"What’s exciting about sitting at a resort somewhere? Where’s the living in that?” Travis Arket asks, and sets down his pho chopsticks. Matt Crabtree nods. “Not exciting.” Travis and Matt (pictured) are two of the three members of Team Robot House, a non-profit adventure philanthropy corporation based here in the Seattle area that takes on a few extreme challenges each year to raise money for charities such as Mercy Corps.

This weekend they’ll be flying to Nepal to participate in the bi-annual Rickshaw Run, a 4,000k journey via seven-horsepower cart that will take them across the length of the Himalayas, through the tropics during monsoon season and 120 degree deserts, and into the coastal town of Pondicherry. “I can think of things that are a whole lot smarter,” Matt admits. But, “nothing’s going to prevent us from going on this trip.”

Team Robot House learned they were accepted to the trip only six weeks ago. “We’ve had a month and a half to plan about a year’s worth of stuff,” Matt explains. Not only has the team had to plan their equipment for the treacherous journey, they’ve also had to push piles of paperwork as they incorporated their company and set up corporate sponsorship programs complete with media packages using the hours of future footage from their rickshaw’s embedded cameras and microphones.

They’ve certainly had to prepare psychologically: the team is heading into the middle of a dangerous part of the world, complete with extreme terrain, natural disasters and political turmoil. “A lot of people’s idea of adventure has been so watered down. We have to take it further. That’s the real adventure: staying alive,” Travis says. “You have to show yourself what you’re capable of doing.” They will have no radio, no support vehicle, and only a small first aid kit with them.

Photo by Kyle Rindahl. Much more to the story after the jump!

The guys seem clear-headed about the journey, and about their already-proven team dynamics. Matt describes them quickly: “Jason is the workhorse, the more introverted one. Travis is the extrovert, and I’m somewhere in between.” He and Travis are high school drop-outs, and Jason (who already has multiple master’s degrees) is in law school in D.C.

“The funny thing is, we all met bagging groceries at Costco,” says Matt. “No amount of education can trump natural ability,” he says with confidence, and Travis concurs: “Natural ability and ambition. Most every person that I know worth over a million dollars is not college educated.” Matt is a hiphop producer and runs his own music company, while Travis owns his own film production company and does computer programming. Matt reflects on the big picture. “We’re high school drop-outs, and we’re running a successful non-profit organization. We’re bums, but we get it done.”

What will Team Robot House be listening to on their adventure? “We’re gonna play a lot of songs that are safe for all three people, music we all like. And usually that’s Bon Jovi,” says Matt. “And Paula Abdul.” Adds Travis, “Some pretty butt-rocking stuff, too. Queensryche. But when we’re on that flat, straight desert road, 120 degrees outside, we’re gonna blast the Paula Abdul.” The guys laugh.

“Here’s the image: You’re driving down a narrow road. One side is a cliff, and all you can see up there are mountains. Giant peaks. And on the other side is another sheer cliff that just drops off. You’re on a three-wheeled rickshaw, no doors, no seatbelts. All you have is a handle. A gust of wind will blow the thing around. Something like that gets the adrenaline going,” says Travis. “We hope that this inspires people to do what they actually want to do, and to realize that taking risks—that’s what life’s about.”

Neither Travis nor Matt have return tickets from India, but they plan on coming back to the States—if only to help out with Team Robot House’s next adventure: a scooter race from Seattle to Las Vegas in late August.