Self-Exploration Through Travel and Adventure

Posted by Roberto Lara, Pursuits Program Director on May 11, 2016

It was the summer of 2003, and I was working as a travel guide before coming to Evoke. We were in the middle of the Peruvian Andes, on the ancient path called the Inca Trail. This trail leads to Macchu Picchu. After my group and I conquered the first of three passes and while the porters and cook were getting lunch ready, I noticed that one of the group members and one of the two local guides were missing, although I continued hiking up the mountain as I knew Arturo, one of the local guides was hiking last on the file, swiping for the group. I wasn’t concerned as this happens frequently since clients were able to hike at their own pace. After a few minutes lunch was ready, but Ashley and Arturo were still nowhere to be found. At that point I had a feeling that something was not right. Ashley had shown to be in pretty decent shape, and had exhibited no signs of altitude sickness prior to the start of the trek to Macchu Picchu, but I was worried. I asked Miguel, the lead local guide, to start lunch with the group and I grabbed my backpack and started descending the mountain to find Ashley. After about 30 minutes of half-jogging back the way we had come, I found them. Ashley was sitting off the trail, on a rock with her head down. Immediately I asked Arturo if everything was ok and he nodded yes, but whispered to that me she had shut down and didn’t want to talk. I asked him to head back to the group and I sat by Ashley’s side. At first, I thought she wasn’t feeling well so I wanted to make sure she was alright physically; I asked if she was drinking enough water and whether or not she had a headache. I followed with all the necessary question to make sure she wasn’t sick or in need of medical attention. She answered all my questions and followed by a loud exclamation of “This is stupid, I want to go home and I suck at everything I do!” It was an awkward moment following her unexpected outburst, and my reaction was to stay quiet for about a minute, not knowing what to say. After my silence, I proceeded to say “You are fine, you can do it, it’s tough but you can do it.” I then told her “We have to keep going because the group is waiting for us.” Ashley then proceeded to burst into tears. Again, I was caught off guard. I knew Ashley, at least that is what I thought back then; she was one of the quietest members of the group during conversations over meals or on the buses, and she always seemed to offer a soft smile back when addressed directly.

We had been traveling as a group, eleven young adults and I, for over two weeks now, and it felt that I knew her well enough. Her behavior caused me to readdress the situation. I can clearly remember that I became aware, despite of my lack of formal knowledge about counseling, emotional breakdowns, or human psychology at the time, that Ashley’s reaction and behavior were about something else, and not necessarily about the trek itself. We sat together, as she cried and talked. I connected with her on a deeper level, which felt both instinctual and natural. She proceeded to tell me her life story, about her sadness, her frustrations, why she signed up for the tour, that this was her first adventure outside her family’s Club Med vacations, and the first time she was traveling alone away from home. It all began to make sense to me. She shared her desire to get out and experience life, to be challenged, but that she was beginning to think that traveling wasn’t the best way to experience it; she thought that she would rather quit and hike back than continue on with the tour, which still had two weeks remaining. We were sitting for more than an hour when one of the porters came running from one of the corners of the trail to let me know that the group was ready to continue to hike, but they were waiting for us. I told him to go ahead and that we would be behind them. Ashley and I stayed on that rock for another hour. She continued to talk, and I continued to listen. The more she opened up, I was able to notice a sense of relief, a letting go of some fear, and that a sense of peace and understanding came into place. Finally, Ashley wiped the tears from her eyes and thanked me for listening. We stood up, she gave me a hug, and without another word we hiked back up the trail, eventually arriving to loud cheering and applause from the group. That afternoon, Ashley understood the meaning of her journey, why she felt the need to leave the known to find growth in the uncomfortable. She was craving understanding and in that cathartic moment, the mountain did the rest. I know that now, but I didn’t know then. We never processed what happened and I don’t know what she got out of the experience. I wish I knew now.

Why have I shared this experience? Because this is just one example of the many occasions in which I found myself during my 12 years in the role of travel guide, where my clients found opportunities for self-refection and growth. Perhaps back then my tool box was filled with more basic tools, like compassion and listening, but with little else. Knowing what I do now, my wish is that I had more to offer at the time. I often wonder how I would have approached those past situations if I had been equipped with the tools I have learned while working for Evoke. I wonder if the value of the experience could be different, not for me to tell anyone what their journey is, but to be a more valuable companion and provide encouragement for self-exploration. Perhaps just knowing the appropriate questions to ask, or to reflect or share my observation. Like John Dewey, an American philosopher and psychologist said “We don’t learn from experience…we learn from reflecting on experience.”

This is why Evoke Therapy Programs created Pursuits Adventure Trips. Adventures with a purpose. We strongly believe in the intrinsic value of travel and adventure on their own, but we are also aware of the potential value of processing these experiences. By processing the experience with the appropriate communication skills and tools, as well the appropriate timing and environment, we foster reflection on ones life through the experiences. Like Ashley, who finished the Inca Trail and the tour and continued traveling, there are many of us, young adults and families, who could benefit from unplugging from our routine life, getting uncomfortable, finding challenge by experiencing the world, a new sport, a different culture, and learn about ourselves without distraction and in the present moment.