In the wake of the news that four climbers have died on Mount Everest, there is a natural question that arises: Why do it?

Now, we don’t climb Mount Everest. We do trek to Mount Everest Base Camp, and we climb Mount Kilimanjaro. In short, we do adventure travel. But why?

Here’s a quote that says it well:

Adventure brings out the best and worst in people. We don’t always allow ourselves to get pushed to the edge, either physically or mentally. Adventure is different: the wild is unpredictable. However much we prepare, things sometimes go wrong, and it is then that the real adventures begin.

That is from Bear Gryll, of the Discovery Channel’s “Man vs. Wild.” He was the subject of a Q&A we enjoyed in the New York Times (read it here), and while getting dropped off with just a knife in the Saharan desert doesn’t sound like our idea of fun, we do like to push the envelope a little.

We like to trek in places like Ladakh and Bhutan, and we like to climb mountains, and go on wildlife safaris, because it’s not what we’re used to doing. So we agree with Bear’s notion of why to do adventure travel, and we’re happy we get to share the experience with so many of you.