For four seasons, Beyond the Bib presented by Toyota has followed athletes on their respective journeys. This year, Team Toyota athletes snowboarders Chloe Kim, Red Gerard, and adaptive snowboarder Amy Purdy took center stage for the fourth season of the series. Each athlete had two original episodes this year, which were exclusively featured on DewTour.com and its social network. Since its inception, the series has been directed by Jeremy Pettit of Northside Productions in Los Angeles. See the winning campaign series at DewTour.com.
Founded in 1979, the Telly Awards annually showcases the best work created within television and across video, for all screens. Receiving over 12,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents, Telly Award winners represent work from some of the most respected advertising agencies, television stations, production companies, and publishers from around the world. The Telly Awards recognizes work that has been created on the behalf of a client, for a specific brand and/or company or self-directed as a creative endeavor.
The term “Traditional” rock climbing (or as many often refer to as “Trad”), wasn’t really used until the ’80s when there needed to be distinction between trad and sport climbing (e.g. bolting of rock routes). Up until then, everything was what we call now call “Trad” climbing.
Trad, which is the practice of placing “gear” in rock features, cracks or other nooks for protection, and then removing the pieces after the climb is finished, is often seen as a more pure way to climb.
Although sport climbing has grown worldwide and has allowed climbers to attempt climbs that were previously inaccessible, there are still more areas that can be climbed traditionally—and knowing how to climb trad always give climbers more options.
We spoke with a two of the world’s top climbers and guides at the Arc’teryx Climbing Academy to get tips on trad.
Arc’teryx athlete and International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA) guide Mark Smiley started his climbing career in the gym at a young age, but now spends much of his time using his trad skills when he guides, especially for bigger objectives. Arc’teryx athlete and professional climber Vikki Weldon is a multiple Canadian Youth National Champion who started as a sport climber. By the time she was 15, she was already climbing 5.13s, but she only started to climb trad when she moved to Squamish. She had to start over, though, now she can lead grade 5.13 on trad.
Mark Smiley coaching students on how to test their placements. Photo: Courtesy of Mark Smiley
Why is it important for climbers to know trad and why is crack climbing an important skill?
VW: Traditional climbing can take you to some incredible places, up in the alpine, up new routes. I don’t think that it is necessary for all climbers to become trad climbers, but if you’re keen on adventure and getting up high, being able to place gear and climb cracks is essential.
MS: Crack climbing technique is another tool to get you to cool places. The first time you look at El Capitan, and you think, “I need to climb that!” Well, there aren’t any sport routes up it. Crack climbing opens the doors to so many cool adventures and remote places. So, when you are ready to leave the dog barking, speaker bumping, shoulder-to-shoulder belaying, that the sport crag can be, crack climbing is the answer to take you places.
Learning sizes of your gear in direct correlation to your hands, can save time and energy. Photo: Courtesy of Smith/Arc’teryx
What are some tips for those just starting out trad climbing?
VW: Start easy. If you’re a 5.10 sport climber, that doesn’t mean that it translates to 5.10 trad. They are very different. Give yourself the opportunity to have a good time, and take the grade level down a few notches. It is not a race, and the more time you spend learning how to place gear, the more you will enjoy it.
I think it is good to go with someone who is keen to teach, or hire a guide for a day, or even sign up for a clinic such as these offered at the Arc’teryx Climbing Academy. Trad can seem overwhelming, especially if you come from a different style of climbing, such as sport or bouldering. Learning the different sizes of cams, their colors and what order to rack them in, is a great start. Following a pitch and analyzing how your partner placed gear can be really helpful.
MS: Grabbing the wrong piece of gear is super frustrating and can be dangerous, especially when you’re trying to place it, hanging from one arm. I think it’s best to literally feel the crack, and associate that size feeling with the appropriate cam. For example, I know that if I stick my hand in and the crack is a tight hand jam, that that relates to a Black Diamond #1 red cam. If it is a snug finger lock then that’s a Black Diamond #0.4 grey cam. This makes it much easier then simply looking at a crack and knowing the size. Which is ultimately the next step in learning, but it takes time to develop your eye.
Also, fail quickly! If you grab the wrong size cam, which happens all the time, don’t waste your energy trying to make it work. Simply fail quickly, grab the right size and place it well. Your future self will be thankful when you climb above a solid piece versus a piece that you “made work.”
Trad climbing can involve alot of gear. Photo: Courtesy of Smith/Arc’teryx
What is some of your favorite trad gear?
VW: I learned on Black Diamond Camalots and they are still my favorite cams. I also recently started climbing in La Sportiva TC Pros climbing shoes. I have pretty weak ankles and I found they have made a huge different in supporting my ankles when I’m torquing them inside a crack.
MS:Black Diamond cams are, in most peoples’ opinions, the industry standard. They work great, get stuck less than “single-axle” cams. Most importantly, once you learn the sizes and corresponding colors, you will be able to use your friends’ cams and you won’t have to relearn a different brand’s sizes and colors.
CAMP nano 22 wiregate carabiners are the best wiregate on the market. They are super light, the gate action is perfect, and you can get a ton of them on your harness gear loops without feeling crowded, plus they come in colors to help you organize your gear.
People with huge hands, go with the bigger Photon wiregate, but for everyone else, the Nano 22 is the jam. Having a really lightweight wind jacket that can be worn on your harness (stuffed in its own pocket) is really nice. The Arc’teryx Squamish Hoody is the boss. It’s really light, and super durable, will cut the wind and even shed a light rain. It’s the piece I always have with me on a multi-pitch rock route if the weather looks iffy at all.
Captured during the 2019-2020 season, this Henry Banfield (AKA Hondro) film takes us on a ride through Revelstoke’s playful and serious terrain. His crew builds big kickers, dines on pillow lines, and has a great time while they’re at it.
Hondro shot this short on a small mirrorless camera, with some drone and iPhone footage to boot, but the edit is tight and the sends are big, loose, and wildly entertaining. Here’s one to keep an eye on, we see big things and bigger airs in his future.
Grab your tails and spin—this will put you right back in a midwinter mood where the cliffs are big but the landings are soft. Immerse yourself, for just a few minutes, in some deep, dry snow.
This article originally appeared on Powder.com and was republished with permission.
As of Monday, due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases throughout Florida, officials have announced that various beaches will be closed and off-limits to ocean-goers and surfers in the following counties for the July 4th weekend: Miami-Dade, Broward County, Palm Beach County, Monroe County and Collier County. The move comes as an effort to curb further spread of the virus and to prevent a potential influx of visitors and unnecessary gatherings during a normally busy holiday. According to Florida Today, The Florida Department of Health reported 5,266 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday, the sixth consecutive day in which at least 5,000 new cases have been announced, and 28 more deaths.
Last Friday, state officials also put a ban on alcohol consumption at bars after the recent surge in cases after the state’s reopening. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis noted in a press conference that in such businesses there was “widespread noncompliance” and the tossing aside of safety guidelines.
“It has invariably been because they packed so many people in and created a type of environment that we are trying to avoid,” DeSantis said. “Caution was thrown to the wind and so we are where we are.”
Some beaches in the aforementioned counties will be closed effective Friday, July 3, through Monday night, July 6 (although be sure to check here as each county will have different rules). There will also be a ban on gatherings over 50 people (specifically in Miami-Dade county), which includes parades and protests.
In Broward County, violators who attempt to access the beach could be subject to a $500 fine and up to 60 days in jail—or more. A quick look at the forecast for the area will hopefully deter those tempted to violate any orders.
On the west coast in Los Angeles, beach access will be banned in a similar attempt to slow the spread of the virus. Beginning Friday, July 3rd at 12:01 a.m, all beaches, piers, parking lots and beach access points in LA County will be off-limits to residents and visitors. Firework displays will also be forbidden.
The order in Los Angeles came on the heels of a sharp spike in COVID cases on Monday, with another 2,903 people testing positive—the highest ever reported in the county—alongside 22 new deaths.
“Closing the beaches and prohibiting fireworks displays during this important summer holiday weekend was an incredibly difficult decision to make, but it’s the responsible decision to protect public health and protect our residents from a deadly virus. The Fourth of July holiday weekend typically means large crowds and gatherings to celebrate, a recipe for increased transmission of COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health in a press release. “We all need to take this virus more seriously and residents and business owners must do their part. Physical distancing isn’t optional, wearing a face covering isn’t optional, spending time only with those you live with isn’t optional—these are requirements in the Health Officer Order and are the tools we have to protect each other, our families and those most vulnerable in our communities.”
This article originally appeared on Surfer.com and was republished with permission.
A growing number of American distillers are turning out quality expressions of spirits beyond bourbon, including gins, vodkas, and even brandies and sotols. Here are a few new bottles to add to your home bar.
Courtesy image
Germain-Robin California Alambic Brandy
“Brandy’s been on the back burner a long time,” says Germain-Robin Ambassador and Master Sommelier Eric Entrikin. Fortunately, that’s no longer the case. Distilled largely from Mendocino, CA-grown Colombard grapes—with a few other varietals like Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Sémillon thrown in for added flavor and structure—Germain-Robin’s flagship brandy provides a promising glimpse of what American brandy can be in the hands of dedicated producers: fruity, structured, and nuanced. “For the alambic, we really want to let the fruit component come out,” Entrikin says, and they’ve done so, with flavors of apple, pear, dried apricot, peach, and honeysuckle underpinning rich barrel notes of vanilla and brown sugar. Lovers of fruitier, speyside-style whiskies, lighter cognacs, or both will also be lovers of Germain-Robin.
Produced just up the Hudson River from New York City in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Tod & Vixen’s grew from a collaboration between a handful of revered bartenders—Gaz Regan, Leo Robitschek, and Jeffery Morganthaler—aimed at developing a gin specifically for use in cocktails. The resulting bottle succeeds, packing the typical top notes of juniper and herbaceous botanicals alongside orange peel, coriander, angelica root, tea leaf, and a pronounced lime citrus. You can sip this neat or with tonic if you want to, but tools are most effective when used as designed. For best results: Let Tod & Vixen do the heavy-lifting in your spirit-forward gin cocktails.
Sotol is often talked about in the same conversations as Tequila and Mezcal, but it’s important to note that it’s neither. Mezcals (and tequilas, which are mezcals) are made from agave, whereas sotol is made from, well, sotol. Sotol grows wild across northern Mexico as well as in parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, and while the spirit of the same name largely originates with distillers in Mexico’s Chihuahua State, a small distillery in Driftwood, TX, began turning out distinctive blue bottles of the stuff a few years ago. Grassy, herbal, vegetal, with a burst of bright peppercorns on the finish, it’s something you could sub into tequila cocktails, but it’s almost a shame to lose the rawness of a spirit that really captures its place of origin in the glass. We recommend sipping neat—maybe with a small splash of water—to fully appreciate this spirit.
Important up-front disclosure: While this vodka hails from Northern California’s most renowned cannabis cultivation region, a bottle of Humboldt’s Finest contains no THC. It does contain a hemp-infused spirit full of aromatic terpenes, which is to say it’s earthy, herbal, and green—think matcha tea, lemongrass, and pine forest. You could add this bottle to your bar because it’s cannabis adjacent and that’s cool and all, but you’d be missing the point. Add it to your bar because of the unique flavors it imparts, herbals that imbue cocktails with distinctly woodsy notes without going full alpine-medicinal (as an Italian amaro or other distinctly herbal additive might).
No discussion of American spirits would be complete without a nod to American single malt whiskey, a category that has made significant strides in recent years both in defining itself (no corn here, just 100% malted barley) and in producing a growing number of increasingly great whiskeys. Stranahan’s comes to us small batch from Denver, CO, where it’s aged in new charred American oak barrels for a minimum of two years (the final bottlings are typically a blend of whiskeys aging from 2-5 years old). Young whiskey from new barrels means lots of barrel presence—vanilla, baking spice, warm caramel, rich butterscotch, and oven-hot brown sugar—while the 100% malt at its core lends a slight creaminess to the mouthfeel. Pour it next to dessert, or in place of it.
Sharing a barre video workout you can do at home, featuring some of my very favorite exercises for lean, strong legs. All you need is something sturdy to hold onto for balance, like a chair or countertop.
Hi friends! How’s the morning going? I hope you’re hanging in there with everything going on. We had a good weekend here at home and cranked away at the master bedroom. We’re completely re-doing it and I ended up selling our furniture way faster than expected on Facebook marketplace. We’re sleeping camp-style until the missing pieces get here.
I didn’t realize that I still had paint and dirt all over my feet until I started filming this barre video. I hope you love this one! I included some of my very favorite exercises for lean, strong legs. This one is a little over 30 minutes and flew.by. My legs were pleasantly sore the next day, too.
July is a time for sunshine, swimsuits and serious sweat sessions. It’s also a time to make sure we all stay cool, covered and safe. That’s why MISSION Instant Cooling Gear and their proathlete founders are dedicated to spreading the importance of National Heat Safety Month this July.
Co-founder Chris Valletta, former NFL player, experienced heat related illness during his college and professional football playing days — so this initiative is personal for him.
Mission is so passionate about Heat Safety they invested in The Mission Heat Safety Lab at UConn’s Korey Stringer Institute. Mission products have been tested on athletes with state-of-the-art equipment like high speed treadmills, advanced bike ergometers and a comprehensive physiological monitoring system — so you know these items are legit!
“Mission and the Heat Safety Coalition has the ultimate goal of improving heat safety in the consumer and industrial settings. These cooling products are a vehicle to get there.” —Dr. Casa, CEO, Korey Stringer Institute, Professor, Department of Kinesiology, Director, Athletic Training Education.
SAFETY TIPS FOR SUMMER WORKOUTS
Here are some tips to stay fit, cool and most importantly safe this summer with Mission Cooling Gear.
TIP 1# RUNNER’S PARADISE
Don’t forget to wear a MISSION Cooling Performance Hat to block the sun and try to avoid running outside between 10 AM and 4 PM when the sun is strongest.
TIP #2 BACKYARD FAMILY BOOTCAMP
Look for a shaded area where you can all get a little family fitness in! Make sure to arm the entire family with MISSION Cooling Towels. Their brushed microfiber cools instantly.
TIP #3 DOG DAYS OF SUMMER
Even moderate workouts like taking your furry BFF Gaiter to stay safe for a stroll are more intense during the summer months. Rock this MISSION Gaiter to stay safe and cool. And don’t forget water for you and your pet.
Mission Cooling Gear available at Walmart, The Home Depot, Target, CVS and Mission.com
Everyone has their spirit of choice, but not many can say that theirs comes with added health benefits. If tequila isn’t your favorite spirit, you may want to rethink your go-to drink.
100% agave tequila is one of the cleanest liquors out there and, when consumed in moderation, can actually improve your overall health. So, drink up (responsibly, that is) and enjoy in more ways than one.
LOW CAL + GLUTEN FREE
For the calorie conscious, tequila is the way to go with around 60 kcal per shot — much lower than wine, champagne and hard seltzers. 100% agave tequila is also gluten free and even helps aid in digestion by promoting growth of good bacteria.
GOOD VIBES ONLY
Contrary to other spirits, tequila is an upper rather than a downer, so it’s more likely to elevate your mood. It also contains less congeners (fermented products found in most spirits), which is much less likely to give you a hangover the next day.
SWEET DREAMS
Relaxation and calming are also some of the positive effects of tequila. A small amount before bedtime can reportedly help you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly.
Shutterstock
100 COCONUTS: A NATURAL TURN UP
Ready to turn up and reap some bonus health benefits? 100 Coconuts has infused 100% agave tequila into their delicious 100% Pure Coconut Water for the best results you could ask for in a cocktail. Enjoyed in moderation, you can sip your way to good health all summer long! www.100coconuts.com
During this pandemic-prolonged absence of competitive sports, we can at least count on C-SPAN for a daily dose of distraction and entertainment. The cutthroat arena of political MMA that can only be viewed in the U.S. Senate recently produced a real-world underdog tale for the ages with longstanding implications for outdoor aficionados of all walks.
Earlier this month, the notoriously gridlocked chamber took a major step toward attaining what many consider the Holy Grail of conservation legislation in the modern era. Known as the Great American Outdoors Act, the landmark legislative package—one that provides unprecedented benefits to the nation’s system of public lands—passed through the Senate with a rare showing of bipartisan support. The anticipated slam dunk victory now moves to the U.S. House of Representatives and eventually the Oval Office for the president’s signature.
Should the bill emerge triumphant, it’s the American public that will ultimately reap the spoils. Everyone from hikers to hunters, bikers to boaters, plus millions more who enjoy access to America’s 640 million acres of national public lands for countless other outdoor activities, will be rewarded with increased opportunities and improved infrastructure as they pursue their passions. And in states like Colorado, where the culture is largely rooted in public lands recreation, the ripple effect is expected to make an even bigger impact.
“Colorado’s public lands drive our businesses—from breweries and restaurants, to bike shops and fly-fishing guides—and inspire our adventures with family and friends,” said Steve Fechheimer, CEO of New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins, CO. “The passage of GAOA is an incredible milestone in ensuring protections for our environment, our economy and our well-being.”
So What’s in the GAOA?
More than 20 years in the making, the Great American Outdoors Act (S.3422 ) ultimately combines two pieces of public lands legislation. The first piece, dubbed the Restore our Parks Act, establishes a five-year trust generated by revenues from energy development that provides up to $1.9 billion a year to begin addressing the more than $22 billion worth of maintenance backlogs at national parks and other public lands across the country. That includes everything from road and trail maintenance to facility improvements and even wildlife habitat.
The second piece fully and permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) used to buy and improve public land. The fund, which is supposed to receive $900 million a year from offshore drilling royalties, is regularly raided by legislators and has only been fully funded twice since it was established in 1964.
Throughout its history, LWCF funds have been used to acquire and improve public lands in every county of every state, everything from New York’s Central Park to Yellowstone National Park.
When Does It Take Effect?
Once the bill is signed into law by the president, full funding begins in fiscal year 2021. The LWCF has used money from offshore oil and gas drilling royalties to conserve our public lands and waters across the country for more than 50 years already, and legislation passed in 2019 guaranteed that $900 million will be collected for the fund every year. The GAOA ensures that the money will go to its intended purpose.
The GAOA also establishes the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund, providing federal land management agencies with critical resources to address the deferred maintenance backlog on our public lands. The fund receives 50 percent of unallocated revenues generated from energy development on federal lands and waters, providing up to $9.5 billion over five years beginning in FY2021 through FY2025.
Paddling lakes along northern Maine’s Allagash Waterway.Kate Sfeir / Shutterstock
Who Benefits From It?
From rock climbers in Colorado’s Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park to paddlers on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway in Maine, just about anyone who enjoys outdoor recreation has seen benefits from the LWCF, and those benefits will increase with the implementation of the GAOA.
Notably, the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund portion of the act promises funding for federal land management agencies above and beyond the National Parks Service. While the NPS will receive 70 percent of the funding ($1.3 billion a year), the remainder will be split between the U.S. Forest Service ($285 million), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ($95 million), Bureau of Land Management ($95 million) and Bureau of Indian Education ($95 million) to fund habitat improvement projects and other maintenance backlogs in those agencies.
“The National Parks Service maintenance backlog is the biggest part of it, but the rest of it is substantial too,” said Corey Fisher of Trout Unlimited’s Sportsmen’s Conservation Project. “The places that are most important to hunters and anglers are managed by the Forest Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service, not the National Parks. So it was super important to groups like TU to have those included.”
Additionally, the LWCF provides matching grants to states and local governments to acquire and develop public outdoor recreation areas and facilities that provide close-to-home recreation opportunities that are readily accessible to youth, adults, senior citizens and the physically or mentally challenged in urban and rural communities.
Why It Matters Now:
The Land and Water Conservation Fund has long been recognized as the most powerful program we have for conserving habitat and opening access to the nation’s most precious natural resources, and its guaranteed funding couldn’t come at a more critical time. President Trump had nearly zeroed out the money for the LWCF in budgets he’d submitted to congress in recent years, only recently coming around in favor of the program that Senate bill sponsor Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) claims supports between 16-30 jobs for every million spent in LWCF funds. Fixing the national parks promises to create as many as 100,000 additional jobs, making the Great American Outdoors Act an essential economic recovery tool that also enhances our public lands and outdoor recreation opportunities.
“The Great American Outdoors Act is an enormous victory for public lands and for rural economies here in the Mountain West,” said Teresa Martinez, Executive Director of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition. “It will address vital needs on our trails and forests. It will create jobs. And by fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund, it will be absolutely critical to our efforts to complete the Continental Divide Trail.”
Why It Matters in the Long Run:
The Great American Outdoors Act offers a sustainable funding solution that expands and protects valuable public lands from the impacts of overuse destined to exacerbation over time. While their popularity continues to grow, America’s national parks and public lands have been underfunded and understaffed for decades. And as urban populations swell, local outdoor recreation opportunities remain in decline, increasing barriers of entry to fundamental activities like hiking, biking and fishing that have emerged as critical ingredients in the recipe for both mental and physical health.
“With the pandemic shining a bright light on the need for equitable access to natural spaces, securing LWCF permanent funding and tackling a substantial portion of the public lands maintenance backlog will greatly increase recreation opportunities on public lands and in neighborhoods across the country, including those that have historically lacked access,” said Kate Van Waes, Executive Director of the American Hiking Society. “The House of Representatives must quickly take up and pass this legislation and send it to the president to be signed into law.”
When travel becomes more ubiquitous (and safe) again, you’ll likely want to prioritize remote adventures. We found the most epic trips on all seven continents, from Ethiopia to Italy and beyond to give you some inspiration.
The Most Epic and Remote Adventures to Experience on All 7 Continents
Tuscany, Italy: An Adventure Renaissance
Even just saying the word Tuscany feels relaxing. But don’t mistake this part of Italy for being only about vineyard tours and villa escapes. The region has long been an under-the-radar haven for plucky Italians seeking out an adrenaline buzz, as I learned last year.
Mountain ranges like the dramatic Apuan Alps, which rise 6,000 feet from the Mediterranean Sea, and dormant volcanoes like Monte Amiata provide thrilling downhill mountain-bike runs and networks of forest hikes. There are quiet roads and gravel trails for road cycling, plenty of crags and ridges for climbing, and even canyoneering in narrow river canyons. Tuscany also has 140 miles of coastline for sailing, kayaking, or SUP-ing. Best of all, the region is chock-full of geothermal activity, meaning it’s littered with (mostly free) hot springs like those in the town of Saturnia, where hot sulfur pools are perfect for sore muscles. And yeah, there’s no shortage of vino to relax with, too. — Yvonne Gordon
1. Bike Parking
Monte Amiata ski resort has a beech forest with, come summer, 22 miles of downhill trails. Stay at the Hotel Le Macinaie ($55 per night), across from a local bike park.
The grounds at 14th-century Villa Barberino in TuscanyCourtesy of Villa Barberino
2. Estate Planning
If you’re headed to Tuscany, R&R is a must at some point, and there’s no better place than Villa Barberino, which dates to the 14th century and has a pool and gardens overlooking a peaceful valley.
Ligurian Sea coastlineYvonne Gordon
3. An Elba Escape
The Ligurian Sea coastline is stunning, with the Tuscan Archipelago’s seven islands just offshore. You can sail to the largest, Elba, by taking a boat from Piombino, then hike to the top of 3,343-foot Monte Capanne. It may be the Mediterranean’s best view.
Iberá Nature Reserve’s wetlands in ArgentinaRafael Abuin
Iberá Nature Reserve: Rewilding in Remote Argentina
This winter, while snapping a photo of a caiman—basically a South American alligator—in northern Argentina’s Iberá Nature Reserve, I was reminded of why this part of the world is so, well, wild. While stretching out my arm to snap a pic of the animal, which was maybe 10 feet away, I realized that my extended hand was hovering a foot above an even bigger caiman, obscured by the water. I nearly upended the kayak recoiling at its murky marble eyes.
But instead of chomping the iPhone out of my hand—and my arm along with it—it didn’t even seem to notice me. And that was my experience with nearly all of the animals I witnessed: curiosity rather than concern. This was undisturbed nature, where human presence is a novelty—and a sign that years of dedicated conservation work has paid off.
Iberá, a labyrinth of forests, grasslands, and shallow lagoons, is one of the world’s largest wetlands. Yet its name barely even registered two years ago, when a huge swath of it became a national park. Now tourists are catching on that there’s a swampy slice of Argentina that’s ripe for safari-style adventures to see giant anteaters, marsh deer, and capybaras, the world’s largest rodents.
Iberá may soon be one of the best places to see jaguars in the wildKarina Sporring
When I arrived after an overnight bus ride from Buenos Aires, the sun burst out of the pancake-flat wetlands as we raced rheas, a cousin of the ostrich, down red-dirt roads. The HQ for the nonprofit behind Iberá is Rincón del Socorro, a grand old estancia outfitted with timber furnishings and thick-framed animal portraits on the walls. It is the creation of Kris Tompkins, the former CEO of Patagonia, and her late husband, Doug, the co-founder of The North Face. Together, over two decades, they acquired private land that was ultimately donated to the federal government to create the park.
What were once rice fields and cattle ranches is now ground zero for the largest and most ambitious rewilding project in the Americas. Five locally extinct or endangered native species—including the pampas deer, giant anteater, and green-winged macaw—have been reintroduced since work began in 2007. The project will enter its next phase this year when as many as five young jaguars are released on the remote San Alonso Island. It’ll be the first time in over half a century that the wild cats have roamed this part of Argentina.
THIS IS UNDISTURBED NATURE, WHERE HUMAN PRESENCE IS A NOVELTY.
The project’s communications director, Rafael Abuin Aido, says that reintroducing the apex predator will be the ultimate test of the ecosystem’s health. If it works, he says, “Iberá has the potential to become the best destination in the world to see a jaguar in the wild.”
While staying there, I contented myself with evening paddles to the floating reed islands of Fernández Lagoon, where I tracked marsh deer and stumbled upon capybara mud baths. Mornings, I hiked along the 6.5-mile Sendero Lobo Cua, which skirts through a palm forest pulsating with the guttural roars of howler monkeys.
The air in the park was thick and herbaceous. More than once, I was tempted to dip my feet into one of Iberá’s 75 lagoons, but then thought better of it, remembering stories I heard in the lodge of old hunters who cooled off in the waters only to reemerge half-eaten by piranhas. Yes, this is unspoiled nature—in all its savage beauty. — Mark Johanson
A family in the Dassanech tribe outside their home.Chris Tinkler
Omo River, Ethiopia: Camping With Remote Tribes
When your dance partner has an AK-47, you choose your moves carefully. I learned this on my fourth night in Ethiopia’s Omo Valley, where a local people, the Mursi—known for the plates the women put in their lips—have decided to throw an impromptu dance party. A bonfire is ablaze, and a circle forms. I don’t understand the words of the songs, but I clap along to the rhythm. It doesn’t take long before a statuesque man, face painted white, approaches and begins to stamp the butt of his gun at my feet. I look around alarmed, then realize that this is the Mursi gesture for “Do you want to dance?”
Only a tiny number of travelers—just a few thousand—come to the Omo Valley each year, and the majority descend on markets and villages east of the Omo River to snap a few photos of the area’s famously adorned tribes (and often pay for the privilege). Then there are the 50 or so visitors, like myself, who take a boat to the remote, crocodile-infested Omo Delta and stay at Lale’s Camp, the only seasonal tourist camp in the valley. The fig-shaded camp—a sustainable tourism collaboration between outfitter Journeys by Design, Wild Expeditions, and Lale Biwa, a member of the local Kara people—offers what may be Africa’s most unique cultural experience: one where village life goes on around you, not for you.
The REASON TRAVEL IS SO TRANSFORMATIVE IS NOT THE LOCATION: IT’S THE PEOPLE.
A trip to the area starts in the capital of Addis Ababa, followed by a charter flight to the Omo Valley. After a boat ride up the river, seven spacious tents await, each equipped with running water, electricity, and flush toilets. It’s a cushy base for being so remote, but the real luxury is the location next to Dus, one of three settlements belonging to the Kara community. When our boat docks at Lale’s Camp, dozens of curious children escort me to shore, where a body-painting ceremony is already taking place. The adults, so engrossed in drawing ocher dots and charcoal stripes on each other, barely acknowledge my presence.
During my five-day stay, I also visit neighboring communities. A 4×4 ride from Lale’s Camp to a nearby Hamar village doubles as a wildlife safari, with Lale pointing out a leopard tortoise and dik-diks, tiny African antelopes. Similar to the Kara, the Hamar are known for decorating themselves with elaborate beads and body paint. Lale invites me into a hut where the men are passing around a gourd filled with a fermented brew. The homemade hooch is a staple of the Kara’s bull-jumping ceremony, a rite of passage where young men run naked over the backs of bulls lined up in a row.
To meet the Mursi, we travel three hours upriver by boat to a no-frills camp.
The Mursi walk eight hours down from the mountains and set up camp alongside us. In return for this meeting, Lale has brought them razor blades (used for scarification), food, and other supplies. The morning after our dance party, while walking among our hosts, I notice the women giggling while mimicking my terrible dancing. When one girl slips a plate into her stretched-out lower lip, I instinctually grab for my iPhone, then stop. Photos are discouraged here to help prevent locals from pandering to people like me. But the practice is beneficial to tourists, too. Standing there laughing with the women would not have been possible if I was focusing my gaze through a lens. Instead, I was able to fully immerse myself, to laugh along with them.
The reason travel is so transformative, after all, is not the location. It’s the people we meet and our candid interactions with them—even if it’s only through smiles, gestures, and, yes, some bad dance moves. — Jen Murphy
Whales chuffing through the channel near Deception Island, off the northern tip of AntarcticaBen Wallis
Antarctic Peninsula: Sailing the Coast of the Last Continent
Deception Island, off the northern tip of Antarctica, must count as one of the planet’s most freakish places. The hulls of 1900s whaling boats rest in the black sand while big blubber boilers fade on the beach like props in a steampunk dream. It’s a doughnut of land, a flooded caldera with a bay in the center where the active volcano there once heated the water high enough to strip the paint off ships.
A trip to this part of the Antarctic Peninsula—an 800-mile-long pinkie ringed with crabeater seals, chinstrap penguins, and colossal ice—is all about the boat, and ours was exceptional. The SV Australis was a 75-foot yacht with just 11 souls aboard, and Deception was one of the first stops on a 17-day journey. While using the ship, operated by outfitter Natural Habitat Adventures, as our floating home base, we paddled around icebergs glowing an alien green in Paradise Harbor.
Adélie penguins standing along Antarctic PeninsulaColin McNulty
We took Zodiacs to rocky beaches for snoozes in the sun. With no real schedule to keep, we’d cut the engines to listen to minke whales chuffing through the channel and camped for a night on a dollop of ice no bigger than a rink.
In the end, though, simply being onboard proved the most memorable. Many afternoons I’d climb into the crow’s nest to watch the ice slide around the bow or hang out on the bridge as hourglass dolphins played to starboard. Come evenings, we’d sit around a large table in the stern and eat lasagna and fish prepared by a French chef. Back home, I could hardly talk about it without getting choked up. Such is the power of Antarctica. — Tim Neville
Rafting on the Ganges RiverMP Pant / Shutterstock
Ganges River, India: Rafting the World’s Holiest River
In India, the Ganges River is sacred water, almost a deity unto itself. It may also be toxic and full of rotting bodies by the time it empties into the Bay of Bengal. But as it gushes from its source near the Tibetan border, it’s something else entirely: wild, unspoiled, and as blue as toothpaste. Outside the Himalayan town of Rishikesh, there’s a 25-mile section perfect for rafting, too, offering challenging Class III and IV rapids, as I discovered in December.
Rishikesh is often called the yoga capital of the world. Five decades ago, the Beatles traveled here for a course in transcendental meditation and inspired a generation of seekers to the area. These days, though, it’s more about adventure. “The type of people who came here in the past were looking for some sort of spiritual enlightenment, but the perception has changed,” said Deeya Bajaj, my guide at the rafting company Snow Leopard Adventures. The outfit operates three tented camps along the Ganges and has become the de facto operator for all things outdoors in this area of the country. In addition to rafting, there are a labyrinth of mountain paths for trekking, zip-line tours across canyons, and, farther afield, wildlife safaris to see Asian elephants and even Bengal tigers.
Of course, as you travel here, you pass constant reminders of the Rishikesh of yore. There are the Westerners plucking sitars at an ashram dedicated to the late, infamous guru Osho (of Wild Wild Country fame) or the sadhus (Hindu ascetics) laundering orange robes on the river’s edge. When you wash up in town, just below the now-abandoned “Beatles ashram,” it feels as if some form of enlightenment—be it in mind, body, or spirit—was an inevitable part of the journey. But such is India, even when all you’re after is a shot of adrenaline. — Mark Johanson
Tasmania, Australia: Down Under’s Wild Island
Surfing Shipstern in Tasmania, AustraliaCourtesy of Tourism Australia & Samuel Shelley
1. Surfing Shipstern
It’s numbingly cold and a four-mile hike to the water, but when it’s on, Shipstern Bluff churns one of the world’s most challenging big waves. “Tassie” also offers numerous gentler breaks, like Clifton Beach, Eaglehawk Neck, and Bruny Island—all within a 90-minute drive from Hobart.
Fishing for trout in Tasmania’s Western Lakes regionSteven Ooi
2. Lake Region Trout
The best sight fishing on the planet is found in Tasmania’s Western Lakes region. Here, seven-pound browns cruise gin-clear creeks and tarns, devour small frogs, and (if you can make a perfect cast) might even inhale your dry fly.
Saffire Freycinet hotel in AustraliaCourtesy Image
3. Upscale Digs
Set above the white sands of Great Oyster Bay, Saffire Freycinet is one of the best small hotels in all of Australia. It’s an ideal base camp for wildlife-watching hikes and kayaking or simply chilling, sampling local oysters, and sipping Tassie vintages.
Llama-packing in Yellowstone National ParkVan Holmes
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming: Llama-Packing Into Grizzly Country
There’s a reason 4 million people visit Yellowstone National Park every year: It’s simply incredible. Bison, geysers, grizzly bears, wolves—the 2.2-million-acre park has them all. The bulk of visitors, however, don’t experience just how truly mind-blowing Yellowstone is. For that, you need to trek deep into the backcountry, and the best way to do that is via llamas—goofy, wily, lovable llamas.
Last summer, nine companions and I hiked 10 miles along Cache Creek, near the Lamar Valley, with a dozen of the animals. We caught cutthroat trout by the dozen, trekked high through pristine mountains, drank beer around campfires, and swam in frigid creeks. Mostly, though, we moved from camp to camp.
THE BEST WAY TO EXPERIENCE THE BACKCOUNTRY IS BY LLAMA—GOOFY, LOVABLE LLAMAS.
Llamas, which are bred to haul heavy stuff, proved precisely docile enough and just stubborn enough for the task. Low impact and low fuss, they knew exactly one command—“stand”—and they each schlepped 60 pounds of gear. They also had enough wherewithal to bark if they saw or smelled a predator nearby, making them an ideal guard for camp. “I sleep well with them surrounding us,” explained our guide, Thomas Baumeister, of Access Wild, a Yellowstone llama outfitter.
The llamas’ alertness came in handy on evening three. As our group sat around a campfire, the llamas, staked around camp, started to bark. We were grizzly-ready, having seen plenty of scat and other signs. We glassed the distant ridges. Nothing. An hour later: more barking. More glassing. Then a big male bison came sauntering down a bluff.
False alarm. Damn llamas! Then, as we settled back in around the fire, the yips and howls of wolves floated into camp. They were far off and of no real concern. But at least we knew. The llamas, meanwhile, just stood there, sort of barking, sort of brilliant. — J.R. Sullivan
I hope you love this one! I included some of my very favorite exercises for lean, strong legs. This one is a little over 30 minutes and flew.by. My legs were pleasantly sore the next day, too.
