Exploration, Learning and Fulfilment with James Aiken

James Aiken is happiest when on the edge of what's familiar. Endurance, willpower and courage have punctuated James' routine for nearly two decades as an explorer. Covering miles, alone, for weeks on end, over the seas or snow, there is an inner strength and quiet dignity that radiates from a man who has faced every discomfort imaginable, again and again. If you're wondering what pleasure James has derived form all of this hardship, you're asking the wrong question. This is not about pleasure, this is for mental strength and self-reliance. 

 

 

MF: How do you best enjoy your time ?

JA: I love being fully immersed in something, fully committed and enduring whatever comes my way. I'm happiest when learning and growing, which happens when I'm out of my comfort zone. I'm always inspired when physical stress takes you beyond what you imagine to be endurable - you enter into an expanded landscape of self-knowledge and self-reliance. I love this reward.

 

 

 

MF: How does movement and exercise help you ?

JA: Since I was small, I've always wanted to feel ready - ready and able to respond to any given situation. I became increasingly aware in my early teens how important fitness was for preparation and these days I maintain a high level of base fitness for all my endeavours. All modalities of fitness are important and I am cognisant that if I've been at sea for 6-weeks, chances are I have neglected my mobility for example. I am 39 and so asides cardio, I also ensure strength training plays a part in my routine. I like to approach physical challenges, with the spirit of a mule - embodying durability, all-weather endurance and strength. 

 

 

MF: What's your next challenge ?

JA: I am about to head out to sea, on a 1000-mile solo-sail to Bermuda. I am merely stopping off for recovery in Bermuda, before pushing North to Canada... but I like to shout about what's been done and thus keep my mind on the expedition at-hand, free from social media and courting any attention or expectations. I'd love to tell you a lot more when I am done.

 

 

MF: What's the best thing you've learned being an explorer ?

JA: In my early twenties I used to sweat the small stuff more. I'd find a minor inconvenience impossible to ignore and it could lead to unnecessary stress. Having been around people who know what they're doing, it has grounded me to accept that these battles will always be repeated. And through every conquest, mental strength accumulates. You learn to have an almost cheerful indifference to inconvenience when you're in the middle of the ocean. 

 

 

MF: How do you cope with difficult things?

JA: Whatever it is, you know it won't last forever. I just focus on being very good at my craft and being fully prepared for weeks of skiing, sailing, climbing etc. 

 

 

MF: What does the future hold for you ?

JA: I want to help people find adventure and fulfilment. I'm setting up my own travel company, Untrodden (featured in Country Life), to curate high-spec adventures that ‘blend the thrill of the unknown with the pleasures of thoughtful luxury’ for those that revel in going beyond. Otheriwse I want to write more and capture some of my experiences in a book.

 

 

 

MF: What's the one thing you take with you on expeditions?

JA: A really good head-torch. This makes everything much more possible at night time.

There is no doubt that more and more of us are discovering that adventure and pushing ourselves beyond comfort is the perfect counterpoint to our daily, quick-fix, modern lives. We've become so used to instant gratification and sanitised pleasure that we have forgotten that the greatest rewards come from the greatest struggles, that there is self-actualisation in the struggle. The greater the suffering - the greater the pleasure. This is nature's payback.