“I don’t feel anything,” I say.

“Give it a couple of minutes,” says Catherine Boyd, a psychiatrist in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where I live.

A few moments later, I begin one of the wildest adventures I’ve ever taken, only this one is inside my head. I’m sitting in a reclining chair in Boyd’s office, wearing an eye mask and listening to a soothing playlist, having just been injected with my first round of ketamine, a dissociative drug that’s used for the treatment of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and addiction, among other mental health conditions.

Boyd checks in with me soon after and asks how I’m doing. I tell her that it feels like a dentist is using a Waterpik to clean out my neural pathways. Then I feel like I’m floating in a beautiful galaxy, and a stairway made of stars appears that leads up to infinity. Mostly, I see a nonsensical series of shapes and colors that look like the graphic designer Milton Glaser is doodling on the walls of my brain. It’s mind-blowing.

I’d been thinking about trying ketamine for a few reasons, one being that I was in a scary accident a couple of years ago on the way down from the local ski mountain. A large snowplow came around a corner and collided with me, totaling my car. The plow’s blade was up, and it came through the window behind me, unnervingly close to my head. I was physically shaken and bruised by the impact, and I shudder to think what might have happened if the plow had hit a second sooner.

Although the accident was traumatizing, I hadn’t been able to shake off a lingering association it caused. That morning I’d been skiing with a couple of friends; it was a powder day, and I finally got the hang of how to make the turns properly. It felt so good floating on top of the snow. I had to leave sooner than my cohorts to get to work, so I drove down the mountain alone. Along the way I was so happy, thinking how lucky I was to be living this outdoor life. And then: boom!

Some might simply have been grateful that no one was seriously injured and moved on, but in my mind I connected feeling happy with getting surprised by something bad. This triggered a feeling of hypervigilance that I’d experienced growing up with a family member who struggled with substance abuse, which had made me feel on guard, waiting for the other shoe to drop. If I was always prepared for the worst, my thinking went, then it wouldn’t surprise me.

This isn’t a joyful or spontaneous way to live. I also stopped skiing in Santa Fe after the accident. I didn’t want to be on that winding mountain road again, especially after a winter storm.

“Ketamine turns off the activity of the brain’s amygdala, a part of the brain’s fear center, so traumas are more easily processed after a session,” says Boyd, who’s been administering the treatment for three years. “Many of us have built up a vase around our brains, with defense mechanisms meant to protect us that we no longer need. Ketamine allows you to safely break down that vase and build a new one that works better.”

The drug has been used in anesthesia for more than 50 years. But in a 2000 Yale University study, psychiatrists discovered that, given at lower doses, ketamine helped patients with depression. Several other studies were done over the years, including one that showed marked improvement for veterans suffering from symptoms of PTSD, and in 2019 the FDA approved use of the ketamine derivative esketamine as a nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression.

The drug is also given off-label intravenously, intramuscularly, or via lozenges. I received intramuscular injections. Each session cost $651, and the treatment typically isn’t covered by insurance.

How ketamine works is complicated. The simplified version is that the brains of some people who have experienced depression or trauma can develop faulty wiring that perpetuates their symptoms. Ketamine can repair that wiring, establishing new, healthy neural pathways.

“Ketamine affects glutamate signaling, which causes the brain to produce neural ‘fertilizers’ called BDNF—brain-derived neurotrophic factor,” Boyd says. “These fertilizers help neurons grow more connections.

“Ketamine is an opportunity to gain great insight about yourself, your past, your life,” she adds. “It doesn’t work for everyone, but when it does, I’ve seen it drastically improve mood and help people reach insights they haven’t gained after many years of talk therapy.”

For the most severely depressed people, a common course of treatment is six doses over three weeks. I wasn’t severely depressed, so Boyd and I decided to do one treatment per week, given on a Sunday, because afterward I felt woozy for an hour or so and needed to rest and be quiet.

Even though the experience can feel like a trip, ketamine works differently than more familiar psychedelic drugs like psilocybin and LSD. While ketamine has long been abused as a street drug—often called Special K—when administered legally by a doctor, strict protocols are in place.

I went through a detailed intake process, filling out comprehensive forms on my physical and psychological health to make sure the treatment was right for me. Boyd says that people with a history of psychosis, mania, high blood pressure, and heart or liver disease should not try ketamine. Nor should pregnant women.

Boyd takes my blood pressure and oxygen saturation levels before and after each treatment—ketamine can raise blood pressure and heart rate and cause nausea—then injects a small dose to make sure I can tolerate the effects, checks in to see if I want a second dose after that, and sits with me the entire time the drug is in my system, around 40 to 60 minutes.

We also talk over how I’m doing before each treatment, and we discuss what came up for me during the session afterward. The whole process takes around two hours.

There are hundreds of ketamine clinics all over the country right now, and there’s even a way to receive the treatment online, through a company called Mind Bloom that sells and ships tablets. When I mentioned to Boyd, an avid kayaker and snowboarder, that I’d also heard of spas and nature retreats offering ketamine, she was cautious.

“Ketamine is a dissociative medication, and most people are very inward during the session,” she says. “For this reason, I would not recommend doing it in nature. Ketamine turns off the cortex and disconnects the body from the brain. It is an introspective tool for inner exploration and should be done safely in a medical setting after a person has been appropriately screened.”

There’s no way I could have been walking around outside during a treatment. I saved outdoor activities for the days after, when it felt peaceful and healing to be in natural settings and I craved quiet time to contemplate what had come up for me during a session.

As for the risks, Boyd says we’re still in “the wild west” phase, as the drug’s use for this treatment is so new. But she assured me that, at the small doses she gave me, it’s generally very safe.

It was important to me to work with a trained psychiatrist who understands neurochemistry and the brain. Boyd also strongly recommends seeing a therapist to help process any revelations. While a ketamine journey can be spectacular and beautiful, it can also bring to the surface challenging issues from your past or current life, which happened for me.

Boyd says that everyone experiences ketamine in a different way, but most people find that they connect to a sense of something greater than themselves. After each treatment, I felt moments of tranquility that I hadn’t felt in years.

My ketamine journeys often brought up images of nature. One time I felt like I was sitting at the bottom of the ocean, hanging out with strands of pulsing seaweed. I also took a trip into what felt like the inside of my heart, and I was trying to open it up. Another time I struggled to identify a bizarre image that looked like a floating piece of lettuce, and my mind clearly said: Stop trying so hard to make sense of everything.

That insight helped me to begin unraveling the accident trauma. I could see that my brain wanted to assign a reason to bad things that happen, and that it was easier for me to think the universe didn’t want me to be happy than to concede that I had no control over a snowplow coming out of the blue and nearly killing me.

Challenging things are going to happen to all of us on occasion. It’s part of being a human crashing around in a busy, modern world. What we can change is our resiliency when traumatizing incidents occur. That’s where ketamine really helped. It allowed me to see trauma from a kinder, more distant perspective, and it gave me a better platform from which to process it and move forward more peacefully.

I wish I could tie this up in a neat bow and tell you that I’ve since driven up the ski mountain and felt no fear and that everything is fine again. I haven’t. The unraveling of trauma takes time.

But I can feel my hypervigilant tendencies loosening, and I’ve been seeking out more fun. I’m also more open to heading up that road than I have been in a long time. I’m tired of missing out on those powder turns.

Mary Turner is ���ܳٲ������’s deputy editor and travel director. She’s more used to physically traveling out in the world than taking a trip inside her own mind.

The post I Was Traumatized After an Accident. Then I Tried Ketamine Therapy. appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

Ashley Rodriguez has taught cooking classes, worked at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago restaurant in Beverly Hills, California, and done professional food photography. She also writes and hosts , a James Beard Award–nominated YouTube show that she created about cooking outdoors with wild ingredients. That’s how we found her.

“I have made smoked clam carbonara, with the waves of the Salish Sea lapping at my fire, and spiced buttery biscuits cooked until golden on top of rosy-hued apricots in the Cascade Mountains,” says the chef, who is based in Seattle.

These days, Rodriguez is putting together her third cookbook (she offers a multitude of outdoor-cooking recipes on her website), and she was recently certified as a nature-and-forest-therapy guide. “Cooking outside is a beautiful way to connect deeper to the earth—something we need so desperately these days,” she says. When she isn’t cooking or eating, you will find her foraging for mushrooms or oysters, fly-fishing, or feeding her sourdough starter. We asked Rodriguez to walk us through what we need to cook delicious meals outside.

Ashley Rodriguez: My preferred way to cook outside is over a large fire pit. Most campsites have one. In an ideal situation—private property, for example—I would dig my own, to make it easier to have different cooking zones for grilling, braising, and smoking. I have a collapsible grate that I bring with me to set over low flames and hot coals. To ensure high, even, long-burning heat, I use hardwood, which I bring along or buy at the campground. If there’s room in the car, I’ll pack a large bag of hardwood lump charcoal to help get the fire going more quickly. I also bring a for boiling water in the morning or to use if there’s a fire ban in place.

When I’m cooking in my backyard, I use a that I love. Nothing fancy. Just classic and dependable.

I keep a camp-cooking pantry at the ready. It includes olive oil, salt (both flake and sea salt), pepper, vinegar, Dijon mustard, sugar, and all-purpose seasoning I make myself (ingredients: salt, pepper, chili powder, lemon, rosemary, thyme, and dried mushroom powder). I keep everything in a lidded plastic container. I have a checklist on top and mark anything I run out of so I can replace it before the next adventure.

Everything is a bit more difficult at a campsite, so I prep whatever I can at home. Vegetables are washed and cut, greens are washed, salad dressing is made. That way all I have to do is assemble and cook. Coming from a background in restaurant kitchens, I have an affinity for storing produce in , which are washable and reusable.

Depending on the season, I try to incorporate ingredients from the wild. Greens are abundant in spring, berries in summer, and mushrooms in fall. I love to roast meat over a bed of pine and maple. The meat is fragrant and incredibly tender. Pork shoulder, beef, and lamb all work well.

I always have my knife bag packed and ready to go. In it I keep all my kitchen essentials: knife, Microplane, oyster shucker, wooden spoon, fish spatula. My go-to outdoor knife is the While I often bring a larger chef’s knife, this slim little blade helps me prepare a restaurant-worthy meal.

I have a small collapsible table that I set up close to the fire to keep tools and ingredients at the ready. I use part of the camp picnic table for prep and have others prep there as well. Camp cooking is always a group effort.

My best advice is to let people help you, and be present. Cooking outside is delightfully unpredictable. The wind, coals, and weather play a major role in how soon dinner will be ready. Be ready to adjust at any moment. This way of cooking is instinctual, and it’s the reason I love cooking outside over a fire. Oh, and always make sure the fire is completely out before leaving. Douse the pit with plenty of water.

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Aside from booking future trips,��one way you can inspire the adventure traveler on your list��and help the industry this year is to spend your holiday dollars on gifts that support��small travel businesses and��properties, as well as regions��and industry employees. Most lodges sell merchandise, so check their websites��and start ordering, or buy a gift certificate toward a trip from an outfitter you love. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite gift��ideas that benefit the places we can’t wait to visit again soon. At a time when travel has been at a standstill, these thoughtful presents��bring the world to you.

Gift Certificates

For the person on your list��who prizes experiences over material items, a gift certificate from their preferred��guiding outfitter, lodge, or travel service is a guaranteed hit. Established��mountaineering and climbing groups��like ,��, and����are offering vouchers for 2021 trips, but any of your go-to guiding services will likely be happy to tailor a gift certificate for you. And with camping and road trips predicted to be just as popular next summer, RV rental company is offering that cover any kind of a trip, from an overnighter to a weeklong escape.

Food and��Drink��

It’s likely that everyone you’re shopping for has gotten into cooking since the start of the pandemic—whether that’s meant perfecting a home brew or discovering new spices. For the friend who wants to take their talents to the next level, “adopt” an olive tree for them through (from $79), an Italian company that works with small-scale grove farmers in the provinces of Liguria, Sicily, and Marche. The company will ship cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil directly to your door, along with information about the grove and farmer. Or opt for a customizable three-spice set from ($36), a woman-led, direct-trade business��that supports local farms in India that have invested in sustainable agricultural practices.

There are plenty of coffee subscriptions out there, so add a personalized touch by picking a company��in a destination that your giftee has always wanted to explore. Some of our favorites include coffee from Papua New Guinea–based , a tour operator that’s recently established a coffee mill to benefit��the local Native community (from $9, not including shipping), and Colombia-based , which sources from 600 producers across the country, roasts its beans in Medellín, and immediately ships��bags to the U.S. so that they’re fresh upon arrival��(from $10, not including shipping). For a gift that’s closer to home, many U.S. breweries, distilleries, and wineries are making delivery��easier, with some states that prohibit liquor shipments .

Virtual Experiences

Yep, we get it—we’ve all spent a lot of time online this year. But there have been some upsides to that, like access to fitness training, classes, and events we might never get to enjoy��otherwise. Some of our favorite virtual experiences include ’s (from $10 for group seminars; private sessions are available, too). The Costa Rica resort is usually booked a year out, but this online opportunity gives you or your budding surfer friend a front seat to excellent instruction.

We’ve dreamed of visiting the , a spa, yoga, and meditation resort in northern India. Now at least we can sign ourselves and others up for its�� (from $70 for a monthlong subscription; get a 10 percent discount during the holidays by using the code ANYEAREND��at checkout).

We’ve been watching a ton of cooking videos during quarantine. Give someone you love a ��($25) with a European chef through , and they’ll learn how to make you tapas that taste just like you’re in Spain.

For your strung-out friend who needs a way to relax, how about��gifting a virtual birding tour in Colombia?��The country is known for its enormous variety of avian��species, and now you can see them, too, through from , which connects you with experts for guided tours ($125 for one person; group experiences are available as well). Email anna@tripsite.com��to set it up.��We hope to spot a rare blue-billed curassow.

Philanthropy

Giving back��to conservation organizations feels especially important this year, as the tourism dollars funding many of these efforts have dramatically declined. There are too many amazing organizations to list here, but these recently caught our eye. Sponsoring an animal is fun and fulfilling for kids and adults alike, and you can adopt��an elephant through the in Cambodia, a sanctuary for the formerly captive giants. The��ecotourism outfitter��., based in Fairbanks, Alaska,��is offering , like Sluggo, above, to help support the dogs��and the company until its��dogsledding-trip bookings rebound. Meet its��team of awesome pooches��.

If you really want to splurge for someone, let them name a newborn rhino through the program for—gulp—$25,000 to protect the future of species, which has been devastated by poaching. (The organization is happy to receive smaller donations, too.) With fewer tourists in Africa, poaching is on the rise, and rangers don’t have the resources to keep working. In another great offering from the Great Plains Foundation, Project Ranger allows you to ��to keep them employed and the wildlife protected. Or give a donation in someone’s name to �� to provide direct economic impact��to local guides who’ve been unemployed��this year in destinations around the world.

The grew out of the to contribute to��projects that conserve resources in adventure travel locales. The fund is currently focusing��on the acute needs of those in many destinations��right now suffering from��a lack of tourism income. in someone’s name to fund��projects, such as��protecting Namibia’s desert lions. Your gift will be matched by other companies in the travel industry.

After a devastating fire season in the West, many communities that rely on tourism dollars are still being rebuilt. Gift a donation in someone’s name to an organization supporting these communities through foundations in , , , and ; the ; or by calling a business you love in one of the hard-hit areas and making an online purchase or buying a gift certificate for future use.

Books

For history buffs and trail lovers, ($55)��is a must-give item. Written by , who has authored 13 books on hiking and has completed the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide Trails, and with stunning photography by , who walked every historic trail mentioned, this coffee-table-worthy book takes you from the Pony Express to the paths of civil right marches and along 17 other trails designated as nationally historic by the National Park Service. The trails range in length from 54 miles to 5,000��and are perfect for socially distant adventures—whether you decide to hike, bike, or armchair-dream about them.

Nothing brings you the taste of a place like food. So gift a cookbook this season, especially one that benefits��some fantastic��lodges, like the , primely located in Utah near the state’s best national parks and Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, and its James Beard–recognized restaurant and . The Italian guides who work for the bike-touring company created a ($15) full of their secret family recipes to bestow��your friends. (It’s in a PDF format, so you can gift��it right away.) The proceeds support the guides during the travel downturn. The in Nelson, British Columbia, is famed for its Fresh Tracks Café. Try out its chef’s fare in one of . The ($45) gathered up 100 recipes from various local chefs to give back to��the Colorado town’s struggling restaurants. And if you’re missing the taste of the wild frontier, these two Alaskan offerings from chef Kirsten Dixon bring you the cabin feels and fresh-seafood vibes from two awesome places: (from $19) and ($35).

While app travel guides are great, don’t forget good ol’��guidebooks that help travel writers and local tourism efforts. Guidebooks still offer the most comprehensive intel about a place, like former New York Times reporter and Denver-based author ’s recently updated ($18). If you’re seeking warmth this winter, check out .

Home Goods��

What better travel gift than a souvenir that might not fit into a suitcase? The online marketplace carries everything from ceramics and lampshades to artwork, all created by artisans across Chile. There’s an equally varied selection at , which offers alpaca-wool items handmade by Peruvian craftsmen. The company is currently employing out-of-work guides from the outfitter to help choose the items you import, by having the guides show shoppers around stores through video calls. Based in Ahmedabad, India, works with up to 2,300 women artisans across the country to produce modern pieces inspired by traditional handicrafts, including (from $8) and (from $10). And for the friend who was looking forward to a beach getaway this year, you can’t go wrong with a traditional Mexican hammock from (from $70), a Yucatán-based certified B Corp company.

Apparel and��Accessories��

Everyone appreciates a gift that has a story and a positive impact. Seattle-based partners with 30 Masai women in Kenya to produce beaded earrings, necklaces, and rings and pays them wages rather than a commission. Safari company recently launched an that showcases items from regional craft makers. Among its luxury home and accessory items are cotton-silk scarves (from $125) from sub-Saharan brand , which feature designs from students enrolled in a program for at-risk youth. For your loved one who dreams of hiking the Himalayas someday, support local outfitter by gifting (from $20); proceeds benefit its guiding staff. And for the friend who’s counting down to the Olympics next summer, the is filled with goodies, including this (from $200) and this (from $72).

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I recently discovered a link to a livestream camera overlooking a bay in British Columbia��and claiming��to show orcas in real time. I hopped on to see what was happening, with the attitude of like I’m really going to see an orca thousands of miles away.��But I did! And then I spent an hour watching the orca frolic around in the water and listening to its blowhole exhalations. During these uncertain times, it was the only thing that relaxed me that day. (A shout-out��to , the world’s largest live-nature-cam network, for setting up the camera��and to the other organizations who make these experiences possible.) Later��I got hooked watching a real-time surfer on Oahu’s North Shore. During a period when we can’t travel, livestream feeds are one of the best armchair experiences. Until we can all get back out there, these webcams will take you on a journey around the world—and inspire future trips.

If You Want to Surf in Hawaii

Listen to crashing waves and catch a surfer or two on this at the Pipeline break on Oahu’s North Shore (where surfing is still allowed for now). And , a website that specializes in surf news and forecasting, has a Cam of the Moment set on a different break around the world at any given time.

If You Want to Go to Yosemite

Relax to the rushing��cascade of a huge waterfall in ��of��the park’s Upper Yosemite Falls.��

If You Want to Go Diving

The sounds of the current and images of flowing��kelp in this ��footage from��California’s Channel Islands National Park make for��another great offering by Explore. And in this Atlantic Ocean��, placed 34 miles off the coast of Cape Fear, North Carolina, I saw a big��ol’��shark cruise by, in addition to other vibrant marine life, after about five minutes of watching.��

If You Want to Go to New Zealand

Start dreaming about a trip to , the epicenter of adventure on the country’s South Island, by watching the light change on Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables Mountain Range that surrounds the small town.

If You Want See Orcas in British Columbia

One of the many gifts of Explore’s��livestream cameras is its orca offerings in Johnstone Strait, a protected habitat in British Columbia��where 150 or more killer whales spend the warmer months. I like to open up and leave it on in the background until I hear some splashing or blowhole exhalations, and then I click��over to see the action. Different cameras are live at any given time. (If a camera isn’t live, Explore��runs Live Cam Highlights, which are divine.) Here are my two favorites, both from the straight:��The ��camera overlooks Robson Bight. The second is an ��in which you see orcas darting by and—even more awesome—hear them communicate through their high-pitched sounds. It’s a good reminder that nature is still thriving in many places��despite what’s happening to humanity.

If You Want to Go to Patagonia

Get inspired for a future trip to the Southern Hemisphere by watching this , focused on the stunning Torres del Paine National Park and Rio Serrano. Chilean Patagonia has some of the most pristine wilderness parks in the world.

If You Want to Be on a River

The sound of a river immediately relaxes me. Zone out to the rushing waters of the in Crescent City, California. Or you might catch some kayakers on North Carolina’s famous Nantahala River.

If You Want to Observe—or Be Inside of—a Volcano

Watch the clouds float over the top of in Costa Rica, or look deep inside in Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park.

If You Want to Go on Safari in South Africa

Streamed daily at sunrise and sunset South African time (GMT plus two), tune in to ’s live, interactive online safaris. Professional gamekeepers and park rangers take viewers out into the savannas of South Africa’s Kruger National Park and Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve to scout for wildlife, giving you the experience of a safari from home. Or if you just want to watch elephants meandering around a water hole, in South Africa’s Tembe National Elephant Park does the trick nicely and also works at night (which helps��given the time change).

If You Want to Visit��a Caribbean Island

These really got me longing to lounge on a white-sand beach, from chilling at�� to dipping my toes into the water��by��the on Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands, with its famous in hand.

If You Want to Tour the Happiest Country on Earth

https://youtube.com/watch?v=UwSJ26G9hns

Take a walk around Helsinki on Webcamtaxi’s�� of Finland’s capital. Or look at what’s happening at�� in Lapland, the northern region��of the country. Finland is consistently rated one of the happiest places in the world.

If You Want to Go to the Mountains

The Jungfrau is a mountain in the Bernese Alps of��western Switzerland. With the nearby Eiger and Mönch, it forms a group of three peaks��known as the triumvirate. In these , you can appreciate the Jungfrau’s glaciers and jagged contours. (The mountain is sometimes socked in by fog due to a storm, so check back on different days.) The camera was set up by the Jungfrau Railway company, which boasts��the highest train station in Europe a few hundred feet below.

The has long been on my bucket list. Set on 5,200 acres in Walland, Tennessee, the property��recently added ridgetop cabins with incredible views of the Great Smoky Mountains. When I’m watching , I pretend that I’m kicking back on a cabin deck with an Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils, looking out at��the Smokies.��

If You Want to Enjoy��a Los Angeles Sunset

Thanks to a new campaign from Los Angeles Tourism, every day at around 6:30 P.M.��Pacific Time you can watch a from the top of ��overlooking Venice Beach.��

If You Want to Go to the South Pole

This , operated by the National Science Foundation, shows the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station research site in Antarctica, where the high temperature last week was minus 57 degrees. The camera is sometimes idle waiting on satellite connections, but it’s been up most times that I’ve logged on.

If You Want to Go to Venice, Italy

Leave it to the Italians to create the most civilized live cam. streams footage from various cameras around the city’s��beautiful canals and is set to the music of Interpreti Veneziana. We heart Italy.

And a Few More, Because Who Doesn’t Love Manatees, Sharks, and Seals?

The key with many of the livestreams mentioned in this story is patience. I left this ��at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park in Florida on in the background for a day until, all of a sudden, I heard a rush of bubbles. Lo and behold, there were three big, fat adult manatees and a snuggly��baby manatee swimming around. Warning: you may end up ��one.��

This next recommendation isn’t quite a livestream, but it’s still really cool. In a worldwide set up by Ocearch, a data-centric organization that helps scientists track tagged marine life in order to study and protect them, you can live-track great white sharks, turtles, and dolphins. My colleague Kaelyn Lynch turned me onto it. She’s been following Katharine, the famous 2,300-pound great white, since the shark��was tagged in 2013,��on her journey between the North Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.

It’s hard not to walk away with a smile on your face after watching lounge and flop around the beach in Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve on California’s central coast.

The post Travel the World with These Livestream Cameras appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

I’m counting the number of green olives in my snack. There are seven, and they are exceptionally small. I eat each one slowly. Desperate for more when I finish, I drink the liquid at the bottom of the packet that they came in. I’m on day three of a five-day fast-mimicking diet called ��(short for prolonging longevity). It was developed over the past 15 years by Valter Longo, a 51-year-old professor of gerontology and biological sciences and the director of the ��at the University of Southern California. Longo is also the author of a 2018 book called , and he’s been researching aging in relation to calorie-restricted eating for nearly three decades. He believes that fasting��plays a role in living a longer, healthier life.

Some say that the most effective fasting method is to drink water and consume nothing else. But people on water fasts should be medically supervised, and it isn’t safe to attempt a program like that while working or running after kids. So Longo came up with a five-day, $249 meal kit that delivers a scientifically formulated low-calorie vegan diet. (His profits from ProLon and his book go to his medical foundation, .) The goal is to trick your body into thinking you’re water fasting while giving you enough food energy and nutrients to perform basic tasks.

A typical ProLon day includes a macadamia nut bar for breakfast, a cup of freeze-dried vegetable soup (plus kale crackers or green olives) for lunch, another cup of freeze-dried vegetable soup for dinner, the occasional small dark-chocolate wafer, as much herbal tea as you can drink, a plant-based omega-3 supplement, and a multivitamin. Total calories: between 800 and 1,150 per day. (An active 30-year-old woman should normally eat about 2,400 calories per day.)

I was eager to try ProLon, to jump-start healthier habits after a summer of overindulgence. Full disclosure: I’m not a fasting neophyte. I’m one of those annoying people who have lived on juice for ten days and embarked on 21-day cleanses without caffeine, sugar, alcohol, wheat, or dairy. These programs share a premise: our bodies need a break��from digesting food so that we can heal damaged cells, build new ones, and reduce inflammation, all of which increases our likelihood of avoiding a host of diseases rampant in the U.S. today, including diabetes and cancer.

“When you’re fasting, energy is diverted from digesting food to the digestion of components of cells and organs, which are rebuilt upon returning to a normal diet,” Longo explains. “It allows the body to kill damaged cells and produce stem cells, resulting in the regeneration and rejuvenation of multiple systems.”

While fasting is increasingly accepted by mainstream medicine as a useful health practice, many doctors say there haven’t been enough long-term studies on its effectiveness, and some worry that forcing a body into starvation mode could slow a person’s metabolism or cause hormonal changes in women. Doctors, including Longo, advise against fasting if you’re pregnant, diabetic, on certain medications, or generally in poor health. Stacy Sims, a nutrition scientist and exercise physiologist, adds that athletes need to be careful, too. “A therapy that works well in a clinical population cannot be generalized to the active, healthy, athletic population and have the same effects,” she says. “The fasting research does not yet include exercise.” (Longo is currently conducting clinical trials on fasting and exercise.)

Longo suggests avoiding strenuous exercise during the fast, to avert negative side effects like fainting. On day three, ignoring this advice, I took a morning spin class—and soon regretted it. I felt totally depleted. Otherwise I found ProLon to be an easy program to follow. Everything you need arrives in a large shoebox. Inside are five smaller boxes, labeled for each day, containing all the food you’ll eat. The most labor-intensive task is boiling water for soup and tea. There are no hard-to-find ingredients involved or hours spent Vitamixing kale-chia shakes.

I started the fast on a Monday morning and finished on a Friday night. There was a party that week that I couldn’t skip, and I won’t lie: I wanted to kill my friend who was chowing down on sweet potato fries while I sipped herbal tea. Thankfully, part of the ProLon program includes something called the L-Drink, a vegetable-glycerin concoction mixed with water or herbal tea that helps quell hunger and boost energy. You drink it on days two through five. I gripped mine like a baby bottle.

The hardest part of the fast was breaking my psychological addiction to treats, like an afternoon oat-milk latte or a salted-caramel chocolate bar. I had to find other ways to soothe myself—a walk around the block helped, as did a visit with a coworker. On the plus side, after five days on ProLon, I lost five pounds, and I had an obnoxious amount of energy and mental clarity.

I asked Longo why I felt so good. He said that his studies on mice have shown that fasting is good for the brain. “At the end of a long fast or fast-mimicking diet, in most people about half of the brain’s energy is generated by metabolizing ketone bodies instead of sugars,” he says. In other words, I may have been burning more fat than carbohydrates. On low-calorie, low-carb diets like ProLon, the body gradually enters a state of partial ketosis after two or three days.

To break the ProLon fast, you eat small amounts of vegetables, legumes, starches, and proteins for 48 hours. Once you resume normal eating, Longo recommends a pescatarian��diet, combining salmon or other fish two or three times a week with otherwise primarily vegan meals, all eaten within a 12-hour window (for instance, between 8 A.M. and 8 P.M.).

What happens if you come off ProLon and go back to eating, say, margaritas and chips and queso? “Our clinical trials suggest that people who have the worst diet will benefit the most from ProLon,” Longo says. He adds that doing ProLon regularly—twice a year for healthy individuals on a pescatarian diet who exercise regularly and don’t smoke—has inspired some to improve their eating habits. With travel and the routine stresses of life, such inspiration doesn’t last forever for me, and my afternoon caffeine-and-chocolate addiction is already rearing its head again. It might be time for round two.

Fast Times

There are plenty of popular calorie-restriction methods, just don’t dive in without consulting a doctor.

Intermittent Fasting (IF)

An umbrella term for diets that alternate periods of fasting and eating over designated periods of time.

Time-Restricted Eating:

A type of IF that calls for scheduling meals within a set window—for example, eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner between 7 A.M. and 7 P.M.

Alternate-Day Fasting:

Eating normally for 24 hours, then taking in 25 percent of your caloric needs for 24 hours.

The 5:2 Plan:

Eating normally for five days, then consuming 25 percent of your caloric needs each day for two days.

Fast-Mimicking Diet:

A multi-day, low calorie plan like ProLon (see “Hunger Games,” right) that features foods that are low in carbs and protein and high in fat.

Water Fasting:

This approach requires medical supervision. You drink only water for periods ranging from 24 hours to several days.

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On August 10, 24-year-old Hanifa Yousoufi became the first female Afghan climber to summit 24,580-foot Mount Noshaq, Afghanistan’s tallest peak. It is a stunning accomplishment in a culturally conservative country where there are almost no��resources for women to get into mountaineering.��

Yousoufi was part of an expedition put together by a nonprofit called , which empowers women through training in climbing and leadership skills. The organization’s founder, American Marina LeGree, started the organization in 2014 after years of development work in Afghanistan. LeGree assembled a group of Afghan women to train for the climb in 2016. Three of the women were on the Noshaq expedition, but due to unexpected conditions on the mountain, Yousoufi was the only one who made the full ascent.��

“To see Hanifa standing up there, and to be able to show the world what Afghan women are capable of doing, feels incredible,” LeGree says. “She and her teammates have worked for years toward this expedition, showing up every day to work with the Ascend program, volunteering in their communities, studying and practicing not just mountaineering but also leadership. Their efforts will make a difference.”

The expedition was led by mountain guide Emilie Drinkwater, an accomplished climber and skier who is one of only nine American women with the coveted IFMGA guiding accreditation. Because of decades of unrest during the Soviet invasion, civil war, and Taliban rule, Noshaq was closed to trekkers and climbers for nearly 30 years, opening back up in 2009. Only three other Afghans have summited—all men. The day before the Ascend group was due to fly from Kabul to the nearest airstrip to hike to Base Camp, the Taliban attacked a nearby district. LeGree quickly arranged for the group to fly to a safer village in order to continue with the climb.

“The danger is real,” LeGree says. “Each woman that is part of Ascend takes a risk. So does her family. There is a lot of extremism in Afghanistan, not to mention the daily hazards of life in Kabul. The country is still dealing with an active insurgency. Our expedition was very close to delay or cancellation because the Taliban shot down two Afghan National Army helicopters in the neighboring district the day before we were set to fly to the mountain. So we flew to a different airstrip, a 13-hour drive away from Noshaq.”

Yousoufi, who was married at the age of 15 and is now divorced, had never done a sit-up three years ago. Now she has made history and wants to serve as a role model for other women in her country. “I did this for every single girl,” Yousoufi told LeGree after the climb. “The girls of Afghanistan are strong and will continue to be strong.”

American photojournalist Erin Trieb, who was on ���ϳԹ���’s May 2017 cover, and Berlin-based writer Theresa Breuer were also on the expedition. They will be producing a story about Yousoufi and the climb for ���ϳԹ��� and plan to make a documentary film.

“I have photographed war and conflict for ten years, but this expedition was the most difficult project I have ever worked on,” Trieb says. “None of us realized how treacherous Noshaq is, because so little is known about the mountain. That the Taliban attacked the area the day before we were due to fly had all of us feeling very nervous. Despite all possible odds, Hanifa reached the top. I’m incredibly proud of her and of the entire climbing team. What Hanifa did for women in her country will have a ripple effect for women everywhere. It was a monumental physical and mental effort of true grit, and I can’t wait to tell the whole story.”

Meanwhile, LeGree has future climbing plans for other Afghan women on the Ascend team. “We’re not stopping with this expedition,” she says. “Afghanistan has a lifetime of great climbing to do, and we’re just getting started.”

Lead photo: Hanifa��Yousufi on the summit of 24,580-foot Mount Noshaq��(Sandro Gromen-Hayes)

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Swimwear that exudes style and capability.

Patagonia Women’s Nanogrip Nireta Top and Bottom ($75 and $69)

The Nanogrip offers support for athletes who like to be on the move, whether it’s playing beach volleyball or paddleboarding rapids. The high-neck top and bikini bottom have a slip-resistant lining that keeps each piece in place no matter what you throw at it, and the red print really pops.

��

Seafolly Jagged Geo Action-Back Tri Top and Multi-Strap Hipster Bottom ($92 and $90)

This company, based in Sydney, Australia, knows what it’s doing. The suit’s bold geometric design has attitude, the fabric feels knit-like in its softness, and the top’s tri-back design clips securely into place—perfect for morning open-water swims at Bondi.

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J.Crew Harley Tie-Back Top and String Bottom ($56 and $44)

For those days when you want to chill poolside, toss this string bikini into your bag. The striped print stands out when you’re lounging on a chaise. And the fabric isn’t flimsy—the top has light, removable padding, and both pieces are lined.

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Cynthia Rowley Green Fiji Bikini Top and Bottom ($105 each)

Rowley’s swimwear line is perfect for stylish, active women, and we fell in love with this design. The fabric is 80 percent neoprene, holds its elasticity, and has SPF 50 sun protection. There are adjustable spaghetti straps up top, and the high-waisted bottom is on trend. Heads up: it runs small.

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Seea Palomar Crop-Top Rash Guard and Soleil Bottom ($80 and $70)

We covet this California company’s suits. When you want a little extra coverage, this soft, textured top is perfect. It hits just below your ribs, doesn’t ride up in the water, and pairs perfectly with the high-waisted bottom. Both pieces offer UPF 50+ protection.

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Surf Simply Jessie One-Piece ($99)

Designed by the female instructors at the Surf Simply resort in Costa Rica, the Jessie is for women who want to look good, rip every day, and not worry about post-wipeout wardrobe malfunctions. The top ties in a crossback design, providing an adjustable fit. And the UPF 50 Lycra fabric is made from recycled plastic, including old fishing nets.

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Suits of all styles for lounging, surfing, and playing.��

Roxy Boheme Life Crop Top ($48) and Drop Diamond Mini Bottom ($40)

We liked the , which stayed on no matter what we put it through. The knit fabric is comfortable and the style is on-trend, whether you’re bodysurfing or chilling in the hot tub.

Cynthia Rowley Blue China Print Wetsuit ($295)

It can get nippy in the water, even on hot summer days. Fashion designer and surfer Cynthia Rowley has the fix, combining style with extreme utility in . It pulls on easily, hugs like a second skin, blocks the sun, and has a zip pocket in the back for a car key or ID. It also comes in a number of retro-cool prints.

J.Crew Scalloped French Top ($68) and Scalloped Bottom ($136)

J.Crew is our go-to for solid-color two-­pieces. Designed by swimsuit company Marysia for J.Crew, this is made from a lightweight, stretchy nylon-spandex fabric that moves with you as you paddle out. The top has adjustable straps and UPF 50 sun protection.��

Patagonia Solid Kupala��Cross Back Top ($49) and R1 Lite Yulex��Surf Shorts ($65)

For days when you need a bit of added warmth and attitude, this Patagonia combo is your ticket. The sticky, adjustable and 1.5-millimeter camo surf shorts—made almost entirely from eco-friendly rubber—face down big surf or whitewater rapids with aplomb.��

Seea Anglet��One-Piece ($120)

Everyone should have a one-piece in their kit, especially when poolside glamour is called for—say, on a swanky weekend getaway in Baja. With a tie belt and an interlaced strappy back, pairs old-school looks with high-coverage comfort.

L Space Haley Blocked Top ($88) and��Mia Bottom ($79)

An athlete’s best friend, offers ample support for hard play, is totally adjustable, and transitions easily from a SUP yoga session to an impromptu beach Frisbee match. Bonus: the soft nylon fabric is seamless and reverses to solid aqua if you’re going for a more understated look.��

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Diana Nyad arrives at the photo studio for our May cover shoot like a house on fire, engaging everyone in her high-speed positive energy. Mira Rai walks in with the names of each ­cover subject written on her hand, to be sure that she meets them all. And , a mountain guide, is—fittingly—delayed by a snowstorm.

The XX Factor Issue

Our special issue highlights the athletes, activists, and icons who have shaped the outside world.

Read all the stories

Ten women, from athletes to activists, based all over the world, gathered in Los Angeles for our May shoot. There were 40 others on set to capture the stunning image, including ���ϳԹ��� creative team Hannah McCaughey��and Amy Silverman, photographer Annabel Mehran, and producers and stylists. The schedule was so complicated that it looked like computer code. But spending time with our cover subjects was awe-inspiring.

There’s never been a more apt time to shine a light on women in the outdoors. We make up 51 percent of outdoor consumers and half the annual 160 million adventure travelers. We are accomplished athletes pushing the limits of what’s possible—and increasingly beating men. We are the future of adventure, as you’ll see in our story about the Girl Scouts and their 1.8 million young members. And we are only growing stronger.

But let’s be honest: the outdoor industry��still has a long way to go before women are represented equally. According to a 2012 study by the women’s advocacy group Camber Outdoors, just 12.5 percent of outdoor companies with sales over $20 million have female CEOs. (New research is ­being conducted this year, but there’s no expectation that the numbers will change much.) Women make up only 37 percent of National Park Service employees. And in an online survey we conducted, a mere 13 percent of participants knew the name of the first woman up Mount Everest—Junko Tabei, a Japanese climber who summited on May 16, 1975. It’s past time for this to change.

I’ll be the first to admit that ���ϳԹ��� can do a much better job covering women. It’s something we discuss often, and every month we read letters from subscribers asking about it, like this recent one from Tanya Kitterman in Bellingham, Washington: “I just pulled the latest issue out of my mailbox, and there is yet another dude staring at me. I’m wondering when I’m ever ­going to see a woman on the cover of ���ϳԹ���. What gives?”

This issue is our answer. Not only do we have ten women on the cover, we went all in throughout the magazine. And we do mean all in. Every single contributor this month��is a woman. Some of them are new to us—like writer Rahawa Haile and photographer Annabel Mehran—and many have been with us for years, like Florence Williams, Katie Arnold, and Stephanie Pearson. Our editor, Christopher Keyes, stepped aside so I could take the reins this month.

A critically important partner in making it possible was REI, who is ­using this issue to launch its women-focused ��campaign. REI’s bold message, along with its company-wide commitment and multiple initiatives speaking to women, is setting a powerful example for the rest of the industry.

We’re unrolling other exciting women-focused projects as well, including a podcast series hosted by Florence��Williams, an online gallery of��40 must-know women to cel­e­brate our 40th anniversary this year, and an Outlook episode on ���ϳԹ��� Television about Melissa Arnot Reid. Meanwhile, Tanya, we are listening: we’re committed to providing more great women’s coverage in future issues, too. When ���ϳԹ��� was founded in 1977, it was about living an active, adventurous life, not about a gender. Like the outdoors, this magazine is a place for us all.

Back in Los Angeles that day, when the cover shoot starts running a little long, Diana Nyad grabs a bugle out of her bag and ­begins playing “Reveille,” the military’s morning wake-up call. The room erupts into laughter. As I look around at the ­women gathered, I feel a huge wave of admiration for their courage and accomplishments, as well as a profound optimism for the future. I hope all our readers, men and women, will feel the same after reading this issue.��

The post We Hear You, Ladies appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

finds herself behind a camera more often than in front of one. “It’s good for me to remember how my subjects must feel,” she says.

The XX Factor Issue

Our special issue highlights the athletes, activists, and icons who have shaped the outside world.

Read all the stories

Trieb is on the road six to eight months a year, and since 2004, she has been covering conflict and social issues around the world, frequently embedding with U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. Her photographs—including a —have been published everywhere from Rolling Stone to The Times of London. In 2011, Trieb launched the , using her images to bring attention to PTSD and other issues that returning veterans face. The project has been exhibited 50 times and received prominent media exposure.

“When you truly empathize with the suffering of another human being, it can change your outlook on life and the way you choose to walk in the world,” says Trieb, whose parents bought her a point-and-shoot camera when she was seven. “If you’re lucky, it changes the outlook of the audience who views your pictures, as well.”

For someone as mild-mannered as the five-foot-eleven Trieb, you’d never guess that she’s been pinned down by ISIS machine-gun fire in Afghanistan, narrowly escaping by walking through mountains in complete darkness. “The thought of dying in the field always crosses my mind,” says Trieb, a Texas native now based in Istanbul. “I practice safety vigilantly, but if I’m constantly thinking What if?, I can’t do my job.”

Still, Trieb emphasizes, “The warmest, most hospitable people I have ever met on this earth are Iraqis and Afghans. They open their homes to you, invite you to dinner, trust you with their children. The idea that the majority of people from Muslim countries don’t like Westerners is a complete myth.”

Trieb says that the effects of witnessing so much trauma can lie dormant for months and then suddenly surface. “I’ve learned to weave habits into my life to stay grounded, like sleep, exercise, yoga, and meditation,” she says.��

And while there’s still a huge , Trieb notes that more and more women are making their mark. There’s no doubt that she is.��

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