that is intrinsically linked to the environment” (pg xxix).

“In the last couple hundred years we’ve put all these barriers on ourselves . . . {We’re} like, Oh fuck! It’s cold outside. I’m just going to sit at home and be comfortable. {We} don’t realize that the entire human race has been conditioned to think that the outdoors is dangerous. Or that working out in the cold is lunacy. But guess what? This is something that people have been doing for hundreds of thousands of year. We were made for it” (pg. 153).

Wim Hof is the brainchild and inspiration behind much of what Carney has to say.

There is also a few documentaries on Wim Hof:

He, Scott Carney, also mentions the November Project, a free fitness program dedicated to “Human development and community building through empowering group workouts.”

Grade: C

Reading the Preface and Introduction was sufficient enough for me. Perhaps this idea is better suited as an article with a few links to those he draws inspiration from. Plus, I hate cold water. So there’s that.

For more on . . .

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Natural Born Heros: Christopher McDougall

“Empathy, the Greeks believed, was a source of strength, not softness; the more you recognized yourself in others and connected with their distress, the more endurance, wisdom, cunning, and determination you could tap into” (pg 29).

“On Crete, a grown-up is known as a dromeus, or “runner.” To be considered a full Cretan, you had to be strong enough and resourceful enough to run to someone’s aid. Until then, young Cretans are just apodromos - “not quite a runner” - and the ritual passage into adulthood was celebrated with the festival of Dromaia - “the Running” (pg 48).

“When you’re doomed to fail, how do you avoid living in doubt and despair? By living, not doubting” (pg 52).

From Philip II, Warlord of Macedon: “If I bring my army into your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people, and raze your city.”

Spartans to Philip II: “If.”

“We like to think of ourselves as masters of our own destinies, as lone wolves in a dog-eat-dog world, but guess what: Dogs don’t eat dogs. They work together. As do most species. As do we” Or, as we should (pg 205).

“Because being a god on earth is a natural human desire, and saving someone else is the closest we’ll ever come to achieving it” (pg 205).

Truth strength lies beneath the muscles, in the knowledge that whatever challenges arise, we’re ready (pg 208).

“The Natural Method was never about trying to live forever; the goal was to make a difference before you died” (pg 208).

Grade: B+

Every now and then, the many threads that make up the story were a bit confusing - or distracting - but a great read and truly inspiring.

Get Out There : Normalize Greatness

I recently listened to a discussion with Kim Chambers on REI’s podcast, Wild Ideas Worth Living, and it kinda charged my life.

Kim Chambers was 30 years old, an athlete and a powerful executive, when she slipped and fell down a set of stairs. The injuries she sustained changed the course of her life. Not only did she prove doctors wrong about being able to be an athlete again, but she became one of the most accomplished marathon swimmers in the world, after never swimming competitively in her life before the injury (via)

She attributes her success, largely, to the company she kept. By inserting herself into a world of adventurers who were, at their core, just ordinary people who were doing amazing things, she found herself surrounded by a society who had normalized great achievements. Suddenly, doing great things wasn’t so impossible. It was ordinary, if not expected. “If you want to do something that changes your life,” she says in the interview, surround “yourself with people who believe in you.”

This idea, of normalizing great achievements really struck me. Encouraged me. And challenged me to get out to surround myself with people and stories of people who do amazing things. To get comfortable with living a bit more wild, and free.

To help get my mind and body kickstarted into a new way of thinking and living, I bought a few books (and a bike), and I’ve just recently finished the first, Out There: The Wildest Stories from Outside Magazine. Here are few of my favorite stories, in order of appearance:

• They Call Me Groover Boy, by Kevin Fedarko, “What’s it like to be captain of the ‘poop boat’ and steering three weeks of human waste through some of America’s gnarliest whitewater? Read and find out.”
  (no video for this one:)

• The Hell on Earth Fitness Plan, by Nick Heil, “In 2008, {Nick} heard about Gym Jones, a back-to-basics workout center with a (very) tough love ethos run by former climbing star Mark Twight. We’re still somewhat surprised Nick lived to tell the story.”

• Open Your Mouth and You’re Dead, by James Nestor, “The freediving world championships occur at the outer limits of competitive risk. During the 2011 event, held off the coast of Greece, more than 130 athletes assembled to swim hundreds of fee straight down on a single breath - without (they hoped) passing out, freaking out, or drowning.”

• Quoosiers, by Eric Hansen, “The Quidditch World Cup sounds dorky, and make no mistake: it is. But these sorcery-loving Harry Potter fans play pretty tough, as Eric Hansen found out when we sent him to captain a bad-news team of ex-athletes, ultimate Frisbee studs, slobs, drunks, and some people he knows from Iceland.”

• The World’s Toughest Bike Race is not in France, by Jon Billman, “The rules are simple: Start pedaling at the Canadian border, and the first fat tire to hit Mexico wins.”

• Reversal of Fortune (Lucky Chance), by Elizabeth Weil, “Maybe you’ve never heard of Lucky Chance - born Toby Benham - but the Australian climber, circus act, and all-around stunt monkey was testing the limits of BASE jumping in 2011 when he survived a horrible mountainside crash in France. What happens when a highflier falls to earth? He starts over.”

The book is broken into three parts: To Hell and Back, Let the Games Begin, and Consumed. The last section appropriately spends time reminding us that there are indeed lines to our extremes, and when we cross them, bad things happen. Sometimes really bad things.

I absolutely loved this book, especially the middle story, “The Hell on Earth Fitness Plan,” from which my (I think) a better title for the book comes: Prove you’re alive (pg 166). A few pages later, Heil writes, “Changing your body is just mechanics; it changing your mind that presents the real challenge. If the mind is not first trained to enjoy hard work, to relish suffering, to address the unknown, then no program, no amount of training can be effective . . . the muscle we are interested in training is inside the skull” (pg 171).

Damn. That’s good.

To find a group of people with a similar mindset, who believe hard work and simple sufferings are normal, then suddenly, great things are happening. Because that too is normal.

And if one cannot find a group, be the group.

For more on . . .

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The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey, by Rinker Buck

“The exodus across the plains in the fifteen years before the Civil War, when more than 400,000 pioneers made the trek between the frontier at the Missouri River and the Pacific coast, is still regarded by scholars as the largest single land migration in history.” Pg 15

Grade: B

I found his account of historical events riveting, with his actual journey to be a bit boring. But this book came highly recommended by a friend I trust, so maybe it’s just me.