One way to think about Basecamp is that it's a meeting point for travelers who are on journeys - and who are at different stages of their journeys.

Which stage of your journey are you at?

Basecamp is your destination.

You are at Basecamp because you feel that the gathering together of diverse travelers in this one space is itself a worthy outcome. You like the people at Basecamp and the spirit you all hold together. You enjoy going from tent to tent, hearing and sharing stories of adventure and exploration - and you enrich the space for everyone by doing so. Yes, with the right people, you might be willing to go on an expedition or explore something totally new. But that kind of movement is not essential to your own sense of journey.

You want to explore the unknown.

While you respect the value of a clear purpose and plan, you feel called to go on an adventure without them. You come to Basecamp with more questions than answers, and you're looking to find other people who feel the same call to explore the questions that preoccupy you. You want to set forth with no plan, except maybe to explore that really good question. You want to set forth with people who agree that the plan will change as you discover new things together.

You want to develop an expedition.

You have an idea for where you want to go and why you feel it's important to go there - and that's about it. You freely admit there's a lot you haven't figured out yet. That excites you. You come to Basecamp to invite others to support and challenge you to develop a stronger sense of purpose and a plan, out of which might also emerge a committed group of people who decide to quest together.

You want to gear up for your expedition.

You know where you want to go and have a good idea for how you're planning to get there, and now you need to gear up. You come into Basecamp looking to recruit people to join you or follow you on your quest. You're planning to leave as soon as you have the people and the gear to get going. You also know that one of those recruitment conversations might shift your understanding and awareness - and maybe cause you to revise your plan, too. Somehow, the plans that come into Basecamp never depart exactly the same.

You've already embarked on an expedition.

You are heading for a destination, and you are following your plan to get there. Basecamp is a milestone and a safe resting space: a place to warm up, replenish, maybe have a glass of whiskey with fellow travelers and trade stories from the trail. You appreciate that Basecamp is a space where your own plans tend to change: they become richer, more inclusive, more aware of their buried assumptions. Still: your plan is to rise with the sun tomorrow and continue on your quest.

Basecamp is your destination (again).

You've embarked on expeditions. You've made discoveries about the world and about yourself, and about how the world and the self are related. Right now you want to be in a space, and help hold a space, where diverse travelers at different stages of journey can meet. You don't need to explain why. To you, it's self-explanatory.