When I read about people like Sir Richard Francis Burton, I recognize how deficient my life is in adventure.

He's this guy, (okay, a knight actually KCMG, a distinction of chivalry) who knew something like 29 languages and wrote a ton of stuff (published/translated middle-eastern literature, the Kama Sutra), and explored the world and its people.

note: James Bond has nothing on this man.

So Burton decides to go explore the interior of Samoli, looking for "large lakes" which he'd heard about on his secret, traveled in disguise as an Arab, journey to Mecca around 1851 (large lakes = Lake Victoria and Lake Albert...really he was interested in finding the source of the Nile). Anyway, he goes with three other military adventurers (Speke, Herne, and Stroyan) to go find these lakes. But, before the expedition sets off, they were attacked by Samoli waranle. About 200 attackers. Stroyan was killed. Speke was wounded in 11 places and taken prisoner, but managed to escape. (Speke is an interesting study as well,...he spent a good part of one adventure deaf and blind with an infection caused from removing a beetle, yikes) And Burton, well Burton was impaled by a javelin which entered one cheek and came out the other and he had to escape with it still impaled in his head.

Can't you just see Richard running across the African wilderness with a javelin impaled in his face? Wonder how he got that out?

And guess what? They went back and found the lakes.

I suppose I will settle for trail running the Pipeline on a tremendously blustery day and such. I don't really need to be impaled by a javelin (although according to Mike, Rob could take care of that for me if I'm really interested) or suffer deafness and blindness from trying to remove a beetle.

note: I LOVE hanging with Josh, best running/hiking/swim buddy EVER!! Picture of us, Millcreek, getting a run in before the storm (I love running as a big storm is rolling in)