Category Archives: Bad Asses
Snap, Crackle, Drop…Scream [Close Calls] |
Bungee jumping sounds fun, right? The so-called “sport” has long been one of those three-beers-in vacation stunts that earns a person lifetime cocktail party cred, because having done it confers a certain badass-ness that belies how statistically insignificant accidents are … Continue reading
During a “Saturday Night Fever” themed cookout and dinner to celebrate the last night at camp for the last session of campers a lodge pole pine tree was struck by lightning. A camper flung open the door to the dining … Continue reading
Trial by Volcano [Lonely Island] |
What does it feel like, that first night abroad and alone? Here, in a taut, vivid meditation on the nature of recomposing the self in a new, thrillingly different—and more than a little dangerous—environment, frequent contributor Kate Erickson explains the … Continue reading
How to Survive a 1,000-Foot Fall [X Marks the Splat] |
He fell off with his ice axe tied to the back of his rucksack. “I remember at the start of it, from when I first slipped, trying to slow my speed; trying to slow myself down so I could hopefully stop. Every time I started to slow myself down I would go over a cliff and pick up speed again and as this process continued, I just kept going.” Continue reading
“Oh yes, we have Ciprofloxacin,” says the woman behind the drugstore counter. “You have typhoid?” “Not yet. There’s always hope.” I’m a little cranky after a bone-cracking day in the back seat of a bus crossing southern Tanzania, followed by … Continue reading
From the makers of Last Stop for Paul comes a new tale—actually, a whole series of made-up tales on Showtime—about what it’s like to go off the rails completely in search of something important while traveling. In the case of … Continue reading
Dear Readers, as you head into that great American tradition, a long, lost weekend of drunken pyromania family, friends, and tasty BBQ, take a minute to consider the less fortunate, like adventure travel writer Carl Hoffman, whose new book ‘LUNATIC EXPRESS: Discovering … Continue reading
I was on vacation in France in September 1999 when my friends and I headed south to a wonderful small town called St. Remy de Provence. We happened to arrive just before their “Ancient Festival” in late September where the locals, dressed in traditional outfits, … Continue reading
Over The Edge [The Abyss] |
I never thought I had a death wish, but one experience on my recent travels had me reconsidering. I’d been traveling around South-East Asia by myself on a break from my studies to see the world. One day I decided … Continue reading
Dumbo Strikes Back [Call of the Wild] |
Gabon, New Year’s Eve, 2002: She was about seven feet at the shoulder, with sixteen-inch tusks, and weighed two tons. I used to have zero fear. Zero. I could walk up to any elephant I saw. So when she charges, … Continue reading