Welcome to The Ungentlemanly Explorer, a blog about one man’s experiences and adventures out West! The Explorer recently relocated to the picturesque city of Boise, Idaho after spending the last two years in Salem, Oregon. Life in Boise these last few months has been amazing and the Explorer has taken every free moment to investigate his surroundings. On a typical weeknight, you can find the Explorer and his trusty mutt, Daphne, hiking the Boise foothills. Free weekends are generally reserved for exploring the mountains, deserts, and canyons of Southwestern Idaho. During the summer and fall of 2011 alone, the Explorer was able to trek and camp in the Sawtooths, Owyhees, and Tetons; visit the quaint mountain communities of McCall, Sun Valley, and Jackson Hole; and even take in a rip-roaring country music festival in the secluded high-country town of Challis, Idaho. When the Explorer isn’t afoot in the field, you can find him engrossed in a historical text, or sampling some of the fine local cuisine in his new adopted city. Life for the Explorer is all about undertaking new adventures and challenges, meeting new friends, and creating lasting memories. This blog was created to help chronicle and share a sampling of the Explorer’s experiences.
About the Name: The term Gentleman Explorer brings to mind the fraternity of nineteenth century British nobles and men-of-means who trudged off to open up the dark spots on the world’s map. Men like Franklin, Ross, Scott, Parry, Lander and Shackleton endured the most extreme hardships nature could throw at them in hopes of being the first Europeans to set foot on unknown parts of the Arctic, Antarctic, and Africa. Arrogance and stubbornness were common traits amongst these distant figures. They often relied on ill-adapted European technology during their exploits, and steadfastly refused to adopt proven and better suited native equipment and methods of survival. “When in Rome…” never for a second crossed the minds of these intrepid discoverers. In Victorian era Britain, it was seen as ungentlemanly and even cowardly to replicate the practices of simple “savages.” To do so would be to silently admit that the methods of the mighty British people were not well suited for the environments they set off to conquer. At best, this stubborn refusal to adapt led to extreme discomfort for leaders and men alike. At worst, debilitating diseases, malnutrition, mutilation from frostbite, and death stalked the great British expeditions of the nineteenth and early twentieth century.
In his quest for the South Pole in 1911-12, Captain Robert Falcon Scott relied primarily on human power to pull equipment and supplies over 800 miles to the Pole. Scott’s team reached their ultimate goal in late January of 1912, only to discover that the Norwegian, Roald Amundsen, had beaten them by five weeks. Amundsen had employed better suited sled dogs to carry his party across the continent. In addition, Amundsen’s men wore superior Eskimo style skins and furs while Scott’s team was dressed in wool clothing. The better prepared and equipped Norwegian expedition (who also set off from a point closer to the Pole) crossed the vast expanse with relative ease and handily beat their British counterparts. A dejected Scott couldn’t afford to linger at the Pole, for he was already running low on time, supplies and energy. Turning about face to retrace their tracks, Scott and his team had over 800 miles back to the coast to silently ponder what could have been. But Scott’s reliance on inferior equipment and means cost him more than the Pole: running short of food and caught in horrible storms, Scott’s team perished near the end of March, 1912 – less than 12 miles from their next cache of food and supplies.
The Explorer grew up on the stories of these legendary adventurers, often in awe of the severe conditions they endured in their pursuit of glory. While men like Shackleton, Scott, and Franklin displayed unwavering bravery, one can’t help but marvel at these iconic figures’ dogged refusal to adapt their methods. If living like an Eskimo means traveling in relative safety and comfort but supposedly sacrificing “manliness” and “pride” – the Explorer chooses comfort and safety hands down. So while the Explorer admires the grit and gumption of the nineteenth century trailblazers, he sees no point in replicating their foolhardy persistence in relying on tradition for tradition’s sake. When the Explorer ventures out into the unknown, safety is his number one priority and comfort is a close second. Modern equipment, well suited for the particular terrain, is checked and double checked. All contingencies are planned for to the greatest extent possible.
Where We Go From Here: The Intermountain Northwest has so much to offer, and it is the Explorer’s goal to get out and experience as much of it as possible. Already on the docket for the winter are several alpine ski trips to the local mountains, the Explorer’s first try at cross country skiing, an overnight snowshoe trip to a backcountry yurt, an early spring steelhead trip and maybe even some snow camping. When not taking advantage of the winter sports nearby, the Explorer will be checking out some of the many cool historical and cultural sites around Idaho, Eastern Oregon, Montana and Northern Nevada. The Explorer’s goal is to document his adventures and update the site with several posts weekly so that others may find inspiration to get out and take advantage of some of the great opportunities that the West offers. So the Explorer hopes you will check back in periodically and share in his adventures and discoveries.
Until next time, this is the Ungentlemanly Explorer signing off!