Spring 2010 Women's Adventure Magazine

GOTTA HAVE IT: GREEN ON THE GO

Editor’s Choice:

SPRING 2010

Ride, Run, & Travel

SPRING PRODUCTS TESTED

Lady Kiwis ROCK THEIR RIVERS

Is Alaska

Calling You?

11 WOMEN SHARE STORIES

FROM THE 50TH STATE

GELS VS. BARS: ENERGY FOOD 101 CAMP OUT: SPRING FLOWER HOT SPOTS DESIGN THIS: PERFECT LENSES

Leav in g

Las Vegas THRIVE IN THE WILD™ $4.99 US $6.99 CAN V8N1

PLUS:

SPRING 2009 Display Until June 1 WOMENSADVENTUREMAGAZINE.COM

ESCAPE DC, OLD BROADS, HIKING THERAPY, MORROCAN OFF-ROADING, KIND KIDS, KAYAK MAKEOVER, REDWOOD DREAM JOB, CATALINA ISLAND, DOG HOTELS, GEO QUIZ, AND MORE!

2

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

womensadventuremagazine.com

WAM OSPRING’2010”

1

P

OSPRING’2010” Features

&

Departments

Spring Editor’s Choice Awards

Ever imagine that you’ve landed on the smoothest road, the highest trail, or in the travel destination of your dreams? We do. Outfit your next road ride, trail run, or travel adventure with our comprehensive guide to the products you’ll need and the accessories you’ll crave. Prepare for anything. Edited By Kristy Holland

52. Leaving Las Vegas Kim Coats made a change that ended in both adventure and a fulfilling reward: helping people. Writer Jayme Otto profiles Kim’s transition from Vegas mover and shaker to chase-car driver in the Rwandan cycling scene and in-country bike distributor for Project Rwanda. Read about how Kim found her dream, how she found Rwanda, and how she found herself. By Jayme Otto

Shining Bright: Women in the Land 56. of the Midnight Sun Writer Hal Smith fell ass-over-tin-can in love with Alaska—and with the women who live there. What started as a nervous flight around Denali turned into a thoughtful look at the role women play in America’s largest and wildest state. By Hal Smith

8. People, Places, and Things from Our Outdoor World

Travel: Yoga in Utah, escape DC, Fiji underwater, wildflower hot spots, dog hotels, and Avalon, California Planet Earth: New Zealand’s adventure attitude, country vs. city living, and a group of old broads fighting for wilderness Fun Stuff: Books to read, climber Emily Harrington’s music rocks, a geo know-how quiz, raising compassionate kids, and vocab for underwater.

Inspiration and Information: Off-road in Morocco, meet a redwood scientist, a 10-minute kayak makeover, world records, sunglass technology, four green must haves, and why running is like wearing heels [ LOVE ON THE ROCKS ]

32. American Dudes

Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan’s farewell column is a field guide to spotting Mr. Right: identifying traits and how to approach him safely. [ SENSE OF PLACE ]

34. Montana Surround

Phil Condon questions his interest and excitement about the changing seasons. Is it worth hiding from nature? [ TRY THIS ]

36. Slither On

Explore caves and key into a new world of underground amazement. Plus: tips, tools, and things to know from a caving expert. [ WHOLE HEALTH ]

38. Immunity in Overdrive

Is getting sick good for you? How your immune system turns chronic inflammation against you, and what to watch out for if you’re the healthiest girl you know. [ FULL ]

40. Department of Energy

Energize your workout with bars, gels, and blocks—but know what to eat and when. Plus: How to read the label. [ IT’S PERSONAL ]

42. The Gladiator

Surrendering to gravity on a downhill bike.

45 10 2

P

28

WAM OSPRING’2010”

45

60. Playground

62. Musings

64. Editorial

52 womensadventuremagazine.com

COVER IMAGE: PATITUCCIPHOTO

45.

[ THE DIRT ]

Contributors Ben Fullerton Adventure photographer Ben Fullerton moved to Boulder, Colorado, two years ago to tie the knot with his high-school sweetheart. He doesn’t have a Subaru or a dog, and he doesn’t know how to ski, but he still claims he’s dropping his Connecticut roots and settling into the country’s happiest city.

It’s not that hard. Ben’s photography career is taking off. We chose a yoga pose he captured for this month’s “Far Flung” (page 8) and he spent an entire day at the Women’s Adventure office in February to shoot our Editor’s Choice Awards (page 44), our “10-Minute Makeover” (page 28), and a collection of eco-friendly products for “Gotta Have It” (page 22). Ben’s favorite part of the shoot? Having the help of his super-talented wife, Genny. She’s an expert prop stylist and she’s even better at coaxing smiles from the models. For more of Ben’s work, visit his website: www.FullertonImages.com

Susan Hayse Whoever said nepotism gets you nowhere? Just kidding. Despite the fact that Susan Hayse, our web manager and cycling editor extraordinaire, is related to Women’s Adventure’s founder, she’s one of the hardest-working women on staff. From her off-site office near Chicago, Illinois, she manages all of our IT crises, a peloton of cycling gear testers, a family of three, and two Jack Russells that chime in during conference calls. In addition to writing online gear reviews, Susan’s prep for this issue included revamping our website and riding hundreds of miles to crown the cycling gear winners for this issue’s Editor’s Choice Awards. “When I started as a volunteer for Women’s Adventure, they warned me it might actually reduce my saddle time, but riding is so addictive,” says the 53-year-old computer whiz. “Our office is full of bright young things, so I consider myself the voice of the older active woman. I didn’t start riding until I was 45 and it changed my life. You can start a sport at any age!”

Hal Smith

Hal Smith went from a rough-and-tumble kid in the Bronx, to a 56-year-old writer and editor in the woods near the New York-Pennsylvania border. But in between, his 20-plus-year career as a travel and environmental writer led him to Whales, Germany, Nova Scotia, Hawaii, Dallas, and a handful of other memorable destinations. He traveled to Alaska twice before pitching this month’s feature, “Shining Bright” (page 56), about women in the 50th state. Does he like it enough to move there? No. “Anchorage is a very liveable town,” he says, “But unless you’re in the city—sometimes even then—most of the houses are without indoor plumbing. I don’t like the idea of using an outhouse when it’s that cold outside.” For now, he’s sticking to the “almost off-grid” house he shares with his wife. It’s the perfect home base for writing for publications ranging from the Christian Science Monitor, to MIT’s Technology Review, to Playboy.

p. 22

GOTTA HAVE IT: GREEN ON THE GO

p. 40 p. 45

62

Editor’s Choice:

SPRING 2010

Ride, Run, & Travel

SPRING PRODUCTS TESTED

Lady Kiwis ROCK THEIR RIVERS

Is Alaska

Calling You? 11 WOMEN SHARE STORIES

FROM THE 50TH STATE

DESIGN THIS: PERFECT LENSES

Leav in g

Las Vegas

p. 14

p. 26

GELS VS. BARS: ENERGY FOOD 101 CAMP OUT: SPRING FLOWER HOT SPOTS

p. 30

THRIVE IN THE WILD™ $4.99 US $6.99 CAN V8N1

PLUS:

SPRING 2009 Display Until June 1 .

ESCAPE DC, OLD BROADS, HIKING THERAPY, MORROCAN OFF-ROADING, KIND KIDS, KAYAK MAKEOVER, REDWOOD DREAM JOB, CATALINA ISLAND, DOG HOTELS, GEO QUIZ, AND MORE!

p. 18

OSPRING’2010” Editors’ Letter(s) Passing the Torch

What’s the scariest thing you’ve done today? This week? This year? The women in this magazine are setting a fearless example: Kim Coats moved to Rwanda to change lives with bicycles (page 52); Emily Miller and Wendy Fisher are, as I write, gearing up to navigate Moroccan sand dunes for nine days (page 30); and Veronica Eagan and an army of white-haired ladies are standing up to protect our wilderness (page 17). The scariest thing I’ve done this year is take over as editor-in-chief of Women’s Adventure.

But fear is a powerful motivator for me and it’s only ever inspired me to do one thing: conquer it.

Michelle has passed the torch of Women’s Adventure into my trembling hands, and I’m shaking as much from the fear of filling her shoes as I am from the excitement and opportunity of it. I’m in the same tentative and upward-bound era in life as she was when she founded the magazine. I’m equally humbled by the stories I hear about women pushing every imaginable boundary. And I share her streak of determination and passion for sharing these stories with you. My goal, like Michelle’s, is to inspire you to create your own tales of adventure, near and far.

My life looks a little different now than it did back in 2002. Better. More fulfilled. And more grown up. I’m 43 now. Through the pages of this magazine, you’ve learned of my travels, my battle with multiple sclerosis, and the adoption of my son, now 4 years old. You’ve also been great pen pals, sharing your So why am I scared? Michelle also has a flare for rallying communities and building businesses—two skills I’m still stories and photos and personal journeys with me. learning. The key to Women’s Adventure’s continued success I struck the match that started Women’s Adventure, but the is closely linked with our business model and our community, people surrounding me fueled it. The magazine has grown and it’s partly my responsibility to strengthen them both. and taken on a life of its own. So much so that I can now take a lesser role in the day-to-day operations and pass the My strategy: First, build a better website. You may have already torch into the capable hands of the Women’s Adventure staff, noticed, but we’ve updated womensadventuremagazine.com Publisher Sue Sheerin, and new Editor-in-Chief Kristy Holland. to provide a better structure for interactive content, and we’re sharing inspiration online through our blog, our Facebook You’ll still find my regular editorial, on page 64 this month, page, and our Twitter account. Second, provide better service. along with my weekly blog at womensadventuremagazine.com.

For this issue we dragged six categories of gear though the And if you’re interested in learning more about writing hills and we’ve printed the specs of our absolute favorites in or photographing your adventures, join me at one of our our Editor’s Choice Awards feature (page 44). We posted inCreative Conferences this year in Boulder, Colorado. Check depth reviews of everything else on our website, so you can out www.creativeconferences.com for more info. cull the experience of two dozen testers before you hit our online store. Third, fourth, and fifth: Work as hard as I can I wish you all the best as you follow your adventures. It’s been to find people, stories, and information that will inspire and a privilege creating this magazine and getting to know you inform your next adventure. over the years.

Yours, Cheers,

Kristy Holland Michelle Theall

TIM SHISLER

Creating Women’s Adventure back in 2002 stands as one of my zaniest and proudest moments. At 36 years old, I had a decent background in publishing, and I knew there were other women like me who wanted (and sometimes even needed) inspiration from other kindred spirits.

Eight years later, Women’s Adventure remains the only women’s-specific outdoor sports and travel title on the planet. It’s an accomplishment for every one of us—readers, staff, writers, designers, and photographers—because our united passion keeps this fire lit.

Burning Down the House

How are you cutting your carbon footprint?

EDITORIAL EDITOR IN CHIEF Art Director Cycling Editor/Web Director Planting poplars in my yard and increasing my veggie garden’s yield

Contributing Editor

Krisan Christensen Susan Hayse

Traded in my car for a bike and a bus pass

Michelle Theall

Assistant Editors

Heather Hansman, Molly Rettig

Copy Editors

Melaina Juntti, Stephanie Dolan

Contributing Web Editor Fewer showers

KRISTY HOLLAND

Contributing Writers

Offsetting international air travel with Terrapass

Gear Intern

Contributing Photographers

Tara Kusumoto Jeff Chow, Alison Gannett, Melissa Gaskill, Brooke Johnson, Courtney Johnson, Suzanne Johnson, Melinda Wenner Moyer, Jayme Otto, Gigi Ragland, Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan, Hal Smith, Cindy Steuart Georgia Stewart Bill Bryant, Corrynn Cochran, John Evans Ben Fullerton, Zak Shaw, Tim Shisler

All new, energy-efficient, light bulbs

SUBMISSIONS

Scouting the farmers’ market for tomatoes and cheese

For contributor’s guidelines, visit www.womensadventuremagazine.com/features/contributors-guidelines.

Editorial queries or submissions should be sent to edit@staff.womensadventuremagazine.com Photo queries should be sent to photos@womensadventuremagazine.com Women’s Adventure is always looking for new and innovative products for women.

For consideration, please send non-returnable samples to 1637 Pearl Street, Suite 201, Boulder, CO 80302-5447

PUBLISHING Carrying shopping loot with reusable bags

Sipping hot treats from my own, insulated cup

PUBLISHER

SUE SHEERIN

Key Accounts

Sue Sheerin sue@womensadventuremagazine.com 303 931 6057

Sales Director

Theresa Ellbogen theresa@womensadventuremagazine.com 303 641 5525

Marketplace/Active Travel Sales Rep Director of Events Marketing Intern

Lisa Sinclair lisasinclair@staff.womensadventuremagazine.com Joanna Laubscher joanna@womensadventuremagazine.com Shannon Priem

Buying locallymade and locally-grown

If you would like to carry Women’s Adventure or explore a distribution or retail partnership, please e-mail us at sue@womensadventuremagazine.com

Copyright Š 2010 by Big Earth Publishing. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is expressly prohibited.

Outdoor activities are inherently risky and participation can cause injury or loss of life. Please consult your doctor prior to beginning any workout program or sports activity, and seek out a qualiďŹ ed instructor. Big Earth Publishing will not be held responsible for your decision to thrive in the wild. Have fun!

! "

# $

% &'

(

) *+,

- ) ./,

0

OSPRING’2010”

Web, Contests, Etc.

Click your way to adventure

On the Web

Want the rest of the story?

•

It’s better in real-time. Watch Beth’s 10-minute kayak makeover and a YogaSlackers acroyoga performance.

•

On Facebook? Love Twitter? Share photos and stories, take polls, discuss issues, and be part of our growing community.

•

Do you know what’s wiping out bat populations all over the country?

Learn about it with a caving-expert Q & A.

•

Flip through our digital issue online and subscribe to our e-newsletter to stay in touch with us between issues.

•

Get test product, try it out, and give feedback. Join more than 2,000 women who are already part of our Reader Advisory Panel.

•

Download climber Emily Harrington’s playlist.

Look for these icons and follow the clues to get even more great info from Women’s Adventure magazine! womensadventuremagazine.com

#10000 GBW_WomensAdventure_16,25x5,4375_us.indd 1

04.02.2010 9:48:41 Uhr

#10

1 Uhr

Free Stuff Win this from Marmot!

Your Adventure

Women’s Catalyst Jacket Start off this spring by upgrading your outdoor wardrobe with an element you’ll use all year? Marmot constructed this awardwinning Catalyst jacket with its eco-friendly UpCycle version of DriClime fabric (recycled materials and zippers).

Windproof, waterresistant, and breathable, the Catalyst also uses stretch panels in the elbows to create a comfortable and sleek fit ideal for any outdoor activity.

Enter to win yours for free by going to womensadventuremagazine.com/marmot by May 31, 2010 The winner will be announced June 15, 2010

#10000 GBW_WomensAdventure_16,25x5,4375_us.indd 2

Registered canoe guide, Lisa DeHart of Maine, running a breathtaking drop on the Bonaventure River in Canda’s Gaspe Peninsula.

–Jeffrey DeHart

To see your photos published here send images from your own adventures. edit@womensadventuremagazine.com

04.02.2010 9:48:46 Uhr

D IRT

O

TRAVEL

[ FAR FLUNG ]

Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah FULLERTON IMAGES

The niche for acro- and slackline yoga—non-traditional forms of the sport that require precise balance and super strength—is small. So small, that the 13-person Team YogaSlackers pretty much have it all to themselves.

On a hike into Utah’s Little Cottonwood Canyon two of the multisport teammates, found themselves alone again. Surrounded by wildflowers and beneath towering peaks of the Wasatch Range, team co-founder Jason Magness “bases” the team’s newest member, Chelsey Gribbon for a yoga moment that lives up to their motto: Extreme living with awareness.

8

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

womensadventuremagazine.com

Watch a YogaSlackers acroyoga performance at: womensadventuremagazine.com

WAM OSPRING’2010”

9

P

D IRT

O

TRAVEL

[ BUDGET TRAVEL ]

Wild(flower) Campouts Spring’s arrival means hillsides transformed by multicolored riots of wildflowers. To truly appreciate the blooms, hike, bike, or—best yet—bed down among them. The show varies depending on rain, temperature and elevation, but March, April, and May bring peak spring color across the nation’s lower half and upper latitudes bloom well into June and July. For a dependable show, try these three camping havens in the thick of the color.

–Melissa Gaskill

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, Texas Native Tonkawas thought the creaking, 640-acre rock at the center of this Texas park was haunted—hence it’s name. As it turns out, the noises come from the heat-fueled expansion of the enormous granite batholiths. A handful of other revealed-by-erosion rock formations dot the open woodland and grassland that are most vibrant in April. Look for the state flower, bluebonnets, along with Indian paintbrush, coreopsis, bladderpod, and basin bellflower. Arrive early on weekends: The park often hits capacity and closes to late arrivals. www.tpwd.state.tx.us

Things to do: 1

2

3

4

5

Set up at one of 46 walk-in campsites or three primitive camping areas complete with fire rings and picnic tables.

Climb the 0.6-mile trail to the top of the rock for long views of the surrounding countryside.

Circumnavigate Enchanted Rock on the wide, easy 4.5-mile loop trail.

Take a picnic lunch for an early-spring splash in Sandy Creek.

Rope up for a climb on the rock’s north side.

Technical routes range from 5.4 to 5.11.

Joshua Tree National Park, California With sufficient rain and March’s peak-season mild temps, wildflowers sweep north through Joshua Tree’s 800,000 acres in waves of blue, red, yellow, and white. The Dr. Seuss–like signature Joshua trees, actually giant yuccas, bloom showy cream-colored flowers, while displays of yellow desert dandelions, delicate Spanish needles, blue chia, Mojave lupines, gold poppies, red chuparosa, and tiny forget-me-nots color the surrounding desert habitat. www.nps.gov/jotr

Ha Ha Tonka State Park, Missouri This central-Missouri park is home to a fern-lined spring pumping more than 48 million gallons of water a day. The 30-year-old park is peppered with sinkholes, caves, cave shelters, and even a natural bridge, providing diverse habitats for wildflowers of all kinds. May is peak season for native prairie and woodland species, including catchfly, exotic ladies’ tresses, prairie roses, and multiple varieties of asters, coneflowers, blazing stars, violets, buttercups, and goldenrods. www.mostateparks.com/hahatonka.htm

10

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

Things to do: 1

2

3

4

Pitch a tent under a crystal-clear desert sky. There are 500+ established campground sites and 585,000 acres of opencamping backcountry.

Hike barely a mile to the palm-fan-lined oasis at Cottonwood Spring.

Grab a pair of binocs and scout for golden eagles, roadrunners, and 76 other avian residents at the Oasis of Mara.

Pedal fat tires into Pleasant Valley. Traffic is light on the 17-mile lollipop loop.

Things to do: 1

2

3

4

5

Hike the hilly 6.5-mile Turkey Pen Hollow Trail. Camping here is the park’s only overnight option.

Look for mink, beaver, and otter from the stair-stepped boardwalk on Ha Ha Tonka Spring’s edge.

Explore the ruins of a fire-burned castle (built in 1905) atop the 250-foot bluff.

Pack your caving gear and call ahead to access Island Cave, the park’s only wild cave.

Hike the 1.25-mile Devil’s Kitchen Cave trail and peek up at the sky through its chimney.

womensadventuremagazine.com

[ OUT THERE ]

Sink Into Lapping Luxury Fishbowl living at its best Put this on your “if I ever win the lottery” wish list: Poseidon Undersea Resort on a private island in Fiji. Slated to open this spring, Poseidon offers guests five-star accommodations with a view no other hotel on earth can match. Seventy percent of each 500-square-foot suite’s exterior walls are constructed of transparent acrylic to create an aquarium effect, as curious marine life rises up from the lagoon and the adjacent coral reef to get a closer look at captive humans. No need to feel claustrophobic, though: You could run laps around each of the 24 suites and the 1,000-square-foot luxury apartment. After two nights underwater, you’ll emerge to lounge in your own 1,500-squarefoot island villa, complete with its own pool and oceanfront location.

Most of the amenities of the resort (submarine tours, scuba, golf, meals) are included in the 20,000-leagues price of $15,000 per person.

CHRIS HUF; CINDY STEUART

www.poseidonresorts.com

[ URBAN ESCAPE ]

Washington, DC Our nation’s capital isn’t all politics and hubris: Parkland covers more than 48,080 acres, the district offers hundreds of miles of trails, and the mighty Potomac River cuts a wide swath through the region. Why worry about budget deficits and health-care reform when nature beckons?

Spend a day—or a week—on the C&O Canal Towpath. This traffic-free 184-mile gravel trail stretches from Georgetown University to Cumberland, Maryland, and entices hikers and bikers its entire length. For an afternoon outing, ride west from Georgetown to mile marker 12 and hoof it uphill on the Billy Goat Trail for a bird’s-eye view of Mather Gorge’s cascading rapids and 20-foot waterfalls. Too hot for a day on the trail? The Potomac River offers world-class kayaking. Put in at Angler’s Inn, also near mile marker 12, for a day of playboating on the close-by chutes. www.bikewashington.org For top-rated toprope climbing, drive 20 minutes west from DC to Virginia’s Great Falls National Park. You’ll find hundreds of climbs ranging from 5.1 to 5.12 on the shimmering schist walls near the park’s roaring namesake Potomac River falls. Don’t skip the five-minute walk from the visitor center to overlook No. 3 for the best view of the 44-foot cascade. Find more routes along the C&O Canal on the river’s Maryland side. www.nps.gov/grfa Interested in an urban cycling experience? Pick up the paved Mount Vernon Trail in Virginia, just across the Memorial Bridge from the Lincoln Memorial in DC, and ride south toward George Washington’s 500-acre estate in Alexandria.

The 36-mile round-trip trail hugs the Potomac and offers sweeping, unobstructed views of the DC skyline—monuments and all. At Mount Vernon, spend a few minutes studying up on our founding fathers (and the expansive river view) before turning back for lunch in Alexandria’s Old Town. www.bikewashington.org –Cindy Steuart

WAM OSPRING’2010”

11

P

D IRT

O

TRAVEL

[ TOWN SPOTLIGHT ]

Avalon, CA therin e Wa y

rilla

Ma

e Av

3

1

Pe ly

bb Be

Be

Rd

5

yn Av alo

Let the wafting smell of waffle cones draw you in, and decide which of Big Olaf’s 23 ice cream flavors you’d like to savor while sitting on a beachside bench.

St

d

on

hR

ac

3 . Snorkel: Lover’s Cove

2 . Kayak: Long’s Point 1. Cool down: Big Olaf’s

ac

Catalina Island’s population center, the city of Avalon, has its own sense of style: confused. This offshore destination for cruisers and fishermen has a reputation for romance, a nearby herd of bison, streets lined with golf carts, and an undeveloped shoreline within sight of Southern California’s biggest city. Separated by 21 miles of open ocean, this island escape is an easy day trip from Los Angeles or San Diego, and just minutes from the green pier that anchors the town, an array of adventure activities awaits landlubbers and water babies alike.

St Ca

4

nC

Population: 3,800 Elevation: Sea level Town motto: Island Valley Access: Take the hour-long Catalina Express ferry service from downtown Long Beach

2

Leave early for the four-mile paddle to Long’s Point, the farthest west that most kayak rental companies will allow you to go. Pull up to the sandy beach at White’s Landing or stop for a crystal-clear swim in Button Shell Cove, just east of the point.

Spot California’s state marine fish—the bright orange Garibaldi—in this protected cove that’s walking distance from downtown. Leave your gear at home and take advantage of the snorkel outfitters lining the road.

5 . Hike: Trans-Catalina Trail 4 . Ride: Airport in the Sky Check your breaks before setting out on the 10-mile, 1,600foot climb from Avalon to the Airport in the Sky. The payoff is a buffalo burger at the tiny adobe airport and a oncein-a-lifetime switchbacking descent back to town.

12

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

While the entire 37.2-mile trail is a many-day adventure, you can conquer the first five miles in under six hours. Loop uphill from Pebbly Beach to East Mountain and drop back to town near the Wrigley Memorial and Botanical Gardens.

You’ll catch a glimpse of the island’s isolated back side.

womensadventuremagazine.com

[ TRAVEL TREND ]

Bow-WOW Boutique hotels go dog friendly.

T

COURTESY OF FIRESKY

his goes way beyond “dogs allowed.” The FireSky, a Kimpton boutique hotel and spa in Scottsdale, Arizona, belongs to a new breed of high-end hotels catering to people and their pets.

Expect no additional fees, no security deposits, a complimentary greeting by a chocolate cocker spaniel named Bosco, and a luxe doggie bed complete with canine cookies. On-site doggie daycare and dog-walking services ensure that your furry friend has just as much fun on vacation as you do.

But do four-legged guests get into more trouble than they’re worth? Not at all, according to Jim Hollister, FireSky’s general manager. “Guests and the staff love having the dogs here,” he says.

“And come to think of it, we’ve had far fewer problems with canine visitors than with our human ones.”

For more information on boutique hotels across the United States that treat you and your dog like royalty, check out www.tripswithpets.com or www. kimptonhotels.com.

What if every bike rack looked like this?

At Planet Bike, we dream about the day when all cities and towns are safer and more convenient places for cyclists.

Because we believe in the potential of the bicycle to improve the health of individuals, communities and the planet, we donate 25% of our profits to organizations that promote bicycle use.

better bicycle products for a better world.™

D IRT

O

PLANET EARTH

[ AROUND THE WORLD ]

Rachael Moore at home on an N. Zed river

Adventure Nation

New Zealand’s women tackle adventure sports.

V

isit a pub in New Zealand and you’ll likely end up cheering for a Blackcaps bowler, the All Blacks in a ruck, or the Silver Ferns scoring a goal against the Diamonds—that’s cricket, rugby, and netball, respectively. New Zealand’s strong ties to England link the nation to a sporting culture unfamiliar to most Americans— and one that’s largely male dominated. While we don’t share the Kiwis’ vocabulary for mainstream sports, we do speak their language when it comes to adventure.

New Zealand’s two main islands are rugged, raw, and combine to a landmass on par in size and population with

14

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

Rachael has been involved in her country’s whitewater scene for 16 years, and despite standing just 5 feet 4 inches tall, she’s a giant in the sport. Rachael, one of the world’s top river guides, has led trips down class 5 rapids in more than 14 countries across the globe.

She spends half her year in New Zealand, training the next generation of river guides, and maintains that modern New Zealanders have a deep appreciation for the land and sea—a respect, she says, passed down from the island’s Maori people, who consider themselves “people of the land.” As she puts it, “growing up here connects us with the natural elements in a very fundamental way.”

The result? Almost any time of year, you’ll find Kiwi women running the rivers, exploring the mountains, and riding the waves of their home turf, dubbed “N. Zed.” These women are developing a worldwide reputation for strength, independence, and overall competence when it comes to extreme and adventure sports.

Although New Zealand was, in 1893, the first country to grant women the right

to vote, the enthusiasm for equality in sport has developed much more slowly. “New Zealand has always had a culture of tough, practical folk, but we’ve definitely had our gender-role splits along with that,” says Rachael.

Only recently have women stepped en masse into mainstream sports—they’ve already come to dominate netball, for one, now played almost exclusively by females. The trend is also playing out in New Zealand’s burgeoning culture of adventure sports.

From her involvement in the industry, Rachael has seen female participation in river running undergo major changes in the last 15 years. “The number of women involved in teaching outdoor pursuits and guiding rafts now, compared to when I began, has increased radically,” she says. Rachael attributes this to the fact that, “while New Zealand as a country becomes more understanding of the equality of our genders, outdoor industries are becoming more attractive for women.” She loves that the technical school that produces the majority of new river runners has a 5050 ratio of women to men this year.

As for the future of Kiwi women in adventure sports, Rachael believes role models are the answer, and she hopes her own leadership in the river community will get even more women out there.

–Brooke Johnson

womensadventuremagazine.com

ZAK SHAW

Colorado. But the parallels don’t end there. Like many Colorado natives, Kiwis face—and garner inspiration from—Mother Nature on a daily basis.

“The mountains are aweinspiring, the gorges and rivers are wild, and the ocean they flow into is cold and alive,” says Rachael Moore, a professional river guide and kayaker from New Zealand.

[ PRO/CON ]

Is city living more eco-friendly than country living?

YES

Cars have serious carbon baggage, and if you live in a city, a vehicle is probably unnecessary. If you can’t walk to work, you can hop on the light-rail, streetcar, or bus. And when you’ve exhausted your city’s cycling trails, “put your bike on a bus and go for a spin,” says John Gordon, director of the Center for Sustainable Processes and Practices at Portland State University. Portland, Oregon is a prime example, says Gordon. It’s a green-minded “20-minute” city where people can get all the services they need within minutes of home. City buildings, built upward rather than sideways, are way more land and energy efficient than their country counterparts. And innovations such as passive-solar vegetation, and a $133 million vertical garden project planned for the downtown Portland federal building, are making the city even more eco-friendly.

NO

Nothing tastes better than a cherry tomato plucked from your backyard garden. Living outside the city affords land for produce, chickens, a compost heap, and other subsistence trappings.

You’ve got mountains to climb, country roads to bike, and rivers to fish.

Although services like water, electricity, and WiFi are environmentally more costly to deliver to populationsparse areas, experts say avoiding the industrial food complex will take a big chunk out of your “secondary” carbon footprint. “Society needs food and fiber, so someone needs to live on the farm and in the forest to provide those things,” says Chris Roehm, a farmer outside Portland. But, he adds, there’s a drawback to country living: the miles he racks up driving. “If I weren’t farming, I would move directly back to the close-in city neighborhood where I rode my bike 90 percent of the time.”

Got an opinion? Weigh in on the debate at the womensadventuremagazine.com forum pages.

[ GANNETT’S GREEN TIP ]

Squelch Your Secondary

CORRYNN COCHRAN

Your quest to reduce energy use shouldn’t stop once you’ve sealed up a drafty house or bought a hybrid car. Your “secondary” carbon footprint is a combo of everyday choices—what you buy, reuse, recycle, and throw away—and some experts calculate that our industrial food system has the highest cumulative impact on carbon emissions and energy use. What can you do?

• • • • •

Buy locally and in season from your farmers’ market. Visit www.localharvest.org to find one near you.

Join a dairy share, beef share, or egg share from a local farm and switch to local, grass-fed, and pastured meat, chicken, eggs, milk, butter, and cheese.

Add one more meat-free meal to your weekly menu. Meat is higher on the food chain, so it uses more energy.

Start a garden. Simple, easy-to-grow items like herbs, lettuce, and spinach can grow in containers, inside or out, and all year long.

Start a compost pile. Food scraps that end up in landfills create methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Visit womensadventuremagazine.com for more tips and resources from environmental consultant, world-champion skier, and Women’s Adventure’s green guru, Alison Gannett.

WAM OSPRING’2010”

15

P

16

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

womensadventuremagazine.com

D IRT

O

PLANET EARTH

[ ACTION ]

Mothering Nature

Old broads battle for wilderness.

I

magine your 70-year-old grandmother trekking up a 12,000-foot peak—steps ahead of you. Then imagine her lobbying on behalf of wilderness protection, fighting against oil and gas exploration, publicland grazing, and off-road vehicle activity.

Age holds no boundaries for the Great Old Broads for Wilderness, a nonprofit organization founded in 1989. Most of the 4,500 members grew up in an era when parents told their children to go outside and play, and now, even though the average Broad is between 50 and 60 years old, these women still play in the wild and work to protect it. “We have outings outdoors, but they always have a purpose,” says Veronica Egan, executive director of the Broads.

The Broads’ formation was inspired by a late-1980s political debate in which one side claimed wilderness areas without roads restricted older Americans’ ability to use and enjoy them. Susan Tixier, founder of the Broads, disagreed with this notion.

“We may be long in the tooth, our backs may hurt, and our legs may not move as fast as they used to, but we are dedicated to the preservation of wilderness,” Veronica says,

highlighting the organization’s approach toward ageless advocacy. “It’s just amazing: the talent, resilience, passion, and humor of our members. Every one of them is still at it.”

Comprised of consummate outdoorswomen like Rose Chilcoat, the Broads’ associate director and a former National Park Service ranger, the group’s unassuming gray-haired membership boasts some impressive outdoor résumés. Rose expands on the roll call: “Some have lived the most incredible adventures, whether it’s climbing Everest, being guides around the globe, journeying into exotic wild places. Everything from outdoor educators to housewives. They love wild places and they are doing something about protecting them.”

Turns out the group’s grandmotherly approach works well with politicians and bureaucrats who are often surprised to get calls or e-mails from 60-, 70-, 80-, and 90-year-old women advocating for wilderness. According to Veronica, the Broads’ ability to speak about locations in the first person carries clout. “We don’t actually claim a particular campaign, but we add to the activism discussion using the voice of elders,” she says. In short, the goal is to partner with and enhance local conservation efforts.

The group’s most successful program, the Broads’ Healthy Land Project, includes a protocol that trains members, volunteers, and partners to record the impacts of off-road vehicles on public lands. One of the Broads’ biggest triumphs was monitoring an unauthorized ATV trail in a canyon in Utah’s San Juan County.

“This canyon was like a miniature Mesa Verde, full of archeology,” Veronica says. Though the group had advocated the trail’s closure for years, its cooperative monitoring project provided the hard evidence that convinced the Bureau of Land Management to close the trail—and enforce the closure—in 2007.

A passionate resolve radiates throughout the Great Old Broads for Wilderness. Even members who aren’t physically active still attend meetings, send e-mails, and make phone calls. The group’s philosophy, says Veronica, includes the past and future. “If we can no longer get there by foot, we can always get there by memory, and that’s much better than not having wild lands for our grandchildren.”

—Gigi Ragland

D IRT

O

FUN STUFF

[ QUIZ ]

Adventure Geography

Siberia? Spain? Sydney? How can you plan your next big adventure if you’re not sure where to go? Find out whether your geography know-how is more likely to send you on another trip to Lake Erie or scuba diving a protected reef near the Azores.

7

9

Want to carve snow and surf? Where’s your best bet for finding both?

Which activity hints that your tour operator is serious about sustainability?

a) New Zealand’s South Island b) Washington State c) Australia

a) Early-morning yoga next to the pool b) Devoting one day per week to trail maintenance projects c) Using local guides and eating in local restaurants

8

Blending into traditional cultures can be as easy as donning a headscarf. Which Muslim country requires women to wear them?

1 Your idea of adventure travel

4 Traditional treats are part of the

includes an airplane ticket to:

fun. Where are you likely to munch on a steaming tarantula entrée?

a) London Heathrow (LHR).

Passing Big Ben on the wrong side of the road is adventure enough. b) Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi International (BKK)—South Asian gateway and home of tuk-tuks and pad thai. c) Minneapolis–St. Paul International (MSP)—closest runway to the Mall of America.

2 The ice shelves are melting and hordes of tourists are moving in. Between 1992 and 2008, how much did vitsitation to Antarctica increase?

a) From 1,500 in 1992 to 250,000 in 2008 b) From 9,000 in 1992 to 46,000 in 2008 c) From 150 in 1992 to 1,200 in 2008

a) Texas, Hawaii, and parts of central Kansas b) Zimbabwe, Jamaica, and Morocco c) Venezuela, Cambodia, and Papua New Guinea

5

Dreaming about splash skirts and paddle gloves?

What’s the backdrop of your kayaking fantasy?

a) The local reservoir—shallow enough to stand, and the kids can watch from the beach. b) Washington State’s San Juan Islands—orca observing by day and smoked salmon for supper. c) Ísafjörður in Iceland’s Westfjords, perfecting your Eskimo roll in the North Atlantic.

6

chunk of adventure-travel traffic?

Ever thought of checking out Timbuktu? Pack your bags for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to:

a) 12 percent. If they’re anything like me, most women hardly ever leave the house. b) 42 percent. More of my pals are picking it up, but it’s still easier for the boys. c) 58 percent. We’re out in full force and enjoying equal rights the world over.

a) Mongolia. That’s about as far away as you can get from civilization, right? b) Blockbuster. If you’re lucky, the DVD shop will have the 1959 Hollywood hit on hand. c) Mali and the West African Sahara. Ancient trade-route secrets still lure adventurers.

3 Women contribute to what

a) Turkey. The currency is Euro, but the culture is not. b) Saudi Arabia. Mecca’s home turf enforces strict Islamic law. c) Indonesia—except for at the beaches, where bikinis are A–OK.

10

Scuba diving in the South Pacific? Be sure to check out Chuuk and Palau, which are:

a) Small island nations sheltered by dive-worthy barrier reefs. b) Rival dive guides with cushy boats. c) Traditional rice-based lunch options. One is tuna, the other conch.

If you scored: 10-17:

Ever get lost in your own neighborhood? Not surprising. If you don’t know up from down, or Tasmania from Tanzania, it’s unlikely you’ll ever find off-the-beaten-track adventure. Pick up an atlas every once in a while and look for cultural enclaves in your own town to help make far-flung locales part of your everyday reality.

Start slow, but aim to increase your geo know-how before booking an accidental ticket to Paris, Illinois.

18-24:

Childhood road trips, backpacking through Europe, and reading The New York Times. A little bit of travel and a love for learning have taught you enough that you can navigate your town’s Middle Eastern market and (probably) avoid an international incident.

Set a goal to expand your knowledge base and explore a new culture this year. Even if you can’t afford to travel to China, watch a couple of Shanghai-based films, make friends with a student from Nanjing, find some authentic dim sum, and learn a few Cantonese words. Learning will pique your curiosity and likely inspire your next adventure.

25-30:

Too bad those early explorers beat you to it. If the West was unexplored or the edges of the earth undefined, you’d be figuring it out yourself. If you’ve already visited the Taj Mahal and you’re booked to mountain bike across Croatia, consider exploring a few places closer to home. The cultural curiosities you’ll find in the good ol’ U.S. of A. can be as shocking and adventurous as anywhere.

Add up your points: 1) a. 2, b. 3, c. 1; 2) a. 3, b. 2, c. 1; 3) a. 1, b. 3, c. 2; 4) a. 1, b. 2, c. 3; 5) a. 1, b. 2, c. 3; 6) a. 2, b. 1, c. 3; 7) a. 3, b. 2, c. 1; 8) a. 2, b. 3, c. 1; 9) a. 1, b. 3, c. 2; 10) a. 3, b. 1, c. 2.

18

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

womensadventuremagazine.com

[ KIDS CORNER ]

Cultivate Compassion

T

eaching environmental stewardship and service is a priority for many parents, but how can you get your kids involved? Through volunteering, says Amy V. D’Unger, PhD, of the Georgia-based nonprofit Compassionate Kids. Luckily, sunny spring weather and Earth Day’s 40th anniversary on April 22 create easy opportunities to introduce the kids to community service. Even if you have limited mobility or little ones in tow, you can find activities that benefit your favorite charities. To ensure volunteering success, “choose an activity that makes sense for your family and give a concrete experience that will resonate with your kids’ age group,” D’Unger suggests. Here are three ideas to get you started: • Race for a cause Sign up for an established race directly related to your chosen cause. Or, pick an event not tied to charity, but still raise money that you will donate after completing the goal. Foot races, bike rides, hikes—even stair climbs—can raise lofty sums for good causes. Step up your spirit by decorating team attire with your message and wear it while training and on race day.

• Clean up parks or waterways Volunteer for a local public-land or water cleanup, or recruit friends for an informal pick-up day of your own. Contact your city or county for suggestions for places in need of scrub-downs, and pick a strategic date, like a school half-day, for the event. Advertise with reusable posters, plan to document your work, and garner more inspiration and ideas at www.youthnoise.com.

• Plant a seed Planting trees and community gardens are more than just green activities— they’re great ways to get kids invested in the community and the future. Start by volunteering for a one-time event or with a local garden or environmental club (find one at www.arborday.org). If all goes well, consider starting a community garden in your neighborhood or at a homeless shelter, school, or nursing home.

—Courtney Johnson

D IRT

O

FUN STUFF

[ MEDIA ROOM ]

Outdoor Parents, Outdoor Kids: A Guide to Getting Your Kids Active in the Outdoors

By Eugene Buchanan

From fishing to climbing to cannonballing out of a canoe, Eugene Buchanan offers practical tips for getting your entire family outside—and enjoying it.

Each of the book’s 11 chapters covers a different activity, and sidebars laced throughout serve up interesting tidbits.

Did you know that ancient Egyptians invented marshmallows? Or that there’s a kayak accessory for American Girl dolls? Or that active kids will probably prefer spin casting to traditional fishing? These are just a few of the fun facts packed into this practical parents’ guide.

Heliconia Press, 2009

Gardening on a Shoestring

By Rob Proctor

Tips like how to get rid of aphids without caustic and expensive chemicals (spritz leaves with two parts household shampoo to one part cream rinse) make Gardening on a Shoestring a must-read for anyone hoping to develop a green thumb without breaking the bank. In glorious full color, Rob Proctor’s book puts dream gardens within reach of readers with small budgets, but with big-budget attitudes about what a garden should look like. Green doesn’t necessarily cost more green.

Johnson Books, 2006

The Best Women’s Travel Writing 2010: True Stories from Around the World

By Stephanie Elizondo Griest

Reading this sixth installment of the annual series, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll (for the most part) wish you could travel with the authors to places like Zimbabwe, Costa Rica, Spain, and Hawaii. These tales expose the depth and character of “place” through the fresh and compelling voices of the women writers who’ve visited each one.

Travelers’ Tales Guides, 2010

Need a good read? Contributing web editor, Tara Kusumoto, regularly reviews books for womensadventuremagazine.com.

Check out her most recent reviews online:

[ HAHA, LOL, ROTFL ]

© 2008 Tundra Comics

20

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

womensadventuremagazine.com

REDEFINING

HUMANLY POSSIBLE

[ WORDSWORTH ]

SCUBA Jargon Atmosphere │ Squeeze

Atmosphere ('at-m -'sfir) 1. noun. the mass of air surrounding the earth. 2. noun. the overall aesthetic effect of a work of art or decor. 3. noun. a unit of pressure equal to approximately 15 ponds per square inch. Divers reach one atmosphere of pressure under 33 feet of seawater.

Nathan athlete and Hardock 100 champion Krissy Moehl

e

BC ('bē 'sē) 1. abbreviation. Before Christ, often printed in small caps. 2. abbreviation. British Columbia, a province on Canada’s Pacific coast.

3. abbreviation. Buoyancy Compensator, a vest worn by divers that is inflated or deflated to control buoyancy and provide rapid flotation in case of an emergency.

Half time ('häf tīm) 1. noun. intermission between halves of a game or contest, often involving popular entertainment or audience games. 2. adjective. working half the standard hours. 3. noun. half the time it takes for dissolved gas (such as nitrogen) to equilibrate or reach full saturation at a new pressure.

Half times are used to design dive tables and algorithms for dive computers.

Octopus ('äk-t -p s) 1. noun. any genus of cephalopod mollusks with eight arms equipped with two rows of suckers. 2. noun. something, such as a multinational corporation, that has many powerful, centrally controlled branches. 3. noun. an alternate second stage air source used by a diver’s buddy in an out-of-air situation. e e

Regulator (‘re-gy -,lā-t r) 1. noun. someone who ensures compliance with laws, regulations, and established rules. 2. noun. a substance that affects the progress of a biochemical reaction or process.

3. noun. a device that supplies a diver with breathing gas at ambient pressure and which decreases the pressure of the gas between the compressedair dive tank and the demand valve. e

e

Squeeze (‘skwēz) 1. verb. to exert pressure on opposite sides of something as in a hug. 2. verb. to crowd into a limited area. 3. noun. pain or discomfort in the sinuses, middle ear, or inside a mask caused by shrinkage of that space. It’s preventable and a result of improper equalization upon descent.

ă

pat/ā

pay/âr

care/ä

father/b

bib/

ch

church/d

deed/ĕ

pet/ē

be/f

fife/g

gag/

Nathan Performance Gear™ helps you achieve your goals, no matter how impossible they may seem.

Long-distance and hot-weather runs require a lot of supplies - energy bars, a cell phone, extra clothing, and lots of water. Designed to fit a woman’s body in all the right places, the Intensity helps athletes go farther, faster by eliminating the discomfort of a tight waistbelt, easing breathing, and reducing diaphragm fatigue. Featuring a two-liter bladder, lightweight and breathable Wall Mesh with soft perimeter binding that feels great against skin, and weighing only six ounces when empty, the Intensity is the long-distance pack that doesn’t feel like one.

Nathan Performance Gear™ is available at specialty running shops, sporting goods stores, and outdoor specialty stores. For more information, visit www.NathanSports.com.

hat/

NathanAd_Spring2010.indd 1

2/19/10 4:37:02 PM

D IRT

O

FUN STUFF

[ GOTTA HAVE ]

Green on the Go Green living doesn’t just mean hybrid cards and compost piles. In honor of Earth Day, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite products that promote sustainability, conservation, and smart design.

nPower PEG (Personal Energy Generator) This Land Is Your Land The Working Proof supports giving and affordable art. The organization commissioned Portland, Oregon-based artist Amy Ruppel to create this powerful, limited-edition 8 x 10–inch print. Fifteen percent of the $45 price tag goes directly to the nonprofit American Forest.

GoLite TraveLite Tote Despite its urban appearance, the TraveLite Tote has backcountry roots. Recycled nylon—GoLite uses the same stuff for its technical backpacks—makes this bag strong, light, and low impact.

Banish takeout containers and disposable sporks from your lunchtime routine. This two-stainless steel tiffin set, which comes with sustainable bamboo silverwear, lets you carry a multiple-course meal in one streamlined reusable container.

$149; www.greennpower.com

$45; www.theworkingproof.com

$70; www.golite.com

$31; www.to-goware.com

22

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

To-Go Ware 2-Tier Action Pack

womensadventuremagazine.com

FULLERTON IMAGES

Put the nPower Personal Energy Generator (PEG) in your pocket or backpack and create your own renewable power. This little gadget uses the kinetic energy you generate as you move to charge electronic devices– cell phones, cameras, iPods– so no resources are wasted.

Now if someone could just figure out how to power the rest of the world like this.

[ PLAYLIST ]

On the Rocks

!"#$$%"&'()*+",-./"011"2'34-5"2656786./"9:;--"26'."<4;-;/

Pumped and ready, 23-year-old climber Emily Harrington sets out March 30 for a North Face-sponsored climbing expedition in Turkey. While training, she hangs out on the rock, and rocks out to an edgy playlist. Her top five songs—and why she tunes in.

- As told to Molly Rettig

&,-.,/01$ 2034536.,/0777

((

121 bpm

((( r&b )))

((

132 bpm

((( electronic )))

((

120 bpm

((( pop )))

((

151 bpm

((( rap )))

JOHN EVANS

((

119 bpm

((( pop )))

Troublemaker Freedom, Akon & Sweet Rush “I love Akon and it helps me get psyched.”

Finally Moving Taking Up Your Precious Time, Pretty Lights “This song relaxes me and reminds me of my trip to Venezuela.”

#89:.; $/.,$6.;868=0$>-0$ ?840$.,@$A034536.,/0$54$ <

B5C3$5C>@553$0DC8A60,>7

TiK ToK Animal, Ke$ha “I can’t get it out of my head.”

!"#$%&'()*+$,#-.$/$0#)1$234)151336+$.3$ 513.#7.$)8)&-".$!9$:);)8#$)-:$1#<&<#$ .=#$().#1$1#5#44#-7>$36$>3?1$8#)1@

I’m Me The Leak, Lil’ Wayne “For when I need a confidence boost.”

%&'()*+$,#-.$/$0#)1$234)151336+$"'5"*""51)>A3-$ ().#15133B$-8$)-:$!9$C437'#1$=;7"-6:4>':*1"=*?7':5"*>."

36*7"5@:4"*5"-6>-5A"?*:(B*:(5A":*C67*"?*35"*>."C;76D

Pokerface The Fame, Lady Gaga “It makes me want to run faster and try harder.”

E" E" E" E"

Download these songs and five more of Emily’s playlist favorites at: womensadventuremagazine.com

9@'-*?16"=;7"*11")6*-467B7;;="=*?7':5/"" 26F)*-67B7;;=5"" <7;-6:-5"*3*'>5-"GH".6-67';7*-';> I*>".;@?16"-46"6J"6:-'86"1'=6";="=*?7':

!"#$%&#"'()*%+,-".%,+/0123)"!

!"#$%!&&'$(&)*+!"#$%!&'#(!)*+!,-../!,-../0

!!!"#$%!&'"#()*!&+,!"#$%&'()!*+*#,!-.'/0

D IRT

O

INSPIRATION AND INFORMATION

[ DREAM JOB ]

Meet Healy Hamilton

What sparked your interest in redwoods and biological diversity?

The first time I ever ran away from home, I camped out for a night in Muir Woods [National Monument in California]. It’s a very spiritual and formative place for me. Many years later I helped develop a method for looking at how climate change affects the geographic distribution of target species. The redwoods are a conservation icon, and a lot of people care about them, but their range has been reduced to a very narrow strip of California coastline. Working with the Save the Redwoods League allows my methodology for forecasting climate-change impacts on biodiversity to directly inform the organization’s conservation strategy and change the future of redwoods “on the ground.”

What’s a typical day at the office like for you?

My lab in the California Academy of Sciences is an amazing place— there’s an aquarium, a living roof, and a four-story rainforest, and I work with an amazing group of highly motivated students and staff.

But I don’t actually get to go out and climb redwood trees—I look at how climate change affects biodiversity via computer models. We run thousands and thousands of potential climate models in our target species’ ranges and apply data sets from a wide range of experts. For the redwood project, I also visit different parks and forest sites and take GPS waypoints where I see seedlings and saplings. This isn’t a required part of the research, but the lab work inspires me to get out into nature, commune with the forests a little, and understand the organism better.

Age: 47 Stomping grounds: San Francisco Bay Area, California Job: Biodiversity scientist who studies redwood trees

Healy hugs a giant, coastal redwood, Sequoia sempervirens

From diving for seahorses to studying some of the planet’s largest trees, Healy Hamilton, PhD, describes the research she conducts as a biodiversity scientist as “schizophrenic.” But no matter the size of the subject, the goal of Healy’s lab and field time is always to understand the geographic ranges of key species, figure out how climate change might affect them, and use that information to manage and conserve our planet’s biodiversity.

Healy took a break from her current project with the Save the Redwoods League to tell Women’s Adventure what she loves about her job.

24

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

What’s the most surprising thing for you about your job?

How hard I work and that I never get sick of it. It’s not the normal model—for most people, life starts when they walk out of the office.

But for me, recognizing how much we depend on biodiversity in our everyday lives is my inspiration—it’s every bite of the food we eat, it’s the medicines in our cabinet, it’s construction materials, and even our recreation. Working to conserve biodiversity is who I am, not just a thing I do. I’d also say that it surprises me, in a wonderful way, how many amazing people are working so hard to make this world a better place and to save the diversity of life on Earth.

“You can never know it all, but the more you learn about Earth’s diversity, the more you appreciate it.” womensadventuremagazine.com

COURTESY OF THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

What do you love about your work?

The more you learn about life on Earth, the more questions you have.

Intellectually, studying biodiversity is an infinite landscape. As you continue deepening your knowledge, it gets more and more interesting, more and more fascinating. It’s like Alice in Wonderland. You fall into an alternate universe—but it’s right here, it’s all around us! My problem is that I can’t stop working, because what I do is so meaningful to me.

[ BY THE NUMBERS ]

[ YOUR HEALTH ]

17

Rachel Flanders’ age when she became the youngest person to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean

Number of English Channel crossings by swimmer Alison Streeter

5

Running in Stilettos?

Records

Setting the Record Straight

43

Number of times Lakpa Sherpa has summited Mount Everest—the most by any woman

4.8

Inches that the tallest-ever woman towered over the tallest-ever man (she was over 8 feet tall)

11.64

According to a recent study published in the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation’s journal PM&R, your running shoes may be contributing to osteoarthritis. D. Casey Kerrigan, MD, who conducted the research while at the University of Virginia, analyzed knee torque and the direction and magnitude of force on the leg joints of 68 recreational runners—and found potential damage akin to walking in high heels all day. Still, Kerrigan says runners shouldn’t throw away their high-tech Reeboks just yet.

Because modern-day running surfaces are harder than ancestral ones, running barefoot isn’t much better for the body (yet). In the meantime, consider a shoe with a balanced height ratio between the rear and forefoot, or take a look at some of the “barefoot technology” that’s already emerging.

mph

Ann Trason’s average pace for her recordsetting 17-hour, 37-minute finish in the 1994 Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run

5.7

mph Paula Radcliffe’s average pace for her record-setting 2-hour, 15-minute marathon world record in 2003 Number of women racing in the 2010 Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale, the “Women’s Tour de France.” (The event was cancelled for this year.)

2

0

Total number of women finishers (ever) in the annual 470-mile, self-supported Colorado Trail Mountain Bike Race

193.83 Miles Eszter Horanyi rode in the 2009 24 Hours of Moab to earn the Guinness women’s record for most miles mountain biked in 24 hours

Read more about the anti-shoe revolution online at: womensadventuremagazine.com

WAM OSPRING’2010”

25

P

D IRT

O

INSPIRATION AND INFORMATION

[ BY DESIGN ]

Eyes on the Prize

By Heather Hansman

1

2

3

4

Technology has progressed so that light transmission, lens materials, performance coatings, and frame designs can be dialed to specific needs. We wear sunglasses for protection, but increasingly to get a better picture of the world around us, explains Tom Fox, president of

26

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

Optic Nerve. “We’re trying to manage terrain and light conditions,” he says. There are four characteristics that factor into that balance: light transmission, lens material and coatings, and frame design.

Ultimately, your choice of sunglasses comes down to personal preference and which type keeps you happy and squint free. But the more you know about the conditions you’ll be playing in and what you’ll be looking at through your lenses, the better prepared you’ll be to throw down big bucks for the right set. “There’s a lifestyle component,” says Jackson. “You have to ask, can this pair cross between all the activities I want to do?”

womensadventuremagazine.com

COURTESY OF RYDERS

G

one are the days of bug-eyed dorkiness.

Today’s sunglass manufacturers produce high-functioning, technical specs that are as wearable on Hollywood Boulevard as they are at the velodrome. “I like to think that women are pushing the evolution of change,” says Wink Jackson, cofounder of Zeal Optics. “We’re incorporating fashion and function.”

1

Light transmission

Ranging from light-blocking dark grey to pale yellow to clear, lens color is categorized according to visible light transmission. Equally important, different colors absorb different parts of the spectrum, changing color perception and level of contrast. Fox says that contrast is inversely related to color perception, so a high-contrast copper lens, for example, skews perception, causing you to see more black and white. Gray lenses, on the other hand, maintain accurate color but flatten light and diminish contrast. This explains sport-specific choices such as a tennis pro’s blue lenses and a mountain biker’s amber or yellow favorites.

UV-reactive photochromatic lenses are another option for controlling light transmission that manufacturers have begun incorporating into mainstream styles. Photochromatics are “like a live culture,” says Fox, describing the fluctuation between dark and clear tints that’s perfectly suited for the variable conditions often encountered when mountain biking, for example.

2 Material Weight, strength, and clarity are all affected by a lens’ base material, another factor in performance and protection. The most common materials, particularly for sport-oriented glasses, are glass and polycarbonate. Glass lenses are known for having better optical clarity, while polycarbonates are stronger and less likely to shatter. Polycarbonate lenses, even clear ones, also block 100 percent of UV rays, offering increased sun protection. Some companies, like Kaenon Polarized and Zeal Optics, have new, proprietary lens materials that they claim combine the safety of polycarbonate and the clarity of glass.

3 Coating Surface coatings, or treatments that change a lens’ optical properties, also offer advantages in varied situations. One of the most familiar coatings for casual sunglass connoisseurs is polarization. Polarized lenses filter refracted light rays so that only one beam of light hits the eye, reducing glare, preventing squinting, and minimizing eye fatigue drastically. “Over a lifetime, there are significant benefits there,” says Jackson, who recommends polarized lenses for use on the water and snow, especially. Another popular coating attractive to adventure-sport enthusiasts–a hydrophobic coating. Hydrophobic lenses repel water, dust, moisture, and oil, and the longlasting coating reduces scratches and wear and tear on the lenses themselves.

4 Frame design Realistically, if your shades don’t stay on your face, they’re not doing you much good. So once you have your lenses dialed, take the fit and shape of the frame into account. Women’s-specific frames are designed especially for smaller faces, and manufacturers now offer more options for customizing adjustments, such as moveable temples and nosepieces. Adjustable frames don’t have to look race ready, and because women tend to have narrower nose bridges and cheekbones, large or improperly fitting frames can slip around, especially during sweaty workouts.

While super-wrapped, 9-base frames have nine points of contact with the face for a better fit, 4-base frames have only four points of contact and tend to be geared toward fashion. Higher base frames fit better for high-impact activities, but today’s fashion-forward designs come in 8-base styles, so you can run a marathon without looking like Lance Armstrong.

WAM OSPRING’2010”

27

P

D IRT

O

INSPIRATION AND INFORMATION

[ RED CARPET ]

10-minute Sports Makeover When the flow through Colorado’s Clear Creek Canyon is at its peak, Beth McVay, a 33-year-old message therapist, puts in three or four times a week. “Clear Creek, Saint Vrain, and Boulder Creek are so accessible,” she says of the waterways near her Boulder, Colorado home base. A few pieces in Beth’s five-seasons-old setup needed updating, so Allison Lasure, sales and product expert at REI, suggested gear that will serve double duty for recreational touring. With her new finds, Beth can still playboat but she’ll have the option of all-day trips, too. According to Allison, splurging on quality comfort for touring is worth it. “If you’re in the right kit, you’ll want to spend all day on the water,” she says.

A short paddle handles well in rocky rapids but high-angle paddling requires quick cadence.

Unisex PFDs sit low, and riding up is almost always a problem.

Notice the fraying? Don’t skimp on safety; some PFD foams lose buoyancy with age.

Whitewater-specific pogies and helmets are necessities for advanced kayakers, but don’t bother with them if you are a fair-weather boater or won’t be hitting rapids.

Rubber gussets on this dry top keep water out, but the tight seal is uncomfortable for an all-day outing.

Clammy booties with soft soles are better in boat than for shoreline exploring.

Adjustable blade angle and lightweight carbon shaft on the Werner Camano Paddle are ideal for low-angle strokes.

Kokatat Tropos Light Breeze Paddle Jacket is breathable, and barely-there rubber seals offer wetness protection.

Customize the MTI PFDiva PFD. A women’s-specific fit has three padding-insert options for below-breast support and flotation.

With board-short style, the Mysterioso Softseat shorts have neoprene padding in the rear for all-day comfort.

NRS Boater’s Fingerless Gloves preserve dexterity, prevent blisters, and provide sun protection.

Smooth-tracking and stable, Necky’s Manitou 13 is a versatile choice for all-day cruising.

Stubby, squat playboats maneuver well in waves and eddies, but the short hull is designed for equally short paddling distances.

Thin Vibram soles on FiveFingers shoes offer traction and maintain a natural “feel” for ruddercontrolled boats or walking slick shorelines.

A mesh gear bag is a recipe for a soggy lunch.

FULLERTON IMAGES

Outdoor Research’s 10-liter dry sack is lightweight and a good day-long size.

Watch a video of Beth’s makeover and hear why Allison pinpointed this setup at: womensadventuremagazine.com

28

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

womensadventuremagazine.com

[ LESSONS FROM THE FIELD ]

Let your Past Guide You Finding your way in unfamiliar territory

H

ike the trail in front of you until it forks and then forks again. Be present. Notice what’s in front of you. Maybe there’s a gnarled pine with a knot in the middle that looks like the face of a bull mastiff. Or a rock outcropping with horizontal ridges like a ladder leading to the sky. Notice what you hear: the pop of the stream, the creak of an aspen grove in the wind.

Three hours from now, you’ll approach the same intersection of trail from the opposite direction. With the sun lower in the sky, the trees and rocks you thought you knew will be strangers, and sound may bounce and echo with shifting breezes. You’ll look around in all directions and start to feel, well, lost.

Any good navigator will tell you that it’s a good idea to stop periodically and look at the trail behind you for markers you’ll remember. Later, instead of losing your way, you’ll use these memories to guide you home. That’s good advice for life, too. Examining the past in order to move forward takes time and courage, more so perhaps than staying in the here and now. The folly of youth and the wisdom of friends and family serve as massive cairns, reminding us that sometimes, in order to find out where to go, you have to look back at where you’ve been.

!"#$%&"'(")*

Bro ad -ta

[ EARTH SPECIES ]

d ile

ngbird mm i u h

+,-.$.%'"/$*+.$%+$")+0%1""!2%3%456* Guide-designed for the ultimate in warmth and comfort.

Featuring premium 800 fill Canadian goose down, the Anorak is breathable, wind- and water-resistant. Side vents zip open for ventilation or close for warmth.

Available in black, red, or gold; with or without hood ($249) or as a vest ($164).

BILL BRYANT

www.brooks-range.com Common in the Rocky Mountains, this tiny bird can flap its wings up to 60 times per second, but it can also slow its heart rate and drops its body temperature—adaptations that help it survive cold nights.

!"#$%&'$%()*+,-.*/&&$$$0

120320,$$$-4,1$%5

D IRT

O

INSPIRATION AND INFORMATION

[ ROAR ]

Navigator Wendy Fisher runs to the top of a sand dune to get a better look around.

Pedal to the Metal

Americans Emily Miller and Wendy Fisher find their element in the Moroccan desert.

Team Miller-Fisher—made up of a rugged Southern California sports-marketing entrepreneur and an Olympic big-mountain skier—will be the only American team, again, to participate in the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles, an all-woman off-road rally in its 20th year. The race is dominated by French driver-navigator teams, the best in the world, so if it weren’t for Emily’s training under offroad driving legend Rod Hall, the odds might be stacked against them.

30

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

After only six years behind the wheel, Emily has already gained notoriety as the first female driver to solo the three-day TSCO Vegas To Reno race and for a top finish in the Baja 1000, one of the most famous off-road rallies.

Yet despite Emily’s world-class driving, the pair isn’t gunning for first place. Emily and Wendy hope to land in the top 10 out of 109 teams this go-around and then break into the top three next year. “Our goal is to draw other American teams to this event to build its exposure in the United States and to get women driving,” Emily says.

The race itself is tough, but before heading to the start line they recall last year’s nitty-gritty with an enthusiasm that belies the struggle. Military rations, 4 a.m. starts, outdated topographical maps, compass navigation, soft dunes, flat tires, siphoning gas, and getting lost are the makings for many emotional (and automobile) breakdowns, which Emily and Wendy take in good stride and even laugh about. “There were five times when I was fighting back tears,” Wendy says of last year’s race, her first. “But those painful moments were short lived, and hopefully next time I’ll only feel like crying two times.”

Only twice would be impressive. Especially since, apart from the stress brought on by short sleeps and all-day concentration, this year’s Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles

womensadventuremagazine.com

MAЇENGA

S

weaty, sandy, windblown, and exhausted. By the time driver Emily Miller and navigator Wendy Fisher emerge from the Moroccan desert after nine days of off-roading in their Hummer H3, they’ll be hard to pick out from the crowd of 218 all-female driver-navigator teams. These women from all over the world will be dust covered, exhausted, and elated after nine days of dodging scrub brush, passing camels, summiting mountains of sand, and hitting checkpoints one by one en route to the finish line. Despite the fact that Emily and Wendy’s standout talent actually helps them blend into the crowd, this dynamic duo will be a bit out of its element “I’ve done everything from triathlons to 24-hour races,” Emily says. “But it’s funny—I live in a small neighborhood, so I almost never drive my car.”

Together and buckled in for nine days of off-road driving.

will be Wendy’s second-ever off-road rally. While the Colorado-based mother of two honed her intuitive sense of direction and keen ability to analyze her environment through her experience a big-mountain skier—she even earned a 1992 U.S. Olympic team spot and is a recurring fixture in Warren Miller’s annual ski films—Wendy admits that the blind navigation she’s charged with in Morocco is new to her. “I felt really vulnerable and was disappointed when we got lost,” she says about last year.

Emily chimes in immediately to explain what a tough job Wendy has and why her contribution is so important to the team dynamic: “She’s a really, really hard worker,” Emily says of her partner. “It’s intense but it makes us better friends.”

This friendship and camaraderie, both between each other and with the other teams, is a huge part of why Emily and Wendy are so excited to race again. It’s also why they’re challenging other American women to throw down the roughly $30,000 required to outfit a team.

“We’re out of our element in a lot of ways,” says Wendy, “It’s no vacation, but the views and the scenery and all the rest … it’s the best way to see Morocco.”

Follow Team Miller-Fisher’s progress online March 13–27. After the rally, watch a slideshow of race highlights at: womensadventuremagazine.com

LOVE ON THE ROCKS 0

1/2

1

1

2

Field Guide to American Dudes: Mountain Edition Your guide to identifying common mountain men

By Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan

W

e reached the summit just as dawn was breaking, soft pink light illuminating the ski tracks we’d left behind. My legs were burning from the exertion of the climb, lungs stinging with every breath of chilled air. I’d never felt so gloriously alive. At this hour, this high up, we—my boyfriend and I—could have been the only two left on earth.

“This is amazing,” I whispered, drinking in mile after mile of rose-colored peaks.

“Incredible,” he nodded, the mountaintop wind gusting to expertly tousle his hair.

“Just tell me when you’re ready to head down,” I said before turning to strip the skins off my skis and watch the sun rise. When I looked back—oh my God—he was on one knee, eyes shining as he extended his mittened hand toward me.

On his palm lay a small, baby blue box. My heart leapt …

Ha! Just kidding! Did you really think this installment of “Love on the Rocks,” my last for Women’s Adventure, could be wrapped up with such a convenient, romance-novel finale?

The truth is, my boyfriend and I, after 18 months, remain blissfully untethered. There’s no melodramatic conflict tear-

s, lowess, pointy shoe Spot him: Harn ulpted sc s, nt pa a slung prAn ers back and should The upsides: ves to travel, He is focused, lo d out. and is way chille t of his chance he lives ou Beware: Good rush -c an m ird we van; he has a erng fi chalk on Chris Sharma; dress il ta ck ck co prints on your bla a ride to J-Tree “I’m looking for e: lin g in en op Your y?” … know anybod

32

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

ing us apart: No one’s being sent to war; he didn’t turn out to have a secret wife in Texas. We can’t even claim a run-ofthe-mill “whoops” pregnancy to lend a little drama to this last chapter.

Nope, we’re just having a grand old time doing what we do best: running, riding, skiing, and hiking our merry way into the sunset. It’s a far cry from where I started: When I first moved west, I was a mountain rookie nervously navigating the adventure-dating scene. Somehow I’ve joined the ranks of the happily coupled. But before you write me off as just another boring chick in looooove, remember this: I put down plenty of footprints on that winding trail from there to here.

I’ve been scammed, fooled, left in the dust, brokenhearted, and caught in more than a few thunderstorms along the way.

But there’s an upside: I learned a whole lot about the men who populate our wilderness playgrounds. My parting gift to you ladies still traveling that winding trail toward love: a handy field guide to your male options, compiled from years of careful observation. Whether you want true love or just a few truly hilarious tales to tell the girls, the guy you’re looking for is out there somewhere—so get out your binoculars and start scoping your native habitat. ■

Spot him

: BodyG lide, GU packets, exhauste d expres sion The ups ides: He works ha rd to rea he’s in it ch goals for the lo ; ng haul.

Beware: 4 a.m. tra ining ses sions me bedtime an is 8 p.m. sharp.

Your ope ning line : “Got an y pointers for a smo bike-to-ru oth n transitio n?”

womensadventuremagazine.com

t, e o ten , sol t Solitair d r a r e e b s y e e-da of D s Thre d copy love : e ture, ou t him tatter a o n p y th S ase h wi touc won’t te oods. n i s ’ w d e n e s: H imals, a ing in th side n p a p ear o u o tp derw u The n u abou o ng ks; y ro lo olyp llier soc ng your p y e hi Stink n sm weig are: and eve tch him w e B t ca t migh rush. b g tha h ngin toot a h lp y he d an ” e e N e: “ ar bag? g lin be n i n ope r u Yo

Spot h

im: C haco ta n lines , creek h air, PF fresh-from-th D, roof e The up rack sides: He’s sle e way of k, swift, and h whippin as a g out of h is eyes his wet locks just so Bewar . e: He ’s whac k ed his underw head a ater ro gainst cks on many ti e too mes; g et read a date y night s pent w for many kayak atching porn.

Your o pening line: “Show me you r Eskim o roll.”

ls, dex, clipless peda Spot him: Span t en rc pe 10 t ea quads that st grades for breakfa

Sp

ot h

dinners for cooks great pasta The upsides: He g; he’ll save pre-ride carb loadin bike repair. you a fortune on

im

:

Cra m d ete pons psi , rmi des nat rope, : ion s He to s teely ’s um -eye for a wi mit an n d a s are smoother th he’ nythi ner w Beware: His leg ll s ng h anding m de s o ay alw h ’s w les wo Be yours; he orld ow s wa abo you a than n’t se re: calf rubs.

You v e th who the b ttle You ro ec l e e: p lin ’ g l in l en e lou e new st; n Eig Your op nin ” ds. er; ever b “Wanna draft me? g li hig ne: h o e as s “I ju dds e s he’ xy as ing t got l l die the Pai the Vo a scre on n.”

K2. e id 2 : D ner fo oub r To le t u Spot him: Shovel, bea he chcon, sweet backcountry setup, six-ski qui ver Th

eu

The upsides: He’s thr illing, skilled, and hucks like there’s no tomorrow .

Beware: He’ll be late to your wedding if it’s a powder day; he’s too cool to go in-bounds skiing wit h your little brother.

Your opening line: “Le t’s earn some turns,

brah.”

WAM OSPRING’2010”

33

P

SENSE OF PLACE

1

0

1/2

1

2

on Mount Sentinel they have mountain lions to contend with, a euphemism, I guess, for trying to avoid getting killed on the run and eaten on the spot.

A crow crackles overhead, swooping between two weeping birches. The robin moves to a lilac bush. I hum to myself, planting and patting, grooving and seeding, smoothing the soil. I check the asparagus spears to see if they’ve moved, reached any closer to the sky.

Montana Surround: Land, Water, Nature, and Place In “City Under Snow” writer Phil Condon notes springs arrival and questions his own interest in the changes he sees. Can he hide from nature?

By Phil Condon

T

he snow’s gone again. And for good this time, this year, for now. Day by day spring falls across the valley and then onto our town, which is spiked into and paved over the valley’s rocky ground, building by building, street by street. Spring descends on a warm wind, leaving the high mountains above us still waistdeep in frozen white water.

A few feet from the alley behind our house in Missoula, asparagus bursts through the dark soil like the fingers of green men, buried in the garden. I imagine them there, waking beneath the surface—ferocious, resurrected.

Raspberry runners leaf out in fat prickly corsages among the half-rotted leaves I covered these beds with last fall.

This winter in the city was wild. It escaped the reach of our adjectives, eluded our language. Its ten feet of snow intruded deep into our lives and minds. Snow stayed on this garden, stayed everywhere in Missoula, from early November until early April, one long, cold drift of a season.

34

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

Today I’m putting out the early garden: lettuce, chard, kale, spinach, carrots, beets, and radishes. In my hand lettuce seeds feel like grains of living sand. I drop them into a shallow groove I drew in the soil with an old broken pencil. A musty clay smell rises from the damp earth. A robin lands on a stump across the alley.

The two largest asparagus spears have been eaten off at ground level, and I’m pretty sure it’s deer work. All winter long deer used the yard as their own.

At dawn they lay in the snow shadow of the blue spruce; in the afternoons they browsed for the dwindling mountain ash berries, often standing up on their back legs to reach the branches. Between periods of wind and new snow, they ate whatever cold berries blew down. Their single-file tracks crisscrossed the yard.

Their circles of scat were smooth brown raisins in the snow.

This planting season, though, I hope the deer find plenty to eat up on the mountain. I’ll use my cayenne pepper and hope they don’t like it. Of course,

Four high-school boys, their conversation a series of yells and guffaws, shuffle down the alley on their way back to school after lunch. Then a woman pushing a stroller pauses to turn her baby toward the garden.

“See the garden,” she says, gesturing my way. “Make pretty flowers,” she says to her baby, and we smile at each other.

The baby in its carriage gurgles as if from underwater and points at a squirrel I hadn’t seen, low on a telephone pole, upside down.

My cat, Louie, ambles across the yard toward us, stretching, half crouching, as wordless and expressive as ever. He wears a bell because I think he kills too many birds. For a moment I imagine him, sans bell and big as a mountain lion, chasing deer from the neighborhood. I follow them in my mind, these deer and Big Louie. They disappear into a ravine at the base of the mountain and keep running, straight up the slope toward the frosty, fogged-in pine groves above.

The woman and baby move on. My back aches. I stand and stretch. I can’t resist the asparagus any longer. I break off the tallest, fattest green finger and eat the tip raw. It tastes like spring snow.

The changing climate is changing. It’s ironic how eager we are for the predictability of the kinds of change we like. Myself, I think weather fascinates precisely because it is change—hourly, daily, weekly. I know I need four, maybe twelve, distinct seasons for my soul or nervous system, or both. I always remember the years I spent in places with no snow, desert places with more

womensadventuremagazine.com

at all, the same way we don’t know whether we’ll wake tomorrow morning.

We dream through storms and strokes in the brain, quakes and fibrillations Living here in the northern Rockies is of the heart. The seasons, just like the a trip to different countries each year, weather inside us, could change at any without going anywhere. From Decemmoment. The amazing thing is how ber to July, we’re an entirely different much we actually do trust. We trust that landscape. Time and space compress, tomorrow and next year will be as we’ve and I travel through the calendar every time I walk through the door. Or I climb, known them before, and how exquisitely and the elevation changes seasons in less we measure out that trust, day by day, stretching and than a day, transreinterpreting the forms in only a world’s essential few thousand uncertainty to footsteps. somehow fit into or over our manWould I want to ageable lifetimes. be able to predict the weather, Meanwhile, the the climate? To floodwaters lap control either? at firestorms in Would you? Even North Dakota, whatever all Bangladesh, these changes —Mayor of Grand Forks, North Dakota, April 1997 Mexico City, are that humans Moldavia. I picare inducing? It ture the oceans, sounds boring to lapping like tongues at the edges of our me, but I really mean much more than continents, seven big islands on fire boring—I mean mechanistic, deathlike, with the same blaze of progress. I see unwild. It’s so easy to overlook: one of the essential characteristics of wildness, the thousands of thunderstorms, rolling over the planet each minute of every at least to me, is unpredictability. So if day and night. we wish to preserve the wild, or to let the wild preserve us, or both, how do we Hide from wildness? I don’t think we respond to the changing climate? can. It will always find us. It may even be playing with us, like the adults who In the middle of the night, back from my sleepwalking, I snap on the all-night knew our childhood hideaways but pretended not to—out of what? Love? news to find yet another dreamworld— Playfulness? Or did they perhaps just photos from an airplane, flying over want to let us feel alone and indepenGrand Forks, North Dakota, the streets brown canals, the water above the door- dent, to feel it’s even possible to be alone and independent—that particular tops, the downtown buildings ablaze. strain of pride, and fear—for just a few Disaster. Big change. Or maybe many small changes suddenly visible, like the more moments? poet Conrad Aiken’s single falling leaf, The weather finds us. The body locates “the unseen and disastrous prelude/ us. And the ever-changing metabolisms shaking the trivial act from the terof the world work our lives like water rific action.” Today though, our global weathers stone. ■ awareness shows us so clearly that the terrific disastrous happens all the time, minute by minute and village by village. Snow melts and rain falls. Bridges Excerpted from Phil Condon’s book crumble and buildings float away.

Montana Surround: Land, Water, Nature, and Place with Permission from Johnson In cold country we wait for spring each Books, a division of Big Earth Publishing. year, never truly knowing if it will come subtle changes, as edgy, restless times. I wanted to travel without knowing where.

“There’s a future.

It may not be like the past. But there’s a future.

It’s out there.”

WAM OSPRING’2010”

35

P

TRY THIS

1

0

1/2

1

2

Slither On

Not for the faint of heart, caving takes you underground among bats, through subterranean rivers, down mudslides, and into a world like none you’ve ever seen.

By Jayme Otto

I

t started with a 65-foot rappel down a ravine into the Rio Camuy.

The river flowed a murky brown, colored by sediment, my guide said, “from the vibrant Puerto Rican forest.” I wasn’t exactly thrilled to submerge into water the color of chocolate milk, but this was the only way to access Resurgence Cave, part of the largest cave system on the island. My small expedition team dropped into the water, six people one-by-one, then flowed with the current toward the mouth of the 45-million–year-old cave. Although I knew what I’d signed up for, as I floated closer to the dark opening, a little voice in the back of my head whimpered, I’m going in there?

After swimming through the cave’s 20foot entrance, I slithered up a mudslide

ity developed into a sporting endeavor.

And just in recent decades, protective gear and equipment have made it appropriate for and accessible to folks who aren’t on death-wish expeditions.

to access its innards, flipped my headlamp on, and crawled on my stomach through a crack and into the first cavern. It took a moment to adjust to the darkness and get my bearings. The air was thinner, and I found it unsettling to know that my group wasn’t the only cluster of living things in the depths of this cave. Bats hung overhead, manylegged insects scrambled into the shadows, and an occasional guaba sighting caused me to gasp out loud.

Harmless as they were, these gigantic arachnids resemble a spider straight out of Harry Potter.

Caving, called spelunking when it also involves underwater rivers, has been a pastime of adventurers and mystics for about as long as caves have existed. But only in the last century has this activ

My first caving expedition was little more than a hike, yet it involved improvisation to navigate alien terrain. I scrambled over large rock formations, crawled on knees and elbows, squeezed through cracks, slid down (and slithered up) mudslides, and glided through opaque brown water, all guided by a mere headlamp. The cave was completely dark, and even though Resurgence Cave has been mapped since 1973, I felt like I was going where no person had gone before.

I couldn’t help but wonder what it must feel like to explore a virgin cave. Next time, perhaps. ■

Getting started: Richard Rhinehart, author of Colorado Caves (Westcliffe Publishers, 2001), recommends tagging along with an experienced guide for your first underground expedition. He offers first-timers these additional nuggets of knowledge: Caves are dark. Attach a headlamp to your helmet and bring at least two backup light systems (with new batteries) per person.

Hang around caves long enough and you’ll see plenty of bats. But, an epidemic called white-nose syndrome is wiping them out. Learn more about preventing the spread of the epidemic at womensadventuremagazine.com Caves hold a constant, cool temperature. Wear layers, mud-ready clothing, sturdy boots, and gloves to help maintain your body temp.

Leave your GPS, your cell—and the routefinding string—at home. Maps are the best navigation tools for cave exploring.

36

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

Most caves are formed when seeping groundwater absorbs carbon dioxide that dissolves limestone and gypsum deposits below the surface. Water still percolates through “live” caves, caves in which formations are still growing, so expect slippery, muddy, wet surfaces.

Hands off! Your skin’s oils damage delicate mineral deposits formed into dripstone and flowstone (one of the most common cave formations, often found alongside stalagmites).

womensadventuremagazine.com

YOUR MOTHER, DAUGHTER, SISTER OR FRIEND. WE ALL KNOW SOMEONE TOUCHED BY BREAST CANCER. BUT ALONG WITH THE SORROW AND GRIEF THERE ARE STORIES OF TRIUMPH, COURAGE, LIVES LIVED AND BATTLES WON.

HELP US WIN THE FIGHT AGAINST BREAST CANCER.

SUSAN G. KOMEN DENVER RACE FOR THE CURE

OCTOBER 3, 2010 PEPSI CENTER REGISTRATION OPENS IN MAY WWW.KOMENDENVER.ORG

WAM OSPRING’2010”

37

P

WHOLE HEALTH

1

0

1/2

1

Dana’s luck turned last year when she visited a specialist who finally diagnosed her: She had an extremely rare autoinflammatory disease known as a cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome. On her new drugs, she has been able to ease off steroids, no longer needs a permanent catheter, and reports that the bone-crushing pain is nearly gone. “So this is what it’s supposed to feel like to be a young woman,” she says.

Dana is living, walking proof that an overactive immune system hurts you far more than it helps you. In eons past— before vaccines and antibiotics were available—immune diligence helped us survive deadly epidemics. But today, superimmunity is more foe than friend. The chemicals that our bodies produce to kill intruders like bacteria and viruses also tear up our own tissues over time, and they can increase our risk for a number of diverse diseases.

“Inappropriate inflammation is the root cause of a host of chronic illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, allergies, type 1 diabetes, asthma, and even some forms of cancer,” says Andrew Weil, MD, director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

Immunity in Overdrive

How to manage your body’s defenses to stay healthy

By Melinda Wenner Moyer

T

wenty-four-year-old Dana Wax has never had a cold. She’s also managed to skirt the flu her whole life, and she’s willing to bet she’ll never get strep throat. Her secret is not echinacea or vitamin C—it’s her immune system. “That’s what happens when your immune system is crazy,” she says.

Crazy? How about awesome? Don’t we all want immune systems strong enough to fight off every possible intruder?

Not Dana—she’d be happy to trade hers in for a lazier model. Dana may be flu free, but since her teens she’s suffered from chronic stomachaches, headaches, and severe joint pain; she describes it as the kind of excruciating pain you might feel if a refrigerator fell on top of each of your joints at the same time. For years, all her doctors knew was that her blood tests indicated that her immune system was working harder than normal. As a student at New York University, she relied on high-dose steroids and other powerful drugs— delivered via a permanent IV—to give her the strength to walk to class.

38

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

You may think your immune system is nothing like Dana’s, but “there is no question that chronic inflammatory conditions are more prevalent today than in years past,” Weil says. “The explosive increase in the incidence of these chronic ailments, not only in women but in men and children, as well, strongly suggests more people are experiencing chronic inflammation than ever before.”

Many of the things we’re exposed to on a daily basis trigger inflammation, including the processed foods we eat and the industrial chemicals we breathe, notes DeLisa Fairweather, PhD, an assistant professor of environmental health sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Heck, even stress ramps up immune activity, and some studies show that “stressed-out” mice even had stronger immune responses than their stress-free friends.

So why does the immune system—which exists solely to keep us healthy—also have the capacity to hurt us? Because it is “an itchy finger with a shotgun,” says Charles Raison, MD, director of the Behavioral Immunology Clinic at Emory University. If your immune system senses something abnormal in the body—a chemical, a microbe, or even a breath of polluted air—it immediately goes into attack mode and releases powerful immune mediators called cytokines that damage the intruder, dialing back infection.

All is well and good if the immune attack is short lived. But if the immune system stays turned on—which can happen if the body is constantly bombarded by damage, industrial chemicals, or processed foods—then the inflammation “spreads to areas of the body not affected by direct injury or attack,

womensadventuremagazine.com

2

2

persists unchecked beyond resolution of the initial insult, and actually injures healthy tissues,” Weil says. That’s when inflammation turns on us: Instead of helping us, it starts to kill us.

Chronic inflammation increases risk of heart disease and stroke, and cytokines release damaging free radicals and stimulate cell growth, which increases cancer risk. According to a recent study at the National Institutes of Health, cytokines also increase overall wear and tear on brain cells, which can increase the risk of depression, dementia, and neurodegenerative diseases. Even the aging process itself seems to be inextricably linked to inflammation: The elderly have two to four times as many cytokines in their blood as young people do.

The good news is that it’s possible to quiet our overly excitable immune systems. Weil recommends avoiding processed foods and hydrogenated fats and instead filling your grocery cart with cold-water fish, whole grains, walnuts, freshly ground flaxseeds, and brightly colored fresh vegetables and fruit. He also says it’s better to get your protein from vegetables and beans than from animal products. Fairweather notes that women should avoid breathing secondary smoke and eat organic food whenever possible, because the chemicals you breathe or ingest can aggravate sensitive immune cells in your throat.

Exercise is another important way to manage inflammation.

Adults who exercise have lower levels of C-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation, in their blood. But it’s important to let your body rest, too. “We’re well equipped for up to an hour and a half of high-intensity effort, but then the body doesn’t like it,” says David Nieman, director of the Human Performance Labs at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Nieman’s studies on ultramarathon runners have found that inflammatory markers spike after races but typically drop back to normal within a couple of days. He recommends that intense exercisers rest between workouts and take supplements containing quercetin, a compound found in apple peels, as well as fish oil and green tea extract. Together these compounds seem to reduce exercise-induced inflammation drastically; a combination supplement containing all three should be available later this year.

Ultimately, women who are concerned about inflammation— or notice that their immune systems are a little too diligent— should talk to their doctors. It may be possible, for instance, to request a blood test that analyzes inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein. Dana, for one, wishes she’d been more on top of her immune problems from the get-go and that she hadn’t been so discouraged by the dozens of doctors who were skeptical there was anything actually wrong with her.

Are You Inflamm-aging?

Chronic inflammation is at the root of many devastating diseases, but it does its dirty work in very different ways. Here’s a rundown of how an overzealous immune system can do damage.

Aging: Some researchers refer to the aging process as “inflamm-aging” because of how closely it’s linked to inflammation. As you age, it becomes more difficult for your body to repair damage from everyday wear and tear (think sore muscles and the occasional bump or bruise). Although minor, this damage still activates an immune response, which compounds acute inflammation resulting from infections or illnesses. According to a study published in 2006 in the journal Mechanisms of Aging and Development, elderly people have two to four times as many cytokines, powerful immune chemicals, in their blood as young people do.

Depression and dementia: Cytokines release free radicals, which damage cell tissue and DNA while also inhibiting the production of enzymes that the body uses to repair neuron damage. The result? Chronic inflammation may prevent brain cells from regenerating and contribute to an increased risk of developing depression and dementia.

Heart disease: An abundance of “bad” LDL cholesterol in your blood incites an immune response from your body. The reacting immune cells—macrophages—can bind together and actually develop into stroke-causing plaques. A 2005 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine reported that inflammation was one of the most significant root causes of heart disease.

Cancer: Any chemical that sparks cell growth has the potential to increase cancer risk, and cytokines—which boost the production of new immune cells and stem cells—are no exception.

Cytokines also release free radicals that can provoke cancercausing mutations in the DNA of otherwise healthy cells. A study published last year in the Journal of Clinical Oncology suggests that high levels of C-reactive protein, a protein and inflammatory marker that binds to damaged cells, correspond to a reduced survival rate among women with breast cancer.

“You know your body,” she says. “If you really feel that there’s something wrong with you, don’t let somebody tell you otherwise.” ■

WAM OSPRING’2010”

39

P

FULL

1

0

1/2

1

Department of Energy Engineered energy foods are built to boost performance, but do they really blow PB&J out of the water?

By Heather Hansman

Y

ou’ve seen those people at the trailheads and starting lines. The ones whose pockets bulge with bars and goos that promise sustained energy and better performance. What are these far-from-nature foods good for? Do hikers and bikers really need them? More importantly, are these handy items any better than a homemade PB&J or coffee and a doughnut?

No matter what form they take—bar, gel, goop, block, beverage, or even unsuspecting jelly bean—energy foods contain three basic categories of ingredients that can help you perform better and longer: protein, carbohydrates, and additives.

The key is finding a balance of the three that works for your body and for the length and intensity of your activity. Knowing what to look for and how each category translates from food to performance will give you a head start in planning your own nutritional needs.

You probably know that protein aids in muscle development and repair, but it also helps control the fluid balance in your muscles and keeps your immune system working properly.

For endurance athletes, protein helps speed muscle rehab after all-day athletic endeavors and serves as a slow-burning fuel force. This one-two punch of repair and refuel makes protein a winning choice to satisfy long, slow-paced draws on energy stores. However, protein isn’t such a great source of quick energy—that’s where carbs come in.

Carbohydrates have long topped lists of dietary buzzwords, and recent fads have essentially labeled them as junk. But carbs equal power, and without them your body has nothing to burn to keep it going. Carbohydrates come in both complex (good) and simple (bad-boy) categories—think brown rice versus your morning doughnut—but foods designed specifically for sports tend to carry the complex variety.

These kinds of carbs translate to energy that converts more slowly and provides a more consistent source of fuel that’s less likely to end with a post-buzz crash.

The third category of ingredients, additives, is what sets most engineered energy foods apart from a PB&J. Additives boost specific aspects of performance—caffeine promotes alertness, electrolyte salts help your body absorb fluids, iron helps dilate blood vessels and helps wounds heal more quickly. Though grape jelly offers an iota of good-for-you polyphenols, the performance benefits of Smucker’s don’t

40

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

measure up to the energy-food dosages and tried-and-true results that these common performance-boosting ingredients can provide.

Not all additives translate directly, however, and there’s a long list of energy-food additives you might consume that won’t guarantee you’ll jump higher or run farther. Vitamin B12, for example, is a common addition to energy drinks and comes in dosages as high as 6,000 percent of the USDA’s Recommended Dietary Allowance. Though B12 is linked with decreased energy in folks that are nutritionally deficient, science hasn’t confirmed that über-doses translate into more energy for those who already meet the USDA’s nutritional guidelines. Will an energy drink shot of vitamin B12 hurt you? No. Will it help you run a faster mile? Maybe, maybe not.

Additives and ingredients are important, but the way you consume your energy food is also a factor affecting performance. Be it a bar, goo, or rainbow-colored beverage, each is designed with a different mix of carbs relative to protein, and other additives. Bars typically have the most even balance of carbohydrates and proteins, but some are packed with protein which can slow some athletes down. Gels and easy-chew blocks, both meant to be eaten while you’re riding a bicycle or on the go, are loaded with carbs and additives. GU gel, for example, is made up almost entirely of the quick-absorbing complex carbohydrate maltodextrin, and many flavors contain a blast of caffeine. While bars may take some time to digest and break down into usable energy, gels and blocks are designed to be absorbed quickly, so you can feel the pickme-up right away. Drinks are both fast absorbing and serve double duty by preventing dehydration, but who wants to carry a bottle of Gatorade on a long run?

So what should you eat and when? What does your body need before, during, and after exercising? “Bloks are meant to be consumed during high intensity activity,” says Clif’s nutrition strategist, Tara Dellolacono-Thies. Bars, she says, are good for lower-intensity activities such as hiking, but “a bar is meant to be consumed two hours before an activity, or immediately after to replenish what you’ve used.” Dellolacono-Thies says that one of the reasons that energy-food companies make a wide range of products is to accommodate a wide range of activities and personal preferences. “Everybody is different,” she says. “It’s important to try energy foods while you’re training and find what works for you.” ■

womensadventuremagazine.com

2

Breakdown: Labels Energy-food labels can read like checklists for lab experiments. Even though many brands are moving toward organic and whole-food ingredients, deciphering label lingo and picking out key ingredients can still be daunting for casual consumers. We pulled out some of the common ingredients in two different energy foods—PowerBar Performance Energy bar and Clif Shot Bloks—to compare the basics.

Carb

Additive

Protein

Both products contain organic brown rice syrup and a range of carbohydrates. While complex carbs metabolize slowly and supply sustained energy, simple carbs are absorbed more quickly, and mixing different types— maltose, fructose, and glucose—increases overall absorption rates.

The additives in these products have different agendas: PowerBar’s iron helps muscles store oxygen, which increases power potential for the long haul. Clif’s 50 mg dose of caffeine (equal to one shot of espresso) gives an immediate energy boost and stays true to the company’s whole-food agenda.

Protein is difficult to digest, and when you’re in the middle of a high-intensity workout, it can be a bigger burden than boost. Bars are meant to be eaten either several hours before or immediately after high-intensity workouts, when the protein can go to work repairing and oxygenating muscles.

Nutrition Facts Serving size 1 bar Calories 230 Calories from fat 35

Amount/Serving

* Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

% DV*

Total Fat 3.5g

5%

Sat Fat 0.5g

2%

Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg

0%

Sodium 200mg

8%

Potassium 105mg Total Carb 45g Dietary Fiber 2g

3% 15% 8%

Sugars 25g Protein 8g

16%

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 70% • Calcium 25% • Iron 25% • Thiamin 15% • Riboflavin 10% • Vitamin B6

Ingredients C2 Max Carbohydrate Blend (Organic Evaporated Cane Juice Syrup, Maltodextrin, Fructose, Dextrose), Oat Bran, Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Crisps (Milled Rice, Rice Bran, Rosemary Extract), Brown Rice Flour, Apple Powder, Canola Oil, And 2% Or Less Of: Natural Flavor, Vegetable Glycerin, Salt, Cinnamon, Nonfat Milk, Almond Butter, Peanut Flour. Minerals: Calcium Phosphate, Potassium Phosphate, Ferrous Fumarate (Iron). Vitamins: Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Vitamin B6 Hydrochloride, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), ThiamiNe Mononitrate (Vitamin B1).

Contains Almond, Milk, Peanut And Soy Ingredients. Made On Equipment That Also Processes Wheat.

C2 Max Carbohydrate Blend Eating more carbs than your body can metabolize (about 60 grams per hour during exercise) can zap energy. But recent studies show that mixing carb types can increase absorption levels by as much as 55 percent. PowerBar claims it’s proprietary 2:1 blend of glucose and fructose maximizes absorption and helps you push harder and longer.

Ascorbic acid The synthetic form of vitamin C is both a food preservative and performance enhancer that may help boost immunity. Studies claim it also helps your body absorb iron, speeds wound healing, and dilates blood vessels, which makes your heart pump more efficiently.

Riboflavin (vitamin B2) Athletes tend to have lower levels of this B vitamin, but there isn’t any scientific evidence linking it to increased strength or endurance.

Riboflavin helps your body break down carbs and absorb iron, so it’ll benefit you during a workout.

You likely get plenty of riboflavin from regular food, however, so any added benefit from the energy-bar dose is debatable.

Organic brown rice syrup Clif’s 70 percent organic certification means that the company sources organic and natural ingredients whenever possible. While Bloks are about 70 percent organic, the percentages range across the brand, from 32 percent for the Builder’s bar to 90 percent for the newest bar, the Clif C. Green tea extract Caffeine affects people differently, but it’s one of the safest and most effective performance enhancers out there. Green tea gives these Bloks a caffeine boost equivalent to one shot of espresso. The added benefit of the tea? It’s loaded with antioxidants, and studies suggest its nutrients work with caffeine to help you burn more fat.

Carnauba wax This yellow-brown wax comes from a tropical tree and is dusted over Bloks to prevents them from sticking together.

Natural flavor Bloks’ flavor profile comes from a wild array of ingredients—fruit, seeds, spices, even vegetables. A third party concocts the mix and keeps the chemistry details secret, so even Clif’s bigwigs don’t know exactly what makes them so very cherry.

Nutrition Facts Serving size 3 Pieces (30g) Servings Per Container 2 Calories 100 Calories from fat 0

Amount/Serving

* Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

% DV*

Total Fat 0g

0%

Sat Fat 0g

0%

Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg

0%

Sodium 70mg

3%

Potassium 20mg

1%

Total Carb 24g

8%

Dietary Fiber 0g

0%

Sugars 12g Protein 0g Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 0% • Calcium 0% • Iron 0%

Ingredients Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Brown Rice Syrup Solids, Pectin, Citric Acid, Green Tea Extract, Colored With Black Carrot Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavor, Organic Sunflower Oil, Carnauba Wax.

WAM OSPRING’2010”

41

P

IT’S PERSONAL

1

0

1/2

1

The Gladiator Surrendering to gravity

By Suzanne Johnson

S

o … do you ever, um, clean these things?” I ask, taking the helmet, shin guards, and chest pads being offered to me. “Maybe a little Lysol?” The gear guy stops and sizes me up before replying, “You probably don’t want to know.”

He’s right, I think, as I strap on the body armor, ignoring the musty stench of all the sweaty boys who’ve rented these items before me—just like I’m ignoring the ambulances around the corner, inconspicuously waiting for customers. I am in Whistler, British Columbia, a mecca for downhill bikers, where riders decked out like gladiators hurl themselves down alpine trails, dropping off boulders and careening across split-log bridges. Truth be told, I am more than a little nervous.

Downhill bikes are the monster trucks of the biking world.

My hefty rental has a full 8-inch travel in the suspension— apparently size does matter. Rolling my beefy machine out of the shop, I feel transformed. I’m gladiator woman! I’m storm trooper! I am nuts! I join my husband and three sons at the Garbonzo Express for the first ride up.

42

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

Downhill biking is dominated by males today, but I’m guessing this will evolve. From the first descent down Blue Velvet to Smoke and Mirrors, my body quickly learns this sport is more about finesse than raw power. How far to lean on a curve, where to shift your weight, when to pedal, and when to glide—the center of balance is everything and can only be learned by trial and error. Mastering technical details, whether rolling a boulder or riding a teeter-totter, sparks an exhilarating rush that’s more adrenaline than testosterone.

Each successful run stretches my comfort-zone boundaries, leaving space for both confidence and endorphins to rush in.

The entire day, I was riding the edge on blue trails, but my family of ricochet rabbits itched to move on to bigger, more technical runs. We regrouped later that afternoon, with muscles weary but all bones intact, and swapped stories of best-ever runs and near-catastrophic saves. I returned my gear, now layered with another day’s well-earned sweat, and without hesitation signed on for another go tomorrow. ■

womensadventuremagazine.com

What’s YOUR Story?

hirty t w a ay. S n cubs. d o t i atma ours. Eve rail.

K o t Went ght h s down a t i e n i u es tcha grizzli e loping at W . m om it a r f c neath e e g b n n i n O k o a till sh s catch salm amazs m ’ I ear b e lutely s o o s h b t a . g in all.. f r e ere! t h a e w r t e tha you w h s i ing. W , Cheers Sandy

Everyone loves a good story. You’ve got more than a few to tell. Whether you want to become a better writer or photographer, you’ll find all the instruction you need at this year’s Creative Conferences in awe-inspiring Boulder, Colorado. Join Michelle Theall, founder of Women’s Adventure, for workshops on Memoir/Personal Essay, Magazine Writing, or Adventure Photography. Whether you simply want to document your adventures for your children or aspire to get your work published in a magazine like Women’s Adventure, you’ll take your skills to the next level and meet some great people along the way. SPACE IS LIMITED. GO TO: www.creativeconferences.com and click on the Workshop tab for more information. See you soon!

WAM OSPRING’2010”

43

P

$*.* % & ''

6

,*( 3 ) 1!!&!) .,%+- .* !2+! %.%*)- ) !2.!) ! !2 /,-%*)- .$! .*/,%)# ) -! & 3 & -!,%!- !'%0!,- '' .$! ., &%)# -. %'%.3 ) ,!-+*)-%0!)!-- 3*/ )!! ""!,! %) 1% ! , )#! *" (* !'- 3*/6'' 7) .$! +!,"! . -%4! *0!, '' 7. ) +,!(%/( $ -! 5 */.7..%)# "*, .$! /'.%( .! %) *("*,. !! */, !).%,! +,* / . '%)! ) %- *0!, 1$3 */, * -!--%*) "*, !..!, +!,"*,( ) ! 7)!, ( .!,% '- ) /)( . $! *("*,. +,* / !- & 3 &- .$ . ,! 1% !'3 *)-% !,! .$! (*-.

- .%-"3%)# +

'%)# !2+!,%!) ! %) .$! -+*,. ! %+%!). *" 6

( # 4%)!6- %.*,6- $*% !

1 ,

*''*1 /- *) ! **&

44

P

WAM OSPRINGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;2010â&#x20AC;?

womensadventuremagazine.com

E

ver imagine that you’ve landed on the smoothest road, on the highest trail, or at the travel destination of your dreams? We do. While we’re not always lucky enough to escape there, we have total control over how prepared we are in case the opportunity arises. Need a guide to outfitting your adventure? Look no further, it’s here.

This spring marks the beginning of our effort to provide the most in-depth, userfriendly, and revealing women’s-specific gear review—ever.

For this first installment, we’ve tested more than 250 products to find the lightest bikes, the toughest trail runners, and the best adventure-travel accessories out there. In fact, for this spring issue, we dragged six categories of gear through the mud and we spot-tested dozens more. The result? A hard-hitting list of recommends that have earned our seal of approval. We’ve listed our favorites in the following pages and we’ve got reviews of everything else online at womensadventuremagazine.com.

TY MILFORD PHOTOGRAPHY; ®SALOMON; JEFF CHOW

If the unexpected happens and you’ve got the opportunity to cut and paste yourself into the adventure of a lifetime, be prepared.

Edited by Kristy Holland Photography by Fullerton Images

Testers: Lindsey Anderson, Courtney Bartels, Jeff Chow, Krisan Christensen, Corrynn Cochran, Katie Corcoran, Theresa Ellbogen, Katie Ellenwood, Susan Hayse, Kristy Holland, Christina House, Joanna Laubscher, Catherine Lavin, Talen Mack, Trevor McConnell, Monty Metz, Jayme Otto, Sally Palmer, Kim Phillips, Gayle Price, Emily Seagrave, Sue Sheerin, Lisa Sinclair, Georgia Stewart, Connie Truesdale

WAM OSPRING’2010”

45

P

ng i d i R oad

R

. . .Get Ready to Fly

Julia is riding the Trek Madone 4.7 WSD (50 cm) and wearing: Uvex Onyx Helmet ($89; www.uvexsports.com); REI Novara Forte Bike Jersey ($40; www.rei.com); Giro Monica Glove ($40; www.giro.com); Louis Garneau Zone 3K Short ($100; www.louisgarneau.com); Pearl Izumi Elite Road II Shoe ($180; www.pearlizumi.com).

46

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

womensadventuremagazine.com

Uvex Onyx Helmet ($89; www.uvexsports.com) Click, click. Onyx’s FAS strap system lets you adjust fit on the fly—no more futzing with tedious straps.

Gore Bike Wear Power Lady Jacket ($199; www.gorebikewear.com) Offering full rain coverage, this jacket fits slim so it won’t flap in the wind, and it packs into a tiny square.

Lezyne Stainless 12 Multi-tool ($40; www.lezyne.com) Slim and elegant, the German-designed Lezyne tool has all the required fittings and doubles as a work of art.

Ryders Treviso Sunglasses ($89; www.ryderseyewear.com) Relax your eyes with these photochromatic, polarized lenses; perfect for every occasion.

Garmin Edge 500 Bike Computer ($249; www.garmin.com) Record all your ride stats–on all of your bikes. This computer sets the industry standard and attaches without special hardware.

Bontrager inForm RL WSD Saddle ($99; www.bontrager.com) Three widths and curvatures ensure you’ll find the perfect size. This saddle’s backed

by Bontrager’s lifetime guarantee.

Have a niche need? Read more about our editor’s picks online at: womensadventuremagazine.com

Trek Madone 4.7 WSD

★★★★★

Cannondale Synapse Carbon Féminine 5

★★★★★

Bianchi Infinito Ultegra

★★★★★

Felt ZW5

★★★★

Marin Stelvio 105

FOR BEGINNERS

FOR PACK LEADERS

FOR BARGAIN HUNTERS

Carbon, Shimano 105, WSD ($2,449; www.cannondale.com) Carbon, Shimano Ultegra ($2,999; www.bianchiusa.com) Carbon, Shimano 105, WSD ($1,999; www.feltbicycles.com) Carbon, Shimano 105 ($2,205; www.marinbikes.com)

SHOES

This is the seventh year for Trek’s legendary Madone series and the 10th year for the company’s Women’s Specific Design (WSD). Trek knows a thing or two about building bikes for women, and the 4.7 stood out. This race bike didn’t feel like a race bike: It achieved a pitch-perfect blend of comfort and speed and met and expanded our acceleration efforts. Whichever test rider powered the Trek was always ahead of the pack. Maintaining speed while climbing took less effort than aboard any other bike, perhaps due to an increase in the stiffness of the 2010 Madone 4 series frames. The geometry also scored points: testers felt in control, making sharp turns and descents with confidence. You may find these unique features useful: a Duotrap ANT compatible receptacle in the chainstay, a SRAM Rival drivetrain, and extra-small 43 cm size with 650c wheels that’s unique to the 4.7. Sizes range from 43 cm to 56 cm, so any woman can find a Madone that fits.

FOR RACERS

5

Carbon, SRAM Rival, WSD ($2,620; www.trekbikes.com)

TESTED:

TESTED:

BIKES

5

Pearl Izumi Elite Road II Shoe ($180; www.pearlizumi.com)

If you’re not sure what makes a good shoe worth the money, think comfort, think sole stiffness, and, most of all, think weight. On a long ride, you lift and push your feet thousands of times, so even a few ounces matter. These shoes were the lightest ones we tested, and the ultralight, ultrastiff carbon sole transferred every bit of energy to the pedal. With good heel cupping and a low profile, there aren’t any irritation points around the shoe opening. The buckle mount’s adjustment feature lets you change how the top strap lies across your foot—very helpful if you suffer from arch discomfort or hot spots. This shoe’s coolest feature: the ventilation system. Small screened openings allow cool air inside and bonus drainage spots in case you get caught in a downpour. The Elite Road II shoe is especially well suited for women with medium to narrow feet, and it’s an affordable, all-around top-quality shoe.

★★★★★

Sidi Genius 5 Pro

FOR PRINCESSES

($269; www.sidiusa.com)

★★★★★

Bontrager RL WSD

FOR WIDE FEET

($179; www.bontrager.com)

★★★★★

Lake CX170-W

FOR ADVENTURERS

($150; www.lakecycling.com)

★★★★

Louis Garneau Revo XR2

FOR COST CUTTING

($129; www.louisgarneau.com)

WAM OSPRING’2010”

47

P

u r l ai

g n i nn

Tr

elf Free s r u o Y t e S . ..

Deanna is wearing: The North Face Insult Hill Seamless Tank ($35; www.thenorthface.com); Asics Abby Bra ($42; www.asicsamerica.com); Moving Comfort Sprint Short ($32; www.movingcomfort.com); Thorlo Experia Coolmax Thin Cushion Sock ($14; www.thorlo.com); Pearl Izumi SyncroFuel XC ($110; www.pearlizumi.com).

48

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

womensadventuremagazine.com

Marmot Trailwind Jacket ($55; www.marmot.com) Weighing in at three ounces, this barelythere jacket offers protection for running in variable spring conditions.

GU Chocolate Outrage ($25, 24 pack; www.guenergy.com) Get lost. Carry-anywhere caffeine, 20 grams of carbs, and a rich, chocolaty taste inspire longer runs than ever before.

Belkin Fastfit Armband ($40; www.belkin.com) Rock out while you run. This lightweight armband has a touch-sensitive screen protector for your iPod or iPhone.

Sock Guy Hottie Arm Warmer ($20; www.sockguy.com) Regulate body temperature with style.

Articulated elbows and elastic cuffs equal comfort and fit.

Thorlo Experia CoolMax Thin Cushion Sock ($14; www.thorlo.com) Fits like a glove. Structured, combination weaves, and heel- and toe-specific cushioning in 66 percent wicking CoolMax.

Have a niche need? Read more about our editor’s picks online at: womensadventuremagazine.com

Pearl Izumi SyncroFuel XC

4.8 Asics Abby Bra

Run, ladies, run! Every tester who stepped into this shoe called it her handsdown favorite. The cushy Skydex insole and heel pad provided a responsive bounce, while the structured SynchroFrame dissipated impact across the entire midsole, which extended its life and improved the shoe’s overall stability. While the narrow heel cup helped keep our testers balanced in the shoe, the wide, beefy—and ultralight—outer sole added comfort on trail conditions ranging from dry and rocky to muddy and slick. The mesh on the fore- and midfoot wasn’t so airy that we felt the wind on cool, morning runs, but it ventilated when things turned steamy. Another plus? The upper is seamless, inside and out, which means fewer potential hot spots for long-distance trail-a-thons.

★★★★★

Salomon XT Wings 2

FOR WIDE FEET

($120; www.salomon.com)

★★★★★

Brooks Cascadia 5

FOR TECH TRAILS

($100; www.brooksrunning.com)

★★★★★

New Balance WT867

FOR KEEPING CLEAN

($100; www.newbalance.com)

★★★★★

Columbia Ravenous

FOR WEIGHTLESSNESS

($90; www.columbia.com)

($42; asicsamerica.com)

BRAS

($110; www.pearlizumi.com)

TESTED:

TESTED:

TRAIL RUNNERS

5

Bounce around with no style? No way. Most bras we tested compromised either support or fashion: The most-structured models looked like 1930s flashbacks, and, while high-tech seamless weaves look great, they lack structure to support larger cup sizes. The Asics Abby was the exception, combining a compression nylon-Lycra blend with contrasting, wicking, polyester-spandex to win the nod for this season’s all-around favorite. The Abby’s basic racer back offers full coverage, and a split seam reveals a bright, contrasting color and reflective detailing between supportive straps. The front has a subtle sweetheart V-neck that flatters all bust sizes, and our testers—ranging from A to D cups—said that the bra stayed put despite their best efforts to shake it loose. Contrast stitching in four bright color options means there’s a color for every run of the week.

★★★★★

Adidas Supernova Sequence High Impact

FOR BIG BUSTS

($55; www.adidas.com)

★★★★★

Nike Airborne Seamless

FOR SMALL CHESTS

($40; www.nike.com)

★★★★★

Moving Comfort Vixen

FOR SWEATING IT OUT

($38; www.movingcomfort.com)

★★★★★

PureLime Compression Bra

FOR A SECURE FIT

($76; www.purelime.com)

WAM OSPRING’2010”

49

P

e r u t ven

Ad

l e v Tra

rlds . . . Explore New Wo

Willa is toting gear in the Eagle Creek Twist 65L ($280; www.eaglecreek.com) and recording memories with the Casio Exilim G-1 ($299; www.casio.com). She is wearing: Horny Toad Stash and Dash Trench ($99; www.titlenine.com); Bronwen HERA Necklace ($59; www.bronwenonline.com); Merrell Fawne Tank ($45; www.merrell.com); Patagonia Lithia Skirt ($39; www.patagonia. com); Keen Midori MJ ($80; www.keenfootwear.com).

50

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

womensadventuremagazine.com

Joby Gorillapod Original ($22; www.joby.com) Get pro-quality stability from this a wrapable, packable tripod that holds up to 11.5 ounces.

Patagonia Lithia Skirt ($39; www.patagonia.com) Up-to-date organic cotton/Tecnel blend that stays wrinkle-free and converts from ruched skirt to bandeau halter. Floral print is fun—and hides dirt.

Kelty Wicking Liner ($40; www.kelty.com) Add 10-degrees of warmth to lightweight sleeping bags, slip into it as a sleep sack on its own, and stay dry in humid climes: it’s made of 100-percent wicking polyester.

Aura Cacia Lavender Essential Oil ($10; 0.4 oz., www.auracacia.com) Soothing on burns, antiseptic, and mild enough to use neat: the ultimate travel accessory. One quick whiff calm tense travel nerves on a dime.

Creek Twist 65L 4.8 Eagle ($280; www.eaglecreek.com)

Exilim G1 4.8 Casio ($299; casio.com)

Your duffel days are over. This rolling convertible suitcase is big enough to handle a week’s worth of adventure wear—boots, jackets, and even a sleeping bag for crashing with pals—yet it’s sleek enough to take on business trips and beach vacations. But the standout feature that landed this wheel-to-backpack convertible at the top of our luggage test is its perfect balance of size and comfort. The other wheeled bags that integrated backpack straps were either too long to fit as a pack on most women or too small to haul loads that require the added support.

The Twist’s generous size wasn’t overwhelming when hauled on our backs, and the Ventalite mesh shoulder straps and waist belt wicked moisture and stayed comfortable even on those tiring treks up hotel steps. Note to one-piece packers: The Twist doesn’t include an attached day pack, and it’s too big to carry on.

Usability reigns supreme. Ultraslim design, intuitive button placement, and a reliable take-anywhere toughness earned the Casio Exilim G1 best-in-show marks among the five waterproof point-and-shoots we tested. The easy-topocket 20 mm body sports a 12.1 megapixel sensor and 3 x 38-114 mm equivalent lens—not as wide as some of the others in the test, but still wide enough for quality snapshots. The built-in flash and assist light produced pleasing indoor photos and candlelit snapshots, and a dedicated movie button allowed for superquick transition between still- and moving-picture modes. We loved the adventure-ready best-shot button and the interval mode, which we used to capture an incoming rainstorm. Despite top-tier results, none of our test cameras scored perfect marks: This one has a nail-breaking battery door and uses a less traditional microSD card, which you probably don’t already have on hand.

★★★★★

Osprey Meridian 22”

RUGGED GOOD LOOKS

($299; www.ospreypacks.com)

★★★★★

Lilypond Songbird

KEEP IT CLEAN

($299; www.lilypondusa.com)

★★★★★

Burton Wheelie Double Deck

PACK IT ALL

($290; www.burton.com)

★★★★

Victorinox 25” Trek Pack Plus

SOPHISTICATED STYLE

($370; www.victorinox.com)

T E S T E D : COMPACT H20-PROOF CAMERAS

TESTED:

LUGGAGE

Have a niche need? Read more about our editor’s picks online at: womensadventuremagazine.com

★★★★★

Canon Powershot D10

FOR BEST PICTURES

($330; www.canon.com)

★★★★★

Panasonic Lumix DMC-T51

★★★★★

Pentax Optio WS80

FOR EASY USE

($220; www.pentax.com)

★★★★

Olympus Stylus Tough-6000

FOR DUAL PHOTO/VIDEO

FOR SLIPPERY FINGERS

($380; www.panasonic.com)

($280; www.olympusamerica.com)

WAM OSPRING’2010”

51

P

Leaving Las Vegas By: Jayme Otto

E

ers. The more coffee a farmer can haul between tree and processing point, the more money he can make.

veryone stares as Kim Coats strides through the Kigali café.

Any muzungu (the Kinyarwanda word for white person) creates a spectacle, even in Rwanda’s capital city, but this statuesque blond from Las Vegas makes an especially significant splash. But rather than writhe in insecurity, 43-year-old Kim looks perfectly at home.

Now, relaxing in the Kigali café, Kim is also settling into her full-time position as Project Rwanda’s bike-distribution director. She has spent her morning prepping 50 cargo52

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

Finding her dream carrying bikes, each of which can haul up to 400 pounds, for delivery to a malaria clinic east of the city. If she feels tired from juggling bikes that weigh half as much as she, Kim doesn’t show it. She looks a little dusty, wearing low-slung jeans, a white tank, and her hair pulled back into a ponytail, but her megawatt smile and a rapid-fire conversation about her work mask the gritty residue the labor has left behind.

These particular bikes, now en route to the Malaria No More clinic, will help save lives—literally. But every bike Project Rwanda puts into circulation helps bolster the nation’s economy. Project Rwanda doesn’t deal with ordinary cycles—only cargo bikes with knobby tires and long back ends designed specifically for transport. Since coffee is one of the nation’s biggest cash crops, most of the bikes go directly to help coffee farm-

Life in Rwanda is a far cry from what Kim knew in the United States. Until a few years ago, she hadn’t even heard of the Central African nation that borders the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kim grew up in Kansas and spent most of her adult life working in the restaurant industry.

She helped her husband open a string of successful restaurants in Kansas City before they moved to Las Vegas in 2003 to expand their business.

womensadventuremagazine.com

MOLLY FELTNER

In fact, her voice takes on an evangelical fervor as she speaks about her work with Project Rwanda, an organization that uses the bicycle as a symbol of hope and works with farmers in the Central African nation to secure microloans and purchase transport bicycles that help them improve their economic conditions. Founded in 2006, the project promotes cycling by managing, recruiting, and training the Rwandan national cycling team and organizing an annual festival, the Wooden Bike Classic. Project Rwanda also works with nonprofits such as Malaria No More, which uses the bikes to transport mosquito nets and malaria treatments to rural villages.

It’s hard work raising funds, increasing awareness of Project Rwanda, and maintaining and distributing bikes. But Kim feels the rewards are inimitable, especially since Project Rwanda provides ongoing income-generating potential to the country’s rural coffee farmers—for whom the difference between a four-hour ride and a 12-hour walk to the processing plant translates to about $200 per growing season. This may not seem like much money from the perspective of most Americans, but for people living in a country with an average percapita income of below $400, that’s a significant impact.

Kim spent many years pursuing her husband’s dreams and eventually branched into food-distribution sales on her own. She even landed her “dream job” as the business development manager for Sysco Food Services. The Sysco job provided the kind of work Kim loved: landing new accounts and cultivating relationships with restaurant owners. She made great money, enjoyed fabulous perks, and schmoozed with the top chefs in Vegas. But Kim wasn’t happy. “I felt like I was just going through the motions,” she says. “Was my life really about selling chicken fingers to casinos in Las Vegas?”

ACE KVALE; MOLLY FELTNER

Kim had taken up cycling in Kansas City as a way to stay in shape, but she fell in love with the desert riding around Las Vegas, and grew more serious about the sport. Cycling helped lift the cloud of depression she felt weighing down upon her. “Riding kept me sane,” she says. “It was either that or therapy.”

Unsatisfied with her life and starting to see it spin out of control, Kim decided to take action. She scribbled in her journal three things she needed in life: cycling, helping people, and traveling.

Kim kept this list in the back of her mind and started looking for signs that she could make the changes necessary to fulfill these needs.

Later that fall, while on an airplane with her sister, Kim read a magazine article about Project Rwanda. As soon as she finished reading, she knew immediately that working with this organization was the opportunity she was looking for. “This is it!” she said to herself.

Finding Rwanda Turning her “aha moment” into action was slightly more difficult. It took Kim more than a month to track down Project Rwanda’s founder, Tom Ritchey, the former road and mountain-bike racer who conceived the mission while touring the country’s lush, hilly countryside by bike in 2005. Ritchey then put her in touch with board members in the U.S., who helped her plan a four-month volunteer tour “in country.” She’d be working with Jock Boyer, the American coach of the Rwandan national cycling team and the project’s main voice on the ground—he wasn’t exactly thrilled that a volunteer chick from Vegas wanted to step in and help with the manpower the project needed to continue growing.

Kim wasn’t deterred. Six months after her conversation with Ritchey, she rallied her cycling friends and held a Project Rwanda fundraiser—a bike ride—as her going-away party. She then boarded a plane that bounced from Atlanta to Amsterdam to Nairobi before touching down in Kigali. “Some days I questioned my sanity,” Kim says of her first weeks in Rwanda.

“Had I really given up my sixfigure job, married life, pretty clothes and shoes, and the perks of eating at the best restaurants in Vegas for this? But every time I’d be ready to buy a plane ticket home, a friend would send me a note telling me I was the toughest woman he knew, or a farmer would tell me how much one of our bikes had changed his life.”

WAM OSPRING’2010”

53

P

Despite the positive balance of work and reward, deciding to make such a major— and permanent—life change hadn’t been easy. Upon first arriving in Rwanda, she’d originally planned to stay for just four months. But as that milestone approached, she came to realize she couldn’t go back to her old life.

Although Kim discovered Rwanda because of the project, the country has recently hit Americans’ adventuretravel radar. The boon of ecotourists hoping to spot an endangered mountain gorilla at Volcanoes National Park amounts to only 7 percent of the country’s 700,000 annual international visitors (business trips and family visits contribute 80 percent of the total), but this number is increasing.

But even Rwanda’s up-andcoming ecotourism industry and reputation for good business practices aren’t enough to heal the nation’s collective psyche. The country is still recovering from the tragic 1994 genocide in which over 1 million Rwandans were slaughtered. An epidemic of AIDS still haunts female survivors of the genocide, and the country’s economy has languished while an entire generation—hundreds of thousands—of orphans have grown up. Despite a nowstable political climate and President Paul Kagame’s admirable efforts to rebuild the economy and national identity, the electricity still goes out frequently and running water is only available in cities.

54

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

“So many people, me included up until last year, make excuses for not doing what they’re meant to do in life.”

Finding herself

ride your bike directly into it.” On that ride she embraced fear a little too much, and she admits that this “could’ve catapulted me directly into the danger I was trying to avoid.”

But in terms of her work, her travels, and her life path, Kim has thrown that overly cautious mindset out the window—and has decided to embrace adventure instead.

she’s stepped into a page of National Geographic as she rides past villagers in long, colorful skirts walking the roadsides carrying everything from water to timber “For years I’d felt like I wasn’t on their heads. “There’s not a fast-food joint, billboard, or in the right place. I was albrick sound wall anywhere in ways searching,” Kim says. sight,” she says.

“In Rwanda I am happy and content for the first time in my life.” She had decided that A serious drawback to Rwanthis sense of peace was worth dan riding, however, is that medical care can be out of cultivating, so when Project reach. If Kim were to suffer a Rwanda offered her a paid serious injury while cycling, position as the national bike she could die before reachdirector, she accepted. She would return to Vegas that fall, ing a hospital that could treat but only to file for divorce and her. This reality weighs on her mind when she rolls pack her bags once again for Africa. Kim Coats would move along country roads and plantation trails. In fact, on a to Rwanda. Permanently. casual ride with a group including two members of the For Kim, a major perk of Zambian cycling team last living in Rwanda is the ridDecember, Kim let fear slow ing. Known as the Land of her down—not something a Thousand Hills, the lush, she usually allows. green countryside is full of winding rural roads, chalHer tentativeness caused lenging climbs that reward serious tension within the with 360-degree views, and group, which in turn taught fast descents along terraced her an important lesson—one farms that rise thousands of that translates perfectly to feet above the valley. The her new life: “[Being overly cycling is an unspoiled type cautious] feeds into a potenthat people pay thousands of tial accident. If you stare at dollars to experience—and the rock or rut in your path Kim has it practically all to trying to avoid it, you will herself. She often feels like

She did have fears, however, about that short period of time she’d be back in the United States, after her volunteer work ended and before her permanent job began. Would this short stint back “home” change her perspective about moving to Rwanda permanently? Would she really have the gumption to go through with the relocation? Her fears dissipated soon upon returning to Las Vegas.

Back in “the real world,” Kim nearly had a meltdown while shopping at Target. “There was just too much stuff!,” she recalls. “Do we really need 57 different bottles of dishwashing liquid?” Ironically, while in Rwanda the weekend before, she’d spent an entire day trying to find a bottle of dishwashing soap. Now she cringed at the excess. “Americans just don’t realize how lucky they have it,” Kim says.

“Even when the economy sucks, they still have it better than 98 percent of the people in the world.”

She continued to wrestle with reverse culture shock throughout her short stint in Las Vegas. “I felt really out of place in the United States and

womensadventuremagazine.com

How Bikes Help: have been struggling with that. It’s crazy that a white girl from Vegas feels more comfortable working with Rwandan farmers who don’t even speak English. But nothing in my life has given me as much thrill as listening to a farmer tell his story, fighting back tears, his jaw shaking as he says how much the bike means. For me, this is what it’s all about.”

These thrills are what solidified Kim’s decision to go back to Rwanda and stay there. “I hear all the time from people that they could never do what I do,” she says. “They have so many arguments for why they can’t do something. You don’t need to go off the deep end and move to Africa, but so many people, me included up until last year, make excuses for not doing what they’re meant to do in life.”

The once ubiquitous wooden bikes that Rwandan farmers used to transport coffee, potatoes and other agricultural products to market are banned. “Farmers still use them in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” says Kim, but the rickety rides carried heavy loads through the hilly Rwandan countryside—without brakes—and the Rwandan government banned the dangerous wooden bikes several years ago. With fewer wheels on the road, programs like Project Rwanda are even more important for helping farmers find ways to transport agricultural products to market. See how these bikes help: •

•

•

•

•

•

•

COURTESY OF PROJECT RWANDA

• Kim’s done making excuses.

She describes a 6,000-kilometer, two-week, nine-country motorcycle trip through southern Africa last December: “Dropping my passport at the embassy to have more pages added felt like the coolest thing in the world,” she laughs. “To me it signifies the reasons I’m in Rwanda: I want to have one great adventure in my life, work in a realm that helps people, and do it with a bike. I’ve got it all.” ■

In rural Rwanda, 500 thousand coffee farmers tend garden-sized plots, each averaging between 200-300 trees that produce about 1,000 pounds of coffee during a growing season.

Centrally located washing stations collect, process and prepare green coffee “berries” for export. It may take as many as 500 farmers’ crops to fill one cargo container of green coffee.

Two wheeled transport cuts the time and energy necessary to haul beans between the farm and the washing station and lessens the potential for ripe beans to spoil and ferment.

Project Rwanda’s bikes are sturdy, simple, and have an elongated, cargo-ready wheelbase that can support up to 400 pounds of coffee (or milk, or potatoes, or whatever else a farmer might haul).

The patriarchal Rwandan culture assigns much of the manual labor for hauling and harvesting to women. It’s not uncommon to see women hauling 200 pounds of coffee or potatoes on their heads. Project Rwanda’s equal-rights approach helps women acquire cargo bikes which enhances their livelihoods, especially.

With well-maintained, cargo-hauling bicycles farmers can transport a larger quantity of beans which ups their personal income potential. Hauling more beans in less time means farmers also have more time for secondary income projects and time to spend with their families.

In partnership with local co-ops and Opportunity International Bank (URWEGO), farmers purchase $200 cargo bikes as part of a package from Project Rwanda that includes ongoing maintenance, and support.

Increased income allows farmers to re-pay their microloan in two years or less— without cutting into their base salary. When the loan is repaid, the additional income goes directly into farmers’ pockets, or to purchase another bike.

Follow Kim’s adventures at www.kimberlycoats.blogspot.com.

Learn more about Project Rwanda at www.projectrwanda.org.

WAM OSPRING’2010”

55

P

Shining Bright Women in the Land of the Midnight Sun

By Hal Smith

In

Talkeetna, Alaska, “summit” is a verb, village life recalls the 1990s TV series Northern Exposure, and climbers prep to base camp on the flanks of Denali— at 7,000 feet. My second trip to Alaska started here, and while I wouldn’t be climbing any mountains, I would soon overcome unexpected obstacles on an entirely different level.

While milling around the Talkeetna Air Taxi hangar awaiting my flight, I noticed a woman in her 30s organizing wrenches in a huge, top-of-the-line tool chest. This was Danial Doty, a camera-shy woman with grimy nails and a bandana protecting her dark brown locks. Danial, the company’s chief aircraft mechanic and an ace bush pilot in her own right, had flown from Colorado to Alaska nine years prior, taking everything she could stuff into her plane. “I had no plan other than to live in Alaska, working on planes and flying them,” she told me.

Despite my admiration for Danial’s single-minded focus, I slipped to the edge of my comfort zone when I realized that this woman’s handiwork with a couple of wrenches would control my fate aboard a seven-seat bush plane at 10,000 feet. About to fly a loop around Denali’s 20,300-foot peak, I thought: Women don‘t fix airplanes. Do they?

They certainly do. The flight went off without a hitch. However, a sudden updraft tossed the plane like a ping-pong ball, rearranging my thinking yet again. If I were to be wary of anything, it should be the unpredictable turbulence in these mountains—not the estrogen level of a highly skilled mechanic.

My stereotype-bending encounter with Danial Doty provoked the first of my many double takes about women’s roles in the Land of the Midnight Sun. In the days following that flight, I thought about how Alaska shapes women like Danial—and how women like her shape Alaska.

56

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

womensadventuremagazine.com

W

hat draws hundreds of extraordinary females to Alaska every year? “It’s so much easier here to make yourself the kind of person you want to be,” says Sherry Simpson, a native Alaskan and writer for Alaska magazine. “Women in particular can ditch expectations about how they’re supposed to dress, what type of work they’re supposed to do, and what kind of fun they’re allowed to have.”

Sherry lists a handful of friends as examples of stereotype-bashing women in Alaska: One has a graduate degree in public administration and spends fall weekends hunting big game; another works for a local school district and as a river guide in her spare time.

She also mentions a 2008 congressional candidate, a published poet, and an actress who drove trucks during the construction of the TransAlaska Pipeline.

It was the rush to build this 800-mile pipeline in the 1970s, in fact, that helped rewrite the rules for working women in Alaska. The project employed more than 21,600 workers at its peak and did for Alaskan women what World War II did for women of the Lower 48: It gave them jobs that ordinarily would

have gone to men. Even so, both of these turning points of progress had more to do with supply and demand than shifts in men’s thinking.

But there’s an important difference between the two movements: While Rosie the Riveter got canned when the boys came home from war,

rest of the world) generally have a shallow grasp on just how vast the Last Frontier really is. Alaska is 2.5 times the size of Texas, and laying a picture of the state over a map of the Lower 48 gives an even better idea of its size: The Aleutian Islands stretch into California; Alaska’s long southeast tail tickles

“I had no plan other than to live in Alaska; work on planes and fly them.”

- Danial Doty, Talkeetna, Alaska

Supply and demand is still at work. “We [women of Alaska] are sometimes afforded more opportunities simply because we have a smaller and more isolated population than most states,” Shelley Theno, a University of Alaska professor, wrote in a 2004 study of the state’s women.

Florida; and Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost city in the United States, sits squarely atop North Dakota. What’s more, roughly half of Alaska’s 700,000 people live in Anchorage; Puerto Rico has more miles of public road; and much of the state, including the capital, is only accessible by plane or boat. Alaska has just over one person per square mile, compared to the national average of nearly 80 people per square mile.

Those of us from “Outside” (how Alaskans refer to the

Because of Alaska’s enormity, simply showing up counts

women in Alaska still work in the North Slope oil fields and continue to challenge gender stereotypes—big time.

for something. This holds especially true in small towns, where capable, resourceful women get noticed—women like 52-year-old Thea Thomas and 31-year-old Beth Poole, who both live in Cordova on Prince William Sound. Thea and Beth have different stories, but both are representative of the women you find in small-town Alaska.

As a teenager growing up in Portland, Oregon, Thea dreamed of going to Alaska, where the northern wilds represented adventure and opportunity. While in grad school, she started working in Alaskan fish canneries during the summers to learn the ropes. After two years, she decided to start her own business. With personal savings, family help, and a bank loan, Thea bought a $60,000 commercial-fishing permit packaged with a $25,000 32foot diesel bow-picker. This was a major investment, but more than 20 years later, she still makes a decent living netting king, sockeye, and coho salmon from May to September, rain or shine.

Like other captains, she works alone and sometimes lives in her small boat cabin for weeks at a time.

Thea’s seasonal livelihood lets her head south in the winters to her Baja California trailer or visit family in Oregon—a situation that’s typical for many Alaskan women.

“Every season I’m excited by the energy of the returning salmon,” she says. “Harvest time brings people back, too, and Cordova is alive with a sense of purpose.”

Beth arrived in Alaska in a different manner. “I can’t tell you how many people have the same story as I do,” she WAM OSPRING’2010”

57

P

says. Beth grew up in New England, majored in English literature, lived in Boston, and lost her first job about seven years ago, which finally allowed her the time to visit a friend in Alaska. “By the end of the first week, I decided to wrap things up at home and move here,” she says matterof-factly. “It’s captivating, but you get sucked in. It was as much a surprise to me as to my parents.”

During an internship for a community nonprofit in Cordova, Beth wrote a successful grant proposal that helped to establish a marketing association for the town’s fishing industry. Not surprisingly, she soon settled in as the association’s first executive director, and a flexible schedule and short walk to work gave her little reason to leave. Like many of Alaska’s small-town fishermen and locals, Beth spent several winters as a “young snowbird,” surfing and vacationing in Hawaii and Costa Rica with her husband.

Now they have two children, so their getaways are determined by the school calendar.

Although Thea and Beth have established niches in their community, opportunities can be limited in small towns. “Alaska’s economy is narrowly focused—it’s heavily dependent on resource extraction,” says Alaska-born Deirdre Helfferich, a parttime science editor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. “Fisheries and tourism are the next two biggest industries,” she says. “Pretty much everything else in our economy stems from that.”

The jobs here aren’t all glamorous, but they’ve been available: Until

58

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

2009, employment rates in Alaska had been steady for 21 consecutive years.

Unemployment has since risen but still remains lower than in the Lower 48, thanks to the oil industry and heavy federal spending. Alaska has been spared the full impact of the 2008–2009 economic meltdown that stunned the rest of the country.

couples and families.

“It’s easier to start your own business here, too,” adds Deirdre, who also publishes a regional monthly newletter, the Ester Republic, in her small community near Fairbanks. She attributes the state’s laissez-faire regulatory attitude to its short history and to the “fierce libertarian bent to Alaskan politics.”

Alaska is also bountiful for women who like working outdoors and are resourceful enough to keep busy during the long winters and offseason. “Offhand I can think of many women I’ve known who’ve worked for riverrafting outfits, kayak companies, or horse-trekking outfits in the backcountry,” says Sherry, the writer, who’s also penned two books about life in the 50th state. She rattles off the other outdoor-industry jobs her acquaintances have held, including wildlife biologist and guides in every imagineable backcountry activity—and then there’s the writer/long-distance rower/world-renowned avalanche expert.

“When it’s December or January in Alaska’s interior, you start asking yourself why you live here, but in spring you wonder if you could ever live anyplace else.”

- Lynne Snifka, Fairbanks, Alaska

Tourism stalled in 2009 but is expected to begin recovering this year.

In addition to the healthy job market, other financial benefits draw women to Alaska. The state has no income tax, and anyone with a pulse, including infants, collects an annual dividend from the state’s oil-wealth trust fund. The payoff has dropped sharply—to $1,300 per head last year—but it still adds up to a nice bonus for

among the biggest employers in the state,” Deirdre says.

But government jobs also have strong equal-rights and equal-pay regulations, which help level the playing field for female professionals. “In terms of normal day-to-day life, the jobs and job ceilings are definitely more open [than in other parts of the country],” she says.

Alaska also has a lot of women business owners, she adds. According to University of Alaska researchers, women in Alaska enjoy one of the country’s highest employment rates in management and professional fields and their median earnings also rank among the highest in the United States.

Alaska may have a libertarian streak, but it still has its share of bureaucracy. “The state, feds, and universities are

“The ecotourism industry in particular hires a lot of young women during the summers,” says Sherry. “If you have outdoor skills, [being a woman] can be a plus, because it helps female clients feel more comfortable.” Female guides sometimes have the opposite effect on male clients, however, but Sherry’s personal experience shows that most men get over their reservations and walk away impressed by their female leads’ capabilities.

Although the state’s huge backcountry lures wilderness- and adventure-loving

womensadventuremagazine.com

women, being comfortable around wildlife is a prerequisite for all women in Alaska, even those who live in the city. Anchorage abuts the Chugach National Forest (larger geographically than New Hampshire), and hundreds of bears—including about 50 grizzlies—live within the sprawling city limits. “Five minutes from our townhouse, we’re hiking in bear country, spying on beavers, or watching otters play in a creek,” Sherry says.

And 1,000 moose share the glacial bowl in which the city is built.

Despite occasional close calls with wildlife, outdoor recreation is a huge draw for potential transplants to the Great White North. “I can put on skis outside my door and ski for 25 miles without crossing a road,” says Jane Angvik, a community-planning consultant in Anchorage. In fact, the city offers 100 miles of groomed ski trails, along with hiking, biking, and even salmon fishing in Ship Creek.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for women in the Last Frontier is facing winter. Survival lessons include knowing when it’s too cold to ski (20 degrees below zero) and how to handle seasonal affective disorder (sunny getaways, full-spectrum lamps, and antidepressant drugs can help).

“I have a love-hate relationship with Alaska,” says Lynne Snifka, a journalism professor in Fairbanks, where the winter solstice hits hard with only four hours of daylight.

Even though the Wisconsin native is no stranger to the depravations of winter, “when it’s December or January in Alaska’s interior, you

start asking yourself why you live here,” she says. “But in spring you wonder if you could ever live anyplace else.”

T

alking with these women has enriched my understanding of why such strong, capable females call the state home. Like their goosegutting former governor, the native Alaskan women I’ve met are strong and selfconfident, and the transplants from Outside seem just as thoughtful, open-minded, and inclined to participate in their adopted communities. And I’d wager that a large proportion of women, both past and present, relate to Lynne’s love-hate relationship with Alaska’s wilderness, its rugged interior, its lonely winters, and the opportunity it affords them to pursue their dreams without gender baggage.

Women here are trailblazers.

They are Iditarod winners and bush pilots opening up the backcountry. Women are breaking down race and gender barriers in the government and private sectors, founding newspapers, opening libraries, and leading environmental groups that protect the state’s true treasures. These pioneers would probably agree with Danial Doty, the Talkeetna aircraft mechanic, who sparked my entire fascination. “Strength comes from within,” Danial says. “And if you love what you do, to hell with the rest.”

Shine on, Alaska.

■

Tackle the Last Frontier “Wanna go north to Alaska? What are you waiting for?” asks Alaskan writer Sherry Simpson. “They aren’t making any more Alaskas the last time I looked.” Avoid an Into the Wild ending and overcome the stigma of the fatally naive newbie. Heed the advice of the experts and prepare yourself for a wild ride in the Last Frontier.

Visit Alaska first before selling all your worldly goods, advises Peg Tileston, a public policymaker and 2010 inductee into the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame. Apply for an internship with an organization like the Alaska Conservation Foundation (www.alaskaconservation.org) or the Alaska Women’s Environmental Network (www.awenalaska.org), an organization run by young women. When you’re ready to make the big move, slide into a temporary job “to get the feel of the place,” says Peg. Don’t show up in the backcountry with only a vague employment prospect, says Anne Beaulaurier, a guide and bus driver for Camp Denali, one of the nation’s first eco-lodges, which was founded by two female bush pilots in 1951. She recalls a couple that arrived in her village of 150 people near Denali National Park expecting a job that fell through. “Their car wasn’t ready for winter and wouldn’t start—so they couldn’t even leave without help,” Anne says. “People who succeed here learn about the area in the summer, make contacts, and know the character of the town.”

MJ Aft, another Camp Denali staffer, recommends Cool Works (www.coolworks. com), a company that posts outdoor and seasonal employment opportunities. “It’s Mecca for seasonal jobs,” she says. “It seems like 90 percent of the people I met here during my first summer got connected via Cool Works.”

If you’re still in college, consider transferring to the University of Alaska, which has campuses across the state and offers programs that fit well with Alaska’s economy, such as oceanography, forestry, and wildlife and marine biology.

Many Outsiders’ first jobs in Alaska are as summer deckhands on charter boats or as grunts for commercial fishing operations. You can walk the docks looking for work or check out www. alaskajobfinder.com, which specializes in fishingindustry jobs. XtraTuf rubber boots are de rigueur.

WAM OSPRING’2010”

59

P

O

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Playground Subscribe to our

Digital Magazine

for the newest articles hot off the digipress

&

National Geographic AdventureMapsÂŽ are the most detailed maps for the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier adventure travel destinations.

Trust us â&#x20AC;&#x201D; weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been there.

Available at and other fine retailers worldwide.

Come play our

Playground Gear Game

to WIN new products

and much more... womensadventuremagazine.com

Fkqbo^`qfsb Bjbodbk`v FA 60

P

WAM OSPRINGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;2010â&#x20AC;?

womensadventuremagazine.com

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

On Pedals or Powder Every Girl's a

The SockGuy Famous LUV Match

Hottie! sockguy.com

HillebergAd-WmnsAdvntr0210-SmllHoriz-Akto2-4.825x3.pdf

1

2/11/10

17:09

HILLEBERG TENTS

STRONG. LIGHT. DEPENDABLE.

Advertise in the

Playground

Marketplace

Jolanda Linschooten

W W W. H I L L E B E R G .CO M To l l F r e e : 8 6 6 - 8 4 8 - 8 3 6 8

Lisa

lisasinclair@ staff.womensadventuremagazine.com

WAM OSPRING’2010”

61

P

OSPRING’2010” Musings

In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans —KAHLIL GIBRAN 62

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

womensadventuremagazine.com

Travel, Eat, Sleep, & Cook telluridemagazine

telluridemagazine

."(";*/&

To order any of these unique cookbooks call 800-258-5830 or visit our website www.bigearthpublishing.com

MAGAZINE

/ iÊ ÕÀi vÊ 7>ÌiÀv> à *À L i ÃÊ Ü Ì *i> Ê >}} } Õ Ì> Ê ÀV ÌiVÌÕÀi ÕÌV Ê >Ãà `Þ½ÃÊÊ /i ÕÀ `iÊ i ÃÌ

Discover why so many adventurers call Telluride

Join Telluride Publishing The most beautiful place you’ll ever play

Promoting the Telluride Experience 27 YEARS WITH TELLURIDE MAGAZINE

MAGAZINE 22 YEARS WITH TELLURIDE AND MOUNTAIN VILLAGE VISITOR GUIDE A N D M O U N TA I N V I L L A G E

3

O F F I CAWARDS I A L VFOR I S EXCELLENCE I T O R G U IN I D 2009 E MAGGIE

It’s Çä°ÇÓn°{Ó{xÊUÊ 6 ,/ - more than a destination J/ 1, < www.TellurideMagazine.com ° " VISITOR GUIDE

O

F

F

I

C

I

A

L

V

I

S

I

T

O

R

G

U

I

D

E

OSPRING’2010” Editorial

Caster Semenya’s testosterone advantage puts her ahead of the pack.

Gender Bender

By Michelle Theall Last February, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended gender testing to determine the eligibility of athletes who exhibit sexually ambiguous characteristics. The decision came just months after Caster Semenya, the South African runner who won the women’s 800-meter event at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, one of the biggest annual track-and-field events. Caster spurred scrutiny with her masculine build, low voice, and hint of an Adam’s apple. Following her victory, the newswires lit up with speculation about her gender—and her status as a world champion. While it must have been excruciatingly embarrassing to be called out in such a public manner, I’ll argue that being fair to all athletes is more important than worrying about the embarrassment of just one.

64

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

Men and women compete in separate categories in most sports because of inherent inequities in speed and strength. If testosterone didn’t boost performance, we wouldn’t debate steroid use, right? But unlike a steroid user, Caster isn’t trying to put anything over on anyone. She is just being who she is.

one woman’s natural testosterone levels are higher than other women’s—or perhaps on par with a man’s—should she be allowed to compete against women? What if she has ambiguous sex organs? And how do you single out an athlete to be tested without crushing her spirit and reputation?

After rumors swirled that gender-testing results revealed her as a hermaphrodite, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ruled that Caster would keep her world title and prize money. The IAAF did not decide, however, whether she’d be allowed to continue competing as a woman.

Clearly, the IOC cannot make assumptions about athletes based on outward femininity alone. While Lindsey Vonn might pass the “woman” test, a Russian softball pitcher might not. The IOC must return to standardized gender testing for all athletes (as was the norm a decade ago) or risk demoralizing and humiliating individuals. And, as inane as it sounds, the IOC must set its criteria for deciding when a woman is too much of a man to be a female athlete. ■

While physiology is not a concern for most athletes, for elite athletes, hard work, heredity, and hormones combine to make or break careers. Where is the line that determines sex and gender? If

womensadventuremagazine.com

WAM OSPRING’2010”

65

P

66

P

WAM OSPRING’2010”

womensadventuremagazine.com