Voices
Adventure Implies an Element of Risk
Video Transcript
Adventure Implies an Element of Risk
Background Description: At the top of the screen is the title, “Adventure Implies an Element of Risk.” By a blue-green lake, a grey-haired, balding man walks through the woods towards us. A caption reads “Glenn Woodsworth.” He stops at an opening in the woods and raises his hand to his forehead to block the sun.
Dick Culbert: Glenn Woodsworth was my climbing partner through many expeditions, especially in the early days of climbing and exploring in the Coast Mountains, and compiling the guide book. He was just a wonderful person to be with. He saw me through a lot of extremely dangerous situations, and a lot of long difficult expeditions, and I can’t say enough good about him, really.
Background Description: A giant log sits at the edge of calm green water. Beyond the lake, surrounded by an evergreen forest, is a snow-capped mountain peak. Glenn hikes along the edge of the lake.
Woodsworth speaks: My name is Glenn Woodsworth. I’ve been climbing mountains since 1959 when I joined the BCMC, and I’ve been a professional geologist since about 1970.
Background Description: Glenn continues over rocks and boulders away from the lake, ice axe in hand.
Woodsworth speaks: The climbing world has certainly changed in the last forty, fifty years and certainly all the stuff to do with gear has changed. But I think, for me, the most significant change is, which I’ve seen, has been maps.
Background Description: Glenn is speaking to the camera, with a backdrop of mountains.
Woodsworth speaks: When I started there was nothing good in the way of maps for the Coast Mountains ...
Background Description: We follow across a green contour map.
Woodsworth speaks: ... and some of them didn’t even show the peaks properly, or they had the peaks in the wrong place and they missed valleys and all sorts of stuff. And now we’ve got first rate maps, even better maps online.
Background Description: We follow across a colourful map showing land formations.
Woodsworth speaks: But the other thing about, to do with the maps is that now, people have GPSs. You can download the map to the GPS, carry it around and it’ll plot exactly where you are on the map.
Background Description: Glenn is speaking in front of the camera.
Woodsworth speaks: So I think we are living, perhaps, for the last couple of decades, where people are going to be able to navigate in the mountains safely with map and compass.
Background Description: Glenn is seen taking pictures on his hike.
Woodsworth speaks: To me adventure implies an element of risk in the activity. If there is not risk then I think it is not really an adventure, but it could be any little sort of element of risk to it, whether -- not necessarily losing your life or falling down a crevasse or anything like that.
Background Description: We are behind Glenn overlooking the lake from a rock surface above, with mountains in the background. Glenn turns, and walks back toward us.
Woodsworth speaks: And it’s not always necessarily physical. It could be an adventure of the mind, which requires looking at new concepts and new things in a way which you haven’t looked at them before, and the risk there is that you are going to have to give up some of your old preconceptions.
Background Description: Glenn continues hiking over rock.
Woodsworth speaks: I think much of mountaineering is ultimately a selfish activity. We do this, I think, in the first instance, for past-times, and things like that, and there is really nothing in it for society. And I think where the societal good comes in is through organizations like the BCMC, the Alpine Club, and so forth ...
Background Description: A creek runs with sunlight glistening off the surface.
Woodsworth speaks: ... because they can help educate the broader public about the broader need to preserve some of these places. The clubs are very good in conservation.
Background Description: We see a view of Glenn as he lays on rock, overlooking the lake and a mountain backdrop.
Woodsworth speaks: I think it’s important that all climbers, really, spend at least part of their time being actively involved with one club or another.
Background Description: We overlook the lake from behind Glenn. We follow the sound of rushing water to a nearby creek that heads toward the lake.
Woodsworth speaks: I think mountains always have something to offer to people. They offer a place of refuge; they offer a chance to look at your life in a different way, perhaps, and reflect on what you might do differently when you get back out of the mountains.
Background Description: We follow Glen on his hike near the lake with mountains surrounding him.
Woodsworth speaks: And I think they have so much to offer: they teach us a great deal about ourselves, and they make us aware of how small we are in the broad scheme of things, and how really minute we are in this whole universe and in this world.
Background Description: We take in a sweeping view of a snow-covered mountain.
From: Passion for Mountains, produced by the British Columbia Mountaineering Club, directed by Bill Noble, 2007.
