It was a beautiful morning in the Salahm Valley, but famed-explorer Dr. Hayden Evans could not see. The ruthless cannibals of Mount Kill-‘em-and-Jar-’em had imprisoned Evans and his other faithful explorers when his crew had attempted to recover stolen provisions that rightfully belonged to the helpless people of Mang Tao. For years the people of Mang Tao have been at the mercy of the barbaric and thieving cannibals, and Evans (having befriended Mang Tao several years prior on a goodwill expedition) felt it was his duty to reclaim these precious provisions and medicines so that Mang Tao will not fall prey to a great oncoming disease. However, things had not gone as planned, and Evans’ crew found themselves locked away in a dark hut within the village of these cannibals, which was perched high on Mount Kill-‘em-and-Jar-‘em. However, to Evans’ great fortune, the cannibals had not seized his trusty switchblade he kept concealed in his boot. In a few moments, Evans and his men were freed! The provisions were quickly located and reclaimed, and the crew of adventurers began their descent down the mountainside.
The cannibals quickly came to realize that their prisoners were rushing down the mountain, so they pursued the escapees. Before they could catch them, however, Evans’ and his men had boarded “The Excursion” (Evans’s trusty aircraft) and were well on their way to the village of Mang Tao.
Halfway across the great Salahm Savannah, it was clear that The Excursion did not have enough fuel to last them the rest of the trip, and an emergency landing was eminent. Evans (a master aviator) gently glided his plane to a halt, and informed his men that they needed to head to base camp, (a one-day journey) gather fuel, refuel, and pick up Evans at Mang Tao for the flight home.
Evans, now equipped with only the clothes on his back, the Mang Tao provisions, and a few meager supplies, began journeying across the vast savannah. The ground began to rumble, and Evans soon found himself in the middle of a ravaging stampede of elephants! How he managed to escape without even a scratch or scrape remains a mystery today.
Though the savannah was now miles behind, Evans knew his perils were far from over. Before he could reach the Irdani River where he would then board his riverboat, he had to trudge through miles of bogs and mud-pits. Evans, always a genius, avoided being dragged into the muddy depths by “staying light on his feet,” as he would later claim.
The river was now in sight, and to Evans’ great relief, his steamer was waiting for him at the dock. Down the treacherous Irdani River he rode, water-vipers sneaking out from unseen tributaries, attacking at random, and hippos charging left and right. The perilous river excursion lasted 2 days, so dry-land was a welcome sight for Dr. Evans. However, having gone by river, Evans was inconveniently positioned below Mang Tao, which resides on clifftops many feet above the Irdani River. He knew the people of Mang Tao were nearly moments away from widespread-illness, so Evans began the arduous ascent up the sheer cliff. The climb was intense, but Evans had hiked the highest peaks in the world; no doubt he could conquer the task before him.
The medicines were successfully delivered, and the people of Mang Tao were overjoyed. To celebrate, they overwhelmed Evans with their precious cocoa; a cocoa far greater than the American “chocolate” Evans was so accustomed to.
To add to his jubilation, Evans was thrilled to discover that his crew was just flying in to pick him up! Evans thanked the people of Mang Tao for their generous spirits, blessed them that they may prosper in good health for many years, boarded the plane, and was soon miles above in the sky. The view of the Sallahm Valley was spectacular, and Evans remarked that he enjoyed the Sallahm Valley much more from 15,000 ft. in the air, as opposed to being in the thick of it.
Only a few miles from the landing strip in Pasadena, California, Evans was shocked to discover that the Excursion was (once again) running low on fuel. His fellow adventurers grew frightful, but Evans knew that his Excursion would see them through. He accelerated, the landing strip rapidly approaching, the fuel gauge rapidly dropping. The plane lost all fuel, but Evans, being the master aviator that he was, successfully utilized the air currents to carry him safely to the landing strip. The people of Pasadena and the world over celebrated the arrival of Dr. Hayden Evans, as he had, once again, successfully completed yet another adventure!
...When in reality, I (Hayden Evans) woke up, headed to the top of a hill, ran down the hill, ran alongside busy streets, ran on muddy ground, had some dogs attack me, followed a canal for a mile or so, ran up a few hills, had some power-gel (chocolate flavored, mind you) at my turn-around point, and the remainder of my run was a difficult (but manageable) uphill. But that isn't nearly as exciting. I like my version better.
So the gist of this article? Make today an adventure, even if you have to dust off the old imagination (though I hope yours is a well-oiled machine!) Adventure is constantly around you, perhaps all you need to do is alter your perspective. I can't wait to see what adventures Explorer Evans will go on next.
Keep your goggles clean and your compass steady... make today (and every moment) an adventure!
...When in reality, I (Hayden Evans) woke up, headed to the top of a hill, ran down the hill, ran alongside busy streets, ran on muddy ground, had some dogs attack me, followed a canal for a mile or so, ran up a few hills, had some power-gel (chocolate flavored, mind you) at my turn-around point, and the remainder of my run was a difficult (but manageable) uphill. But that isn't nearly as exciting. I like my version better.
So the gist of this article? Make today an adventure, even if you have to dust off the old imagination (though I hope yours is a well-oiled machine!) Adventure is constantly around you, perhaps all you need to do is alter your perspective. I can't wait to see what adventures Explorer Evans will go on next.
Keep your goggles clean and your compass steady... make today (and every moment) an adventure!
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