President’s Message – “Uncharted Territory”

Article By Thomas Twombly
Artwork by Daisy Lopez, Staff Accountant

How many times in the last year have you encountered the term “uncharted territory” in a newspaper or magazine article, a podcast, a social media post, or a television news story? For me, it seems like thousands. I have not done anything scientific to verify this theory, but I would hazard a guess that that term has been employed more times in the last 12 or 13 months than it has been in any comparable period during my lifetime to describe: the pandemic, the sudden social, economic, financial, and political changes it has helped to catalyze, the massive amounts of government borrowing we’re engaging in, the current and future government spending programs that are now being proposed, and the massive environmental and social changes we are witnessing around the globe.

But I wonder how many people who routinely write, speak, read, and hear those words think carefully about what they truly mean. (More than a few times I have also come across the malaprop “unchartered territory”, which just reinforces my point.)  How many folks think deeply about what that might portend? How many people are personally prepared – emotionally, physically, and financially – for the kind of journey that might entail? My suspicion is, not enough.

Lately I’ve been rereading Undaunted Courage, the 1996 book by Stephen Ambrose about the epic 8000 mile voyage of Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and The Corps of Discovery, spanning the 27 months between May of 1804 and September of 1806, travelling up the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, across the great plains, over the Rocky Mountains and eventually down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean – and then back again – on foot, on horseback, by canoe and by keelboat through the rugged and unmapped wilderness of the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase.

I picked it up again because five friends and I expect to spend seven days and six nights this summer paddling our own canoes down a comparatively short 107-mile section of the route Lewis and Clark took along the upper Missouri River in Montana. We plan to stay in campsites they first used some 217 years ago, and to see a few of the natural wonders they experienced in what remains a fairly remote part of this country. It seemed like the perfect read. But it has also gotten me thinking about how blithely “uncharted territory” is tossed about nowadays. (We, for instance, will have detailed maps, a GPS, and probably a Sat-phone with us. We will also have lots of other modern outdoor equipment, and we will not have to protect against nighttime attacks from hostile people, grizzly bears, wolves, or angry bison charging through the camp, as the Lewis & Clark expedition did, so that term will not apply to our trip.)

Nevertheless, I don’t disagree with the notion that we, as a nation and as individuals, are indeed in unexplored and unmapped territory now. Much has happened in the last 13 months that qualifies as unprecedented.  We do not know for sure what lies ahead. We do not know for sure what the ramifications of decisions we are making now will be. The future is unknown and unknowable. Because of that, we can and should prepare for a wide range of possibilities.

The most impressive things about the Lewis & Clark expedition was just how prepared they were for the unknown, and how resilient they were in the face of setbacks and unexpected challenges. Theirs was a carefully and deliberately assembled team of experienced outdoorsmen and rugged survivors, possessing specific knowledge, critical capabilities, and unique skill sets, and chosen for their complimentary personalities. Long before the journey began, at the behest of President Thomas Jefferson, Lewis undertook extensive study with some of the leading American scientists of the day in the fields of botany, zoology, geology, and ethnography, and gained extensive medical training. And the gear, food supplies, medicines, clothing, navigational instruments, and trading goods they carried were carefully selected and painstakingly packed to survive the journey.

But they were headed into truly uncharted territory. As they embarked, the accepted wisdom of the day held that the Appalachian Mountains were the highest range on the continent, and that they could well discover an all-water route to the Pacific. One can only imagine the awe and trepidation they felt rising in their chests, therefore, as they came within distant sight of the Rockies in the fall of 1805 and realized that those assumptions could not possibly be true. How might you respond to such a realization now?

Several years ago, I wrote a newsletter piece about another wilderness trip I took with the same group of guys, paddling for three days through Mariscal Canyon, one of the more inaccessible parts of Big Bend National Park. In it, I said the following:

“A trip like this is a good analogy for life. And I’ve always believed that a good adviser is like a wilderness guide. We lead clients through all types of uncertain terrain, frequently where they have never travelled before, and where all kinds of dangers and opportunities abound. We operate in an environment where circumstances can change from bright and sunny one moment, to dark and stormy the next, and then back again at a moment’s notice. (Just look back over the last twelve months as an example.) We guide people who have varying levels of experience, and they respond differently, and often emotionally, to rapidly changing circumstances. So good advisers must be expert at assessing their client’s self-confidence, their tolerance for ambiguity, and their ability to maintain their poise under pressure. We must accurately gauge their preparation, and their capacity to remain disciplined in high-excitement and high-stress situations.” Read the full article here.

All of us have come through quite a journey in the last 13 months. We are very fortunate now to be enjoying a bright and sunny financial environment. If you have not done so recently, I would encourage you to take advantage of this current state, and to reach out to one of us soon to review your personal situation, and to discuss your overall preparedness for when the weather shifts again.

Thank you again for your confidence and trust.

Thomas G. Twombly
President