How we cite our quotes: (Page.Paragraph)
Quote #7
When the hero-quest has been accomplished, through penetration to the source, or through the grace of some male or female, human or animal, personification, the adventurer still must return with his life-transmuting trophy. (179.1)
The exploring may be down at the end of the journey, but the travelling isn't. This is actually an important step, since the hero needs to convey the details of the exploration to others. Nobody knows what the explorer found if he gets eaten by a bear, after all…
Quote #8
If the trophy has been attained against the opposition of its guardian, or if the hero's wish to return to the world has been resented by the gods or demons, then the last stage of the mythological round becomes a lively, often comical, pursuit. This flight may be complicated by marvels of magical obstruction and evasion.
You can see this in action in a couple modern versions of the Hero's Journey: Raiders of the Lost Ark and Pirates of the Caribbean. Note also that both Indiana Jones and Jack Sparrow are explorers.
Quote #9
Nevertheless—and here is a great key to the understanding of myth and symbol —the two kingdoms are actually one. The realm of the gods is a forgotten dimension of the world we know. And the exploration of that dimension, either willingly or unwillingly, is the whole sense of the deed of the hero. (201.1)
Exploration isn't technically meaningless here, even if everywhere is the same place. It's by exploring that we come to understand how universal everything is.