Expedition Adventure
My love for the mountains and adventure started quite young. I was fascinated by the exploits of my grandfather who would travel the world and conquer mountains in that old school fashion – leather boots and wooden piolets! I recall one occasion where I stumbled across an old photo of him climbing up the Matterhorn, where he took a nasty fall, only to get back up and summit the mighty beast. Inspired by his journey, I found my own form of adventure – honing and using my skills to reach cultures and learn about their ways of life. To me, climbing mountains, crossing whitewater, piloting planes, or rappelling into the unknown are simply methods to reach remote regions and people of the world who have compelling stories to tell. For that reason, my love of exploration and adventure stems from high level skills that tell a story. Adventure, to me, is reminiscent of a time when communities and people HAD to employ certain skills in order to survive or thrive as a whole. It is a very real part of the human condition, a time when survival was paramount. In a world that is becoming increasingly easier to access via means of technology, society, and innovation, the need for many of these skills have been lost to time and rekindled only in the form of sport or hobby. I often relate my fascination with these skills and exploits to that of Kung Fu. I have been a devoted exponent of Shaolin Kung Fu since I was 13 years old, when I learned the art from a traditional Shaolin monk who came over from China as part of a performance team and resided In New York City. Kung Fu translates to a much higher cause than simply martial action. It is all life – Spiritual, physical, and mental. Kung Fu means “ skill” and “hard work”. Despite my rigorous training in martial arts as a youth and into today, I found that there was more to learn of the world and myself, elements like fear, death, hesitation or a lack of knowledge and wisdom. Exploration and adventure is a means to connect with the past, oneself, and those around that have a lesson to impart, a story to tell – I have found that everything is Kung Fu.
Rich Manley is a world-wide adventurer and explorer. Inspired by his late grandfather, who was a traveling doctor, adventurer, and magician, Rich explores the globe by following in his grandfathers footsteps.
