Arguably the Sea to Sky Corridor is the nexus of extreme outdoor adventure. But what motivates enthusiasts to risk their lives in the pursuit of adventure?
Author Maria Coffey argues there is a spiritual lure to extreme adventure in her new book Explorers of the Infinite: The Secret Spiritual Lives of Extreme Adventurers. The book raises familiar questions in the Sea to Sky Corridor, and the Squamish Library is hosting a presentation by Coffey, Wednesday April 8 at 7 p.m.
Coffey's book has been featured on Oprah Winfrey's Soul Series, was named one of the Books of the Summer in the Oprah Magazine and recently won the Alpine Club Literary Award.
The book had much humbler beginnings and started with a few simple questions. What compels extreme adventurers to push the boundaries of human ability? And what do they discover on the other side?
"I contacted all sorts of people from high liners to snowboarders and I have no idea how they would respond," Coffey said. "I was very surprised by their answers."
Coffey said she was inspired to write the book while researching her last, Where the Mountain Casts Its Shadow.
"I interviewed some of the world's top mountaineers and I asked them, 'What was it that compelled them to leave their families and the people that loved them, repeatedly, to go on these very dangerous expeditions?' And without fail, every one of them said it makes me feel absolutely alive,' or 'I get this sense of profound peace I don't get anywhere else,'" Coffey said.
Surprisingly, Coffey had no trouble finding athletes who were willing to share their spiritual stories.
She said the athletes experienced everything from moments of peace to serious spiritual revelations. Coffey interview a wide range of athletes, all of who were eager to share their spiritual - and sometimes paranormal experiences.
"These people make themselves vulnerable to the wild world and to survive, hone their intuition in a way our ancient ancestors did," Coffey said.
In her book, Coffey compares extreme athletes to the ancient mystics - the ones who left civilization in little boats or traveled to the deserts. She said both athletes and mystics experience similar spiritual experiences by putting themselves through hardship and suffering.
"Ultra marathoners who run three days without stopping aren't setting out to deliberately touch the divine but they use the same methods as the mystics did to reach a state of transcendence," Coffey said.
For some reason, Coffey said, pushing yourself gives people a profound sense of satisfaction and peace.
"The times I've pushed myself and gotten totally exhausted, I get into this zone where amazing things happen and time slows down," Coffey said.
Coffey speaks from experience. She runs an adventure travel company, Hidden Places, with her photographer husband Dag Goering. The pair have kayaked everywhere from Croatia to the River Ganges in India.
"We were on a six week kayak trip through India and I had this strange experience on the Ganges River in which I felt I was slipping into a place of magic. I began to feel protected by the goddess of the river."
While the book delves in paranormal experiences, Coffey cautions that her book does not provide definitive answers. On a personal level, Coffey said she believes science can go a long way to explain the nature of transcendent experience but she adds many elements of her collected stories can't be explained.
At the Squamish event, Coffey will briefly read from Explorers of the Infinite with questions and discussion to follow.
