Adventure Is Out There

We all draw inspiration and awe from great adventure stories – from classical fiction such as the Count of Monte Cristo and Homer’s Odyssey to non-fiction such as Kon Tiki or even Bryson’s entertaining A Walk in the Woods.  Not to mention all the true stories of survival, conquering peaks or the depths of human achievement.

As an adventure racer and experienced human, I’m going to spontaneously throw my beanie in the ring for the Disney story UP.  This movie stands alone as a one-of-a-kind adventure without any superheroes or pirates, just an unlikely pair of traveling companions.

Before this story’s main adventure begins, tears have been jerked from eyes (much to my kids’ dismay) at the thread of Carl Fredricksen’s life.  As a boy he meets Ellie, his life adventure partner, and they grow old together until his beloved wife passes away.  

Now the stage is set as the old man lives alone in their house, surrounded by memories, confined to a walker to make it out to the mailbox each day.

Enter Russell, the plump, shy, and determined Wilderness Explorer who attempts to earn a merit badge by assisting the elderly Mr. Fredricksen.  

At this point both of these characters embody more than meets the eye, while their story has a deeper inspiration for me as an adventure racer.

Carl Fredricksen undertook his quest to find Paradise Falls based on a picture in a library book, the proclamations of a legendary adventurer Charles Muntz, and a promise to his wife.  With that commitment, he filled a couple thousand helium balloons that raised him and his house off the ground and out of the city.

As the house is floating toward South America, Russell proudly announces their precise location and shows his handheld GPS to Mr. Fredricksen - before clumsily dropping the device out the window.  The rest of the adventure has no aid of GPS...

Once they arrive in South America, they are faced with a daunting mandate to guide the floating house across miles of mysterious terrain to a perch beside Paradise Falls.  They pick up a few traveling companions: a loyal dog endowed with speech technology and an “extinct” mother bird protecting her young. 

Russel: Are we there yet?

Russell: My elbow hurts…

Mr. Fredricksen: Which one?

Russell: My knee hurts…

We find that Russell has never pooped in the woods, as he asks Mr. Fredricksen “Do I dig the hole before or after?”

The challenges they face reveal deeper character.  For Russell, this is a fortitude to look out for others in need of help, even in the face of danger. And Carl gradually becomes willing to fulfill his ambitions for adventure after the goal becomes different than expected.  

How do we get ourselves into such endeavors in the first place? I am reminded that others play the critical role of bringing me into a team, or I may do so for them.  I find myself being either mercifully coaxed away from a schedule full of important commitments or yanked out of complacency with a spark of excitement for the next trial.  Then we become teammates who prepare together and train ourselves to serve the team, while we inevitably share some of our deeper fears, ambitions, and motivations.  We are simply there when a teammate’s moment bubbles to the surface.  

And I certainly love to see myself and others rise to the occasion.  During the climactic battle aboard the airship, Carl is running, climbing ladders, leaping, and lifting Russel above his head.  Beyond his physical revitalization, Mr. Fredricksen steps into Russell’s life and fulfills a need that they both have.

I hope that this story inspires you to bring others into your circle of friendship and experience. I’m reminded that by a resolved choice to embrace the unknown and the challenge of building meaningful relationships, I can be part of the answer to someone’s yearning for adventure.