Here at Wend HQ we receive a lot of photos and videos from folks who are out there in the world living their adventure dreams. Unfortunately (at least until we launch our new website…) we can’t share all of it with you every time. But occasionally a story will land in our laps that is just too cool not to feature. This video, sent to me by director Lucas Ridley, tells one of those stories.

This mini-documentary, which is Ridley’s submission to the LGfilmfest.com contest (there is no user voting so I only mention it for informational purposes) profiles Tip Rogers, a man who pursues his dream of flight despite having lost a leg during a 1975 boating accident.

The line in this video that sticks with me most is when Rogers explains the danger of hang gliding with one leg:

“If you screw up you pay dearly for it. It’s not like sitting around the house watching TV or playing tennis.”

To me that statement sums up part of the Wend ideal: Adventure for the sake of adventure. Rogers is a regular guy who defies expectation by enduring unnecessary risk for no other purpose than experiencing the “undefinable” feeling of flight. Like so many of the BASE Jumpers I’ve met in this business, Rogers doesn’t put his life in jeopardy for flashy endorsement deals or million-dollar contracts. His is a personal quest – a struggle to find balance with the elements of nature. And his reward is a private experience so complex that even he cannot find words to define it.

Thanks, Lucas, for sharing this great video with us.