Expedition Mindset

By definition, an expedition is quite a big deal. Typically, it involves a crew of people, covers a lot of territory, and lasts for weeks, sometimes months. Several examples come to mind. There’s Columbus’ first voyage to discover a western passage to China in 1492, Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery Expedition from 1804 to 1806, Earnest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition from 1914 to 1917, and the Apollo 11 moon mission in 1969 to name a few.

I’ve been on a number of weeks-long expeditions with groups of various sizes, so I’m well aware of the planning and preparation that a successful wilderness expedition demands. The way I see it, the expedition is the culmination of that planning and preparation.

The preparation required comes in several layers:

• Physical fitness
• Mental acuity and resilience
• Equipment and supplies

Life’s demands don’t always leave me the time and resources to engage in lengthy expeditions, but I have still managed to practice an expedition lifestyle by incorporating micro-expeditions into my daily routine. This has allowed me to build what I like to refer to as an Expedition Every Day mindset. Not only does this practice satisfy (to some degree) my constant yearning for adventure, discovery, physical challenge, and time outdoors, but it also prepares me for more complex, challenging, and lengthy expeditions. You know, the ones that take me outside my comfort zone.

I encourage you to build an Expedition Every Day mindset of your own, and in this post, I explain how to do just that, drawing examples from my own expedition lifestyle experiences with biking, hiking, and photography.

The purpose of building an Expedition Every Day mindset is to prepare yourself for expeditions that take you outside your comfort zone. However, micro-expeditions also have intrinsic value — they keep you physically fit, mentally sharp, and in tune with your equipment. And, of course, they guarantee you’re spending some time each day outdoors.

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