Letters
Überjoyed
As an avid runner and health enthusiast, I was thrilled to discover such a realistic photograph of volleyball star and beautiful woman Gabrielle Reece on your October cover. It's refreshing to see a woman celebrated for her athleticism and strength rather than the unrealistic, waiflike images of the female body that many magazines perpetuate. I was also inspired by Karen Karbo's profile of Reece, "The Übergirl Cometh." Thank you for this article and for your commendable attitude that women can be big and powerful--and still feminine--in our society.

Meg Crawford
Claremont, New Hampshire

The West, Contested
Were our names not attached to it, by golly I never would have recognized my husband or myself through the stereotype redneck-rancher caricatures that Mark Dowie presented in his article on Catron County, New Mexico ("With Liberty and Firepower for All," November). I could wave the truth in front of your earth-muffin faces all the doo-dah day and you would never get it. I can prove that our country is operating under a de facto government in which the people hold no power. I thank all of my dear friends and neighbors in Catron County for forgiving my mistake of being one of you mindless greenies in a former life.

Catherine Crabill
Aragon, New Mexico

Thank you for your special report on land conflict in the West ("The Wayward West," November). This is exactly the kind of information I'd like to see more of. The media out here have tended not to educate their audience, but rather to polarize them further by reducing the issues to sensational headlines, polls, and overly simplistic cowboy-versus-owl questions. Kudos to Outside for confronting the complex political realities and their potential long-term impact on all of us who use the outdoors.

Jim Bagley
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Portrait of Darkness
I congratulate Tim Cahill on his thoughtful and accurate article about the death of 26-year-old Patchen Miller in the Amazon jungle ("A Darkness on the River," November). Cahill correctly captured the cultural and political tangle that exists among the Aguaruna in their territory along the Rio Marañón. During the summer of 1990, about six months after the deaths of the three Frenchmen, two colleagues and I traveled and worked with the Aguaruna and their neighboring tribe, the Huambiza. Our trip was without tragic incident but provided a picture, similar to Cahill's, of the internal and external conflicts and random crime faced daily by the Aguaruna and Huambiza.

Tim White
Madison, Wisconsin

Gelding Envy
Jane Smiley's eloquent essay about her relationship with her horse was one of the best articles I've ever read ("My Gelding, Myself," November). My riding friends and I could relate to Smiley's devotion to Tick Tock. We've all been called crazy too for spending as much time with our horses as we do with our families. Now we know we're not alone in our passion. Thanks for bringing the beauty of a horse owner to print.

B. Corona-Ruelas
Phoenix, Arizona

Animal Lover
I just finished reading Donald Katz's excellent profile of fitness godfather Jack LaLanne ("Jack LaLanne Is Still an Animal," November). Jack is politically incorrect, sexist, and very, very genuine and honest. Keep it up, Jack.

Julie M. Coan
Somerville, Massachusetts