TURNING 80

Published January 3, 2023 | By Dr. Jack Wheeler

Jack and Rebel, New Year’s Day, 2023

I turn 80 years old this year of 2023. It’s a sobering milestone.

I have almost infinitely more to be grateful for than not. I have had an incredible life, lucky beyond belief. I have the two most wonderful sons a father could ask for. As Rebel and I are in our fourth decade of marriage, we love each other more than ever.

And I am in superb health – albeit with that infamous qualifier, “for my age.” I work out several days a week so hard and extensively that a friend recently told me he’s seen fit 40 year-olds in the gym that couldn’t keep up with me. I don’t have an ache or pain in my body.

And yet… and yet… obviously there’s no way whatever I could keep up now with me at 40, when I could easily keep pace with Renamo guerrillas in the jungles of Mozambique or Mujahaddin in the mountains of Afghanistan for 30 miles at a crack. Or at 54 when I climbed the Matterhorn a second time with my son Brandon.

At 62, climbing Fujiyama with Jackson was no problem, but when I was at the Matterhorn with both my boys I realized there was no way I could do it a third time. I still had it in me, however, to hump it at midnight over the mountainous border of Iraq into Iran with Brandon and a group of Kurdish Peshmerga guerrillas.

At 70, I completed my goal of having an adventurous experience in every single country in the world. All through my 70s, I continued to lead expeditions to, e.g., Yunnan-China, Namibia, Socotra, Persia-Iran, Burma, the Galapagos, Southern India, the Kingdom of Lo, remote islands in the South Pacific, Eastern Europe, Israel, Egypt, Inner Mongolia, Zambia, Southern Italy, Ireland, Morocco, Pitcairn Island, the Caribbean by private yacht, Atlantic Paradises, Portugal, Central Asia 3 times, Himalaya Helicopter Expedition 7 times.

All of these were with my fellow TTPers – perhaps you were among one of them or more. And the above doesn’t include dozens of places I explored on my own just by myself – like Iwo Jima, Torajaland, Chatham Islands, Niue, Nakhchivan, Andaman Islands, Fernando de Noronha, Faroe Islands among many others.

However… as 80 looms before me, I realize I can’t keep this up. At some point, I’m going to have to call it a day. So I’ve decided that I’m going to give it my all for another year – that year being this one, 2023.

I’m always saying, Carpe Diem – the Time for a Great Adventure Is Now. Well, that time has come. If you’ve always wanted to have a great adventure with me in some awesomely cool place in the world – or have another! – carpe diem, seize the day.

To entice you, I’ve made another decision: to make you a deal I hope you can’t resist.

See those five Wheeler Expeditions in the TTP homepage left side bar? They are: Portugal Exploration, Himalaya Helicopter Expedition, Atlantic Paradises, Indian Tibet, and The Heart of Central Asia.

I’m going to give you $1,000 off per person on each, except for the HHE: that’s $2,000 off per person.

Click on each and after absorbing the photos and description, choose which one you want by clicking on the “To Register” link on the Details page at the end. You’ll see a green “Select” box:

Up will come the Registration page with this:

In the Discount code box, enter: REGISTERJAN20 and click Apply. Your $1000 discount (or $2000 for HHE) will apply.

It’s important for couples or with children that you register each of you individually as this is an individual discount.

Here’s the catch. You must register by January 20. That’s three Fridays from now (01/03). Plenty of time to make up your mind which great adventure you want to have with me this year!

When you read each description and gaze into the photos, ask yourself, “Which one calls to me?”

Will it be Exploring Portugal with its astounding history, scenic beauty, castles in the sky, walled medieval towns, fabulous food and wine?

Will it be the Himalaya Helicopter Expedition, the greatest single adventure on the planet for anyone of normal health, actually being at the base camps of all 8 of the highest mountains of the Himalayas as well as the Kingdom of Lo?

Will it be Atlantic Paradises, discovering the magical beauty of Madeira and the Azores just hours away from the US in the Atlantic, swimming with dolphins, watching whales in the wild, exploring the world’s most gorgeous tropical gardens, and have so much fun doing so?

Will it be the true high adventure of Indian Tibet, where in a hidden region of remotest Asia the world’s most exotic culture still exists… Tibet, and wherein the Grand Canyon of the Himalayas the Zanskar River runs, one of the greatest whitewater experiences on our planet?

Will it be the Heart of Central Asia, where you will find glittering modern cities, ancient Silk Road oases, the Mountains of Heaven and the Seven Pearls of Shing, lands that evoke the ultimate in remote, exotic, and unknown wonders?

Whichever you choose, I’ll be with you to ensure your adventure is life-memorable. But you’ll want to choose soon. Let me know if you have any questions. And let me know where I’ll be seeing you this year. I’m at [email protected].