Our Roots
Inspired
by
explorers
of
old.
Carrying on the legacy of great men before us.
In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton set sail on Endurance for what many consider to be the last great expedition of the heroic age of exploration. This journey—intended to be the first crossing of the Antarctic continent—became a battle for survival when Endurance was beset in a field of ice and the crew was forced to brave the Antarctic winter of 1915. Following months camped in the ice and surviving off of penguins, sea lions, and even their own sled dogs, Shackleton and his men came to the determination they must abandon their trans-Antarctic mission and make a daring attempt for home.
The crew dispatched a team of five via life boat to cross the Southern Ocean, battle 50-foot swells, and traverse an unexplored island to reach civilization and organize a rescue operation for the remaining men. Miraculously, Shackleton was able to bring all of his crew home without casualty. His story quickly spread and became a quintessential example of human resilience and the archetype for an explorer. Unlike its predecessors, what made the Endurance expedition so impactful was not its success in the field, but its example of human perseverance and triumph in the face of disastrous circumstances. As the last great expedition, it was a failure of geographic exploration, but a success of human exploration—revealing the will of man at the boundaries of survival. In Shackleton’s own words, “We had seen God in His splendors, heard the text that Nature renders. We had reached the naked soul of man.”
Our Philosophy
Rethinking
modern
exploration.
We’re rediscovering our world, both inside and out.
More than a hundred years later, the field of exploration has changed considerably. No longer are nations launching daring expeditions into unknown regions or racing to achieve global firsts. Instead, exploration is limited to a few closed-door institutions, largely academic and scientific, and often focused on environmental research or activism. Meanwhile, the widespread accessibility of global travel has relegated private exploration to little more than adventure tourism. However, by no means has true exploration met its end. Much in the world remains to be discovered, and—as with Endurance—the true power of any expedition lies in its ability to transform the explorer, resulting in inner discovery as much as outer discovery.
The very nature of exploration—venturing away from comfort and into the unknown in pursuit of something new—is fundamental to the human experience. Neurology, psychology, and physiology support the assertion that measured exposure to unknown, uncomfortable, and even difficult experiences can positively and powerfully transform an individual. Such experiences strip away all superficiality to reveal the depths of one’s character, or as Shackleton himself called it, “the naked soul of man.” Exploration is about more than what we find in the world. It is equally about what we find within ourselves.
Our Calling
Man’s search for meaning.
The world needs strong, resilient, and humble men.
Just as the nature of exploration has changed over the past century, so too has what it means to be a man. The later half of the American 20th Century saw men become increasingly docile, comfortable, and undisciplined. Battlefields gave way to sports arenas, social influence was handed to media conglomerates, and consumerism shifted identity from what you do to what you buy. Truth, beauty, and goodness—attempts at aiming up toward God in all things—were no longer the measures for culture and society. Jesus was no longer seen as the greatest example to man, replaced by superheroes, movie stars, and professional athletes. The pioneer’s spirit found in old books and maps began to fade, and the call to follow the voice of the Lord into the wilderness went unanswered. Men began falling behind in schools, workplaces, mental and physical health, family leadership, and social influence. Leaders like Ernest Shackleton, Teddy Roosevelt, and T.E. Lawrence became a dying breed. Boys battled loneliness, fatherlessness, lack of economic opportunity, and emptiness of meaning in life—stripped of Christ as their centerpiece.
Today, men are twice as likely to be at the bottom of their class in high school and 29 percent more likely to drop out of college. About 41 percent of men rely on their wife as the primary source of income and over 30 percent do not participate in the labor force at all. They are four times more likely to commit suicide, have a 5-year shorter life expectancy, and leave 21 percent of children to be raised by a single mother. Between unhealthy relationships with modern technology, a lack of socio-economic opportunity, and poor guidance on the nature of masculinity—modern men lack the discipline and path they need to achieve their potential. They are staved for positive role models, an outlet for growth, and an opportunity to become the best version of themselves. They are starved for sanctification.