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Features
They’re the closest thing to paradise with a paycheck–seven not-yet-overrun towns that offer nuts-and-bolts career practicality and a trout stream smack in your own backyard.
By Mike Steere
For nearly two decades he has languished in prison, convicted of a crime that he and his many supporters insist he did not commit. But did the FBI really railroad an innocent man? Does he truly deserve his hallowed place in our national psyche? On the 20th anniversary of the murder of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, the legend of Leonard Peltier has begun to unravel, causing some to argue that he is a victim not of shadowy government conspirators, but of those who continue to champion the myth–and who in fact may be prolonging his imprisonment.
By Scott Anderson
To the artful practitioners of a deceptively dangerous sport, nirvana comes through asphyxiation–and from the sight of a 19-pound lunker on the end of your lance. At the world spearfishing championships, seeking breathless enlightenment in the abyss. By Tim Cahill
Is it the length of his thighbones? His placid demeanor? Lungs the size of a pair of sporty, double-parked imports? Maybe. But in a small Basque village at the start of a season that may bring him an unprecedented fifth straight Tour de France title, it’s clear that Miguel Indurain’s dynastic dominance isn’t likely to end soon–and the locals know the real reason why. By Stuart Stevens
Chances are, they’ll be racing for second place. But should some stroke of divine intervention bring down Indurain, we’ve made book on the select few capable of grabbing the yellow jersey. By Alan Coté
Departments
The Noah’s Ark project–decried by environmentalists as a “freeze-dried” approach to species protection–forges ahead with its cryogenic sperm-and-egg safety net. Duathlon champ Maddy Tormoen says she’s multisport’s top female, but is she willing to prove it? As Free Willy‘s star eyes freedom, Warner Bros. offers up robotic orcas in hopes of a brouhaha-free sequel. A roster of the latest and hottest in illicit pharmacological training-aids for latter-day Ben Johnsons. Plus: Todd Skinner attempts the first free-climb of the east face of Pakistan’s Trango Tower; one man’s steeply banked vision for the future of American cycling; an intrepid “windfisherman” shows off the one that didn’t get away; will Denny Tario bring home the gold from the 2000 Olympics? and more.
Ticks are deaf, blind, and slow, so how ever do they find you? Why are there continental divide signs on highways in North Dakota? Do beavers get squashed by the trees they chop?
Backcountry beachcombing, from California to Michigan to Maine: seven great stretches of easy-to-access coastal wilderness, where the winds are steady, the surf is up, the fish are biting, and the crowds are you. Rustic comfort and haute cuisine near the legendary summer steelhead runs of Oregon’s North Umpqua River. High-altitude pedaling from Yellowstone National Park to the Canadian border on Montana’s new Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. Plus: Fat-tire touring on the arid steppes of southern Siberia; the new swing-a-hammer, camp-for-free plan in Virginia’s state parks.
Sweating through the lunch break: strategies for making the most of your midday window of training opportunity. Speed work for the desk-bound: running, swimming, and cycling regimens that’ll leave you with time to hit the showers. How to keep your body fueled when you skip the noontime repast. Plus: Techniques for enhancing your peripheral vision; a guide to the best herbal supplements for adventurous athletes; what the UV index really means for your summertime outings; and more.
Indefatigable approach shoes: sturdy, lightweight footwear that’s responsive enough to see you over the scree and supportive enough to help you schlepp some gear to camp. Plus: a high-powered new bike light that mounts anywhere; Talking to the Ground: One Family’s Journey on Horseback Across the Sacred Land of the Navajo, by Douglas Preston; Landscape and Memory, by Simon Schama; and more.
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