Friday, August 7th, 2026 – Why We Do This
Catching up after missing Tuesday and Wednesday!
We've now had more Bass Canyon Campouts than actual Bass Canyon Festivals.
Funny how life works.
I'm sitting here at my desk this morning, staring at an empty coffee cup, reflecting with that strange mixture of joy, gratitude... and that pleasant emptiness you feel after a great adventure has completely filled your soul (and challenged your growth, as well).
You know the feeling.
Sleepy.
Peaceful.
Grateful.
A little sad that it's over.
A little excited for whatever comes next.
It occurred to me that before I tell you about this year's adventures, I should answer a deeper question.
Why do we do this?
Why go through all the work?
The planning.
The sweat.
The money.
The endless decisions.
The logistics.
The inevitable problems, before, during, and after.
As people who love adventure will tell you...
Peak experiences aren't just fun.
They're one of the great engines of human growth.
Over the next few days, I want to share some journal entries from this year's campout, because they reveal something about how I see these experiences.
To me, every great adventure moves through a series of stages.
**Preparation.**
This is where the work happens.
Planning.
Building.
Creating the container.
It's an art and a science.
I need wisdom.
Intelligence.
Experience.
And inspiration.
I have the motivation.
I have an **End In Mind.**
But I also need **GRIT** to get it done when I'm tired.
I need a plan...
...while also remembering that the plan probably isn't going to survive first contact with reality.
Problems aren't interruptions.
They're part of the adventure.
They're invitations to grow.
Then comes...
**The Journey.**
I finally step into the container I've built.
Now it's alive.
Now the ride begins.
This is where all that preparation starts paying dividends.
And I start navigating the unexpected.
(A prop that won't come up? A boat that only turns left? An engine that won't start?... You'll hear about all those soon enough.)
I encounter problems.
I panic for two seconds...
Then I pause.
I breathe.
I adapt.
I solve problems.
Sometimes it feels less like a peaceful retreat and more like hanging on to a bucking bronco.
That's where practice reveals itself.
Then comes my favorite part.
**Receiving.**
These containers have gifts for you.
Some are shallow.
Some are life-changing.
I'm a depth junkie.
So I intentionally tune my soul toward the deeper frequencies.
I try to help everyone around me tune their own instrument—body, heart, mind, and soul—to receive whatever gift is waiting for them.
Get clear on what you're asking Life for...
...then become open enough to receive it.
Then comes...
**Gratitude.**
Not gratitude because everything went perfectly.
Gratitude because it didn't.
I once had a teacher ask me:
*"Can you radically fall in love with it all?"*
I've never forgotten that question.
Then comes...
**Recovery.**
These experiences change you.
It's not just...
*"That was awesome."*
It's...
*"I can't unknow what I now know."*
I've seen things I can't unsee.
I've felt things I can't unfeel.
I remember something ancient inside myself.
Almost like remembering the Garden before the Fall.
Once I've touched that...
I can't unknow it.
I may spend years figuring out what to do with that knowing.
But it's mine now.
Finally...
**Integration.**
This is where I differ from a lot of people.
Many people lament returning to normal life.
I love it.
This is where the adventure becomes useful.
I go back to the office.
Back to the gym.
Back to my family.
Back to my business.
Back to quiet mornings with coffee.
I take what I've received...
...and let it shine through everything I do.
I don't put my candle under a basket.
I let it shine.
Because that's what these adventures are really for.
Not to escape life...
But to return to it more alive.