Features

The Victim's Wake
After the body of a 30-year-old water-taxi driver was found floating off the Caribbean island of Bequia, evidence suggested that Jim and Penny Fletcher, a wealthy, boorish American couple, may have played a part. But who or what suffered most from the flurry of accusations that came next — the defendants, the uneasy relations between locals and tourists, the island itself — remains anything but clear.
By Bill Barich

Somewhere Down the Crazy River
Bobby Kennedy Jr.'s storied bloodline points him toward politics, his track record of helping rescue the Hudson River points him toward environmentalist stardom, and his own ambitions point him toward ...well, toward what?
By Barry Werth

Should Tree-Planting Become a Medal Sport, Here's Your Winner
Real-life, on-the-job, perpetual-workout stories from Camille the whirling dervish, Peter the rickshaw jockey, and Swoop the Red-Tailed Hawk.
By Susan Enfield

Mr. Popular
Ask any Hollywood crusader or starry-eyed undergrad: The plight of Tibet isn't just a geopolitical misfortune — it's the pop-culture flavor of the moment. And it's Tibetter than ever!
By Will Blythe

Assuming That the Calibration of My Heart Rate and Recovery Times Has Been Optimally Linked to My Individualized Nutritional Needs, I Will Kick Your Ass
There's always been speculation that triathlon is a mere proving ground for unnatural, slightly eerie athletic machines. Well, as the much-discussed Luc van Lierde might say, your suspicions are correct, sir.
By John Brant

High Jinx
In the hoary annals of alpinism, there are many mountains. But only one called to him like a toy siren with batteries not included: 147 feet of fiberglass and glory, the scourge of Anaheim, the not-quite-one-and-only Matterhorn.
By Tad Friend

She Thought She Spied a Killer Beast Out There Among the Turks ...
Somewhere along the line — maybe when we came upon the guy fishing with a dagger, or in the villages where newborns are rubbed with salt, or perhaps during the encounter with Bob the earless dog — it became obvious that this jaunt through Turkey was a very odd vacation.
By Laura Hendrie

Departments

Dispatches
Equal opportunity masochism? Offshore legends, Olympic veterans, and nautical novices alike take on the grueling, 3,000-mile Atlantic Rowing Race.
By Bill Donahue

Environment: Whither the Eco-Warrior?
Amid financial crisis and disturbing allegations, Greenpeace USA heads in a familiar new direction
By Florence Williams

Business: Remember, They Scoffed at Aspen, Too
A Mexican developer's enterprising plan to bring skiing south of the border
By Chris Humphrey

Exploration: Chin Up — There's Always Next Year
The latest on a not-so-successful expeditionary season
By Andrew Tilin

Marketing: Can Beaker the Bobsledder Be Far Behind?
One of Jim Henson's most popular hairballs starts shilling for U.S. shredders
By Adam Horowitz

Ambition: Because There's Lots of Them
A chat with John Swanson, molehill-bagger extraordinaire
By Katie Arnold

Wildlife: Forty Acres and a Scrumptious Beaver
In northernmost Maine, laying out the welcome mat for the once-exiled gray wolf
By Paul Scott

PLUS: A rising star sets a new cycling mark on Mount Washington; a dedicated if odoriferous researcher embraces skunks; Peruvian villagers find a scaly reason to be very, very afraid; and more.

Field Notes
Plumbing the fathomless inland sea that stretches from Puget Sound to Glacier Bay was a terrifying enterprise for the original sailors: Whirlpools, demons, and dark depths abounded. Today, the waters are only slightly less scary — and just as chaotic.
By Jonathan Raban

Out There
Jazzed by the prospect of a backstage peek at cable TV's latest kitsch classic, our man goes Down Under to stand scrim-to-scrim with the phenom known as the Crocodile Hunter. So why, he wonders, did this purported "man without fear" become too skittish to speak?
By Randy Wayne White

The Wild File
Why do dogs frolic in really vile stuff? Do lakes really "turn over" this time of year? And just who — or rather, what — is that man in the Moon?

Destinations
Sneaking off to Cuba: For Americans, refreshingly lax notions of development and liability make exploring this contraband island a true adventure. Whether your interests run toward hiking, diving, fishing, or just drinking up some sun, the ins and outs of touring Castro's Caribbean. Also, a guide to skirting Congress's nasty little grudge, and a trek with the ghost of Cuba's other revolutionary leader.
By Wil S. Hylton

Smart Traveler: It's For You
For the well-connected traveler, the latest on the as-yet-unfulfilled promise of truly worldwide wireless.
By Doug Fine

Workouts: A Slippery Slope
Shinnying the "falls" in Colorado at the world's first ice-climbing park.
By Pam Grout

PLUS: Traipsing the tundra with a clan of peculiarly uninhibited Minnesotans, a Triple Crown even beach bums can get behind, and more.

Bodywork
Prepping for the cold season: Because the endurance events of summer do not a winter athlete make, a sport-specific program to help you conquer the snow and ice.
By Andrew Tilin

Prescriptions
The Line on Virtual Health
By Susan Enfield

Trends
Oxygen — Who Needs It
By Laura Hilgers

Review
A ski for all reasons: Introducing the "mid-fat" board, a confection of carve-happy sidecut and powder-loving width that gives us the most versatile option yet in alpine skiing. The best on the market from Atomic, Dynastar, Head, K2, Olin, Rossignol, Salomon, Volant, and V÷lkl.
By Iseult Devlin

Buying Right
Step-ins Hit Full Stride
By Mark North

The Other Stuff
New elements in ski design; options in aftermarket insoles; and the winter camper's alternative to a yak.

PLUS: An expanded autumn reading list, including Lost Man's River, by Peter Matthiessen; The Measure of a Mountain: Beauty and Terror on Mount Rainier, by Bruce Barcott; The Trees in My Forest, by Bernd Heinrich; Going to Ground: Simple Life on a Georgia Pond, by Amy Blackmarr; and 13 more.

Between the Lines

Letters

Active Traveler Directory

Photographs by Daniela Stallinger; Craig Cameron Olsen
Illustrations by Marcos Sorensen; Tim Bower; David Plunkert