Keeping The Faith
Published January 2, 2008 | 
If you’re free you’ll never see the walls
If your head is clear you’ll never free fall
If you’re right you’ll never fear wrong
If your head is high you’ll never fear at all
-audio slave
Yeah, we’ve all been pretty impressed by Freya’s drive. Freya Hoffmeister has a knack for visualizing possibilities and making them reality. She’s moved amazingly fast from her successes as a traditional kayak roller to logging her own firsts as an expedition paddler. Today she completed her circumnavigation of the South Island of New Zealand. Amazing! You can see the video report from News 3 here. Freya is certainly an inspiration. She reminds us that our goals can be achieved if they are worth the personal dedication and sacrifice for us to achieve them.
It seems there’s been this little undercurrent recently of voices saying there is no reason, little value or too much risk in making these achievements. I disagree. It’s true the world is changing. Our planet is much smaller than it once was, yet we have to be careful not to let pragmatism become stagnation. Today we are no longer reaching out to lands unseen by human eyes. We are not crossing oceans to find the fabled fountain of youth or lands of gold. Yet, the spirit of exploration and the drive to go further, farther and faster is still at the heart of human nature. Modern adventurers are an expression of this essential part our core nature. Without them these days I fear we may forget that. In time it is exactly their spirit that will one day drive us into the far reaches of solar system and beyond. Until that day comes, our modern adventurers are keeping the faith, and keeping that beautiful part of the human spirit alive.
To Freya, I can only say. . I’m so proud of you. Congratulations!
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7 Responses to Keeping The Faith
Had a few words to say about trashing expeditions the other day. Yes, I was thinking of Chasing the Ana & Andrew’s last expedition as well as former fellow barge denizen Reid when I wrote it.
Where things really got interesting was the comments, when some of the trashers came in to defend their points of view.
On the whole, I’d say the kayak list exchanges were by comparison less of a blood sport – not always, but in general – and they were at least merciful in that they did eventually wind down.
Hey, on another note, did you see that between us, we’ve got Tillerman giving some thought to learning to kayak?
I almost feel guilty. Here I never accomplish anything much worthwhile ’cause I have too many things I like to do & too little time to excel at any one of them, and now maybe I’m leading somebody else down the same path. Bad amphibian. Bad.
In closing, happy new year to Derrick & Derrick’s friends & relations!
And nothing better than a real Kiwi pavlova, atopped with kiwi fruit, to finish her voyage!
Oh, good, I forgot to say “And what IS that thing she’s eating?”
wow! that whole 1000 days thing really got out of hand eh? I could write a whole blog right here on that issue. I might save it until I have time to think it through. Which of course is exactly what all these boneheads don’t do. . .
A huge Pavlova seems like a most fitting reward: being of the family of cakes. Your reward for paddling the south island, why it’s cake, of course. I love in the video you can see a paddle coming in the frame to attack the huge desert
This was an honest to goodness expedition, and I can’t wait to see her photos and back logs.
I’m starting to wonder if there was ever an expedition launched – or heck, even seriously considered – that managed to not piss off somebody somewhere!
Internet just makes it all easier for people to communicate strong feelings either way, of course. Sometimes seems like the sheer openness of this venue is both the best & the worst thing about it.
Guess I wouldn’t change it – although it does make me appreciate the moderators of the various lists & forums I tend to follow. Seems like walking that line between keeping things open & keeping things civil can sometimes be a pretty tough job.
Well, the main thing is that it looks like even if there were a few bitter voices around, Freya’s trip had a sweet finish!
I totally sympathise Derrick. In fact I feel a rant coming on…
BTW, Bonnie, Pavlova is Australian and so is New Zealand (except Russell Crowe. He’s a New Zealander).