A Call to Adventure: October 2011

 

October 20, 2011 (Breckenridge, Colorado): A Call to Adventure, a partnership between between Summit of Everest Group, Mountain Vision, and The Institute of Applied Human Excellence, recently completed their inaugural Hero’s Journey expedition in the Colorado Rocky Mountains October 13-16, 2011.  The expedition was led by partners Jeff Evans, renowned adventure based motivational speaker recently featured in ABC’s Expedition Impossible, Dr. Bruce Jackson, noted author and expert in human and organizational systems, and David Fedler, entrepreneur, adventurer, and international business veteran.

The purpose of this expedition was to guide the participants in discovering the “hero” within, taking greater control and becoming the “hero” of their own lives, and thus becoming a more effective leader and partner to the most important people in their respective lives.  A challenging, adventure based environment was chosen to more effectively aid this discovery process and to provide a lifetime memory.

Prior to the expedition, each of the participants accepted their call to adventure and spent time examining their current “assets” and “liabilities” as it pertains to individual, interpersonal, and team areas of their lives.  Upon arrival, the expedition team met to get to know each other and share these assessments.  As part of the undertaking of “The Hero’s Journey”, the teams had now answered their call and reached the Threshold.  The first adventure Challenge was revealed, a summit attempt of Quandary Peak to be undertaken the next morning.  Each of the participants knew that they would need to “find their flow” (maximize their assets and limit their liabilities) to reach the summit.

Early Friday morning, the expedition set out for Quandary Peak.  At 14,265’, Quandary is the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains Ten Mile range, a northern extension of the Mosquito Range.  For many, this would be the highest altitude they had ever attempted.   Another way of saying “being in the zone”, flow would be essential to the days task.  It become clear to the participants that the mountain is a metaphor for finding that flow.  If strengths could be maximized and weaknesses minimized, success had a greater chance of following.   Fortunately, in addition to flow, the weather was fantastic and 10 out of 10 participants summited!  Upon return to base, the teams discussed the Revelations of the day in the context of personal discovery and the Hero’s Journey.

 

On Saturday, a shift to leveraging personal assets in a team based setting occurred as the Mountaineering Challenge was the focus for the day.  The group traveled to St. Mary’s Glacier to learn basic mountaineering skills before being divided into teams.  The teams then were required to complete a series of expedition tasks that would require teamwork, leadership in some cases, and a willingness to be led in others.

 

Back at base camp that evening, the participants were challenged to enter the Transformation stage of the hero’s Journey by examining what they had learned about themselves and the Hero within during in the adventure setting.  Each member of the team was asked to define this Transformation to an important person or group of people in their respective lives.

On the final morning, the expedition team gathered one final time to review and share their Transformation.  It was clearly a powerful moment and revealing of the great character among the group.  Upon preparing for their Return, each of these people accepted the challenge of a single act of change – to truly share their Transformation with their intended person(s) and to live it going forward.

 

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