The evocative title of Chris Bertish’s books says a lot. When I read the title “All In!: The Atlantic Standup Paddle Crossing – 93 Days Alone at Sea,” I got an inkling of what I was in for. There would be weather, loneliness, waves, problems, and probably sharks. And, since Bertish obviously survived to write the book, inspiration. I was right! But it’s still worth reading the book for the stories and motivational tidbits.
The journey Bertish chronicles in “All In!” took place from December 2016 to March 2017, when he paddled more than 4,000 miles alone from Morocco to Antigua. He became the first person to ever stand-up paddleboard across an ocean. But Bertish was no stranger to firsts and awards. He was already a big wave surfing champ with multiple world records. When he’s not in the water, Bertish is addressing giant companies like Google, Coke, and Salesforce as a motivational speaker.
Photo by Brian Overfeld
While Bertish clearly has superhuman strength and a need to embrace challenges most of us would pay everything to avoid, he’s also driven by philanthropy. His grueling 93-day paddle raised over half a million dollars for Operation Smile. This global nonprofit provides free cleft palate surgery for children. Bertish also raised money to support ocean conservation initiatives.
Of course, the first question a reader probably has is, “How does a person cross an ocean on a SUP?” I can barely paddle my inflatable SUP across a small lake on a slightly windy day. But Bertish’s 20-foot craft, the Impifish, was named for Zulu warriors called Impis. This extra-long SUP had a tiny cabin that Bertish could curl up in to escape the elements. The SUP was tricked out with a ton of high-tech communication gear, including GPS, VHF radio, Echomax, an emergency position indicating radio beacon, and a satellite phone, to name just a few. Gearheads will love this book for the tech alone.
Photo by Alan van Gysen
While the book is full of exciting tales, it’s also a bit repetitive — just like 93 days of paddling would be. There’s a pattern of disaster followed by motivational insight, and repeat. Storm! Ah, survived. Great white shark! Ah, survived it. Crucial equipment malfunction! Survived again. You can see why all the big companies want Bertish to speak to them. The man doesn’t give up or take no for an answer.
As he says at one point early in the book, “People will make up every possible excuse not to do something, or give you a whole laundry list of the reasons why they ‘can’t.’ You can always find plenty of reasons if you look for them, but instead you should be finding reasons why you ‘can.’ Focus on that and then find a way to accomplish it. If you believe you can’t you won’t, but if you believe you can, and you want it badly enough, you will always find a way. It’s that simple, period.”
The thing that irked me most about the book was an unsolved mystery. Before Bertish set out on the Impifish, some unidentified entity tried to prevent his SUP journey. Somebody sabotaged his car, messed with arrangements for his gear and food, and, most horribly of all, killed his cat. This still makes me sick to contemplate, especially since the mystery angle of the story was dropped. The reader never finds out who did these horrible things or why.
The paperback version of “All In” debuted in July. In line with Bertish’s conservation ideals, the book is printed on Forest Steward Certified paper. He also released a super limited edition eco series of only 13 copies. These 100% sustainable books are printed on 40% post-consumer recycled paper with soy and water-based inks. The binding features eco-cotton thread and non-toxic water-based glues. The book’s cover is, fittingly, made using recycled ocean plastics.
The victorious finish! / Photo by Brian Overfeld
Writer received a free copy of the book for review.
Oregon is rich in waterfalls, with many excellent waterfall hikes around the state. But the Trail of Ten Falls in Silver Falls State Park is a huge crowd favorite. If you’re a waterfall lover, you’ll want to take this hike.
Silver Falls State Park is located near Silverton, Oregon, 20 miles southeast of Salem. With more than 9,000 acres, it’s Oregon’s largest state park. Explore 24 miles of walking trails, or ride a horse or bike in some parts of the park. It’s also a gorgeous place for a picnic if you just want to chill and enjoy the trees.
Have you ever packed your lunch for a hike based on its weight rather than its deliciousness? There’s no need to scrimp on gourmet fixings when you have a llama to carry your picnic basket for you. A llama hike and picnic is just one experience Brush Creek Ranch in Wyoming offers its guests. Plus, there’s a herd of darling goats. You can book a pasture goat walk where you’ll stroll through a pasture while Alpine, Nubian, and Nigerian Dwarf goats cavort around you.
Where is this magical land of goats and llamas? Brush Creek Ranch is located at the North Platte River Valley of south-central Wyoming, between the Sierra Madre mountain range and Medicine Bow National Forest. The ranch owns 30,000 private acres, including lakes, creeks, rivers, and a 600-acre ski mountain. The nearest town is Saratoga, population 1,727.
Photo by Alana Watkins, courtesy of Brush Creek Ranch
Guests can hike with llamas in the Snowy Mountain Range, Sierra Madres, Medicine Bow National Forest, and the ranch’s private Green Mountain. In addition to hiking, the llamas can accompany you fly fishing, where they’ll hold all your gear.
Photo by Alana Watkins, courtesy of Brush Creek Ranch
Or your family can enroll in Llamas 101, where you learn to groom the llamas, feed them, play with the babies (called crias), and, of course, have the most darling family photo shoot ever.
Photo by Alana Watkins, courtesy of Brush Creek Ranch
You can learn more about the goats through the “wake up with the goats” experience. Guests will accompany a dairy farmer through the milking process. You might even get to bottle-feed a baby goat. Or get bendy with your new friends in a goat yoga class.
Photo by Alana Watkins, courtesy of Brush Creek Ranch
Guests with culinary aspirations can be cheese-making apprentices for a day at the ranch’s Medicine Bow Creamery, Wyoming’s leading maker of goat dairy products. Cheese-making apprentices will learn to make feta, from pasteurization to forming the curd. Instruction in making ricotta, burrata, and mozzarella is also available. Or join a caramel-making class using goat milk that’s been honey-aged in Brush Creek Distillery bourbon barrels. You can bring as much fresh-made caramel home with you as you like, so bring a big suitcase.
Photo by Alana Watkins, courtesy of Brush Creek Ranch
Ready to plan your trip to the ranch? Visitors can fly into the Saratoga Jet Center by private plane or take a commercial flight to Laramie or Denver.
Photo by Alana Watkins, courtesy of Brush Creek Ranch
Looking for a super secluded holiday with your sweetheart, besties, or favorite family members? Off the Map Travel offers a dream package for those who want to get really far away from civilization. Spend two nights at a floating safari camp at Sweden’s Lake Degerselet, just south of the Arctic Circle, then transfer by canoe for a final night at the land-based Aurora Safari Camp.
Despite the remote location, you won’t be roughing it at the floating safari camp. You’ll have two glamping tents, a double room, a toilet, and a shower. The kitchen has a two-burner stove, refrigerator, and a dining area. Act fast, or book for next year. The floating camp operates June through September and can sleep up to six people. Here are some of the adventures you can go on while you’re there.
In the summer, visiting Tennesee’s Lookout Mountain feels like entering a lush fantasy world. While warm temperatures and humidity often get a bad rap, these conditions make the forested ridge’s brilliant green trees even more vibrant than usual. The community around the mountain’s popular destination of Rock City Gardens adds to this magical atmosphere with streets named after fairy tale characters.
These charming vibes heighten when you explore the mountain’s outdoor recreation opportunities. From the underground caverns of Ruby Falls to the radiant overlook at Sunset Rock, the region has a lot to offer. Choose your own adventure with this list of the five best things to do and see at Lookout Mountain.
“Just back your heels up so they’re sticking over the edge,” Kelly Cosgrove, an employee with the aptly named Over the Edge, told me. I stood on the top of the U.S. Bancorp Tower, locally known as Big Pink for its rosy hue. At 536 feet, the 42-story skyscraper is Portland’s second tallest. “Now just sit into your harness,” Cosgrove instructed. Straighten your legs more. Widen your feet. Start walking down.
On August 12, we rappellers got awesome views of downtown Portland and the Willamette River on a hot, sunny day. The point was to raise funds and awareness for Northwest Battle Buddies, a national nonprofit that gifts fully trained service dogs to veterans with PTSD.
That first step off the edge is the hardest. / Photo courtesy of Matthew Gilbert @matt_g.png
Northwest Battle Buddies
About 12 years ago, a veteran came to Shannon Walker, a professional dog trainer in Battleground, Washington, and asked her to train his service dog.
“I’d trained service dogs before,” Walker told me as we stood on the roof of Big Pink, waiting our turn to rappel. “But I never experienced what I experienced when I helped him through that process. I saw him change through the training of his service dog. I saw him find courage inside himself to lead her places he was afraid to go alone. And I saw him be willing to do for her what he wasn’t even willing to do for himself. Out of everything I’d ever accomplished in the dog world, nothing compared to how I felt when I watched him walk away with her.”
That was 212 service dogs ago. The experience motivated Walker to found Northwest Battle Buddies. She also serves as CEO.
Shannon Walker rappelling down Big Pink. / Photo by Matthew Gilbert @matt_g.png
Walker always respected veterans, thanks to her father, a veteran himself. “When you’re in the presence of a veteran, you’re in the presence of a hero,” she said. “That’s how he taught me.”
The service dogs are mostly English labs, English cream golden retrievers, Australian Labradoodles, plus some mixed breeds. It takes five months to train one service dog. Then, the veteran trains with their dog for five weeks. The pair must pass a test before going home together. Every year, they return for an afternoon to recertify.
“That way we have accountability to the dog’s weight, his vaccinations. We see the relationship. But we also see that they’re still handling with excellence.”
Rappelling for a purpose
Rappelling is just the latest in a series of Northwest Battle Buddies fundraisers. “We’ve had other crazy events,” COO Ovie Muntean tells me, citing skydiving and bungee jumping as some of the more noteworthy. “But I’ve never done this one before. I’m excited, nervous.”
Muntean seems like a thrill seeker, but he’s not here just for kicks. “I’ll do anything to make a difference. And the purpose of this fundraiser event is to raise awareness in the Northwest about our American heroes, the invisible wounds of war, what they have to fight when they come back. Their battle just begins. It’s an internal battle that there’s no cure for that we know of.” Muntean is very proud of his son, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, and his daughter, who served in the U.S. Air Force.
Northwest Battle Buddies COO Ovie Muntean and CEO Shannon Walker. / Photo by Teresa Bergen
Why rappelling? “I feel that anything that’s out of the normal attracts attention,” Muntean said. “And it’s also fun for the people to participate.”
At the Big Pink event, fundraising rappellers each had a $2,000 target. Not everybody hit the goal, but some went over and above. Gary Cummings, an 87-year-old participant, raised roughly $5,000.
“We need money to operate,” Muntean said. “We don’t charge the veteran a penny for the service dog. But the highly professionally trained service dog costs us $25,000. And we couldn’t do it without the help of the community at large.”
How do you set up a rappelling fundraiser? You hire professionals like Over the Edge, a Canada-based company that has helped nonprofits worldwide raise more than $135 million via urban rappelling events since 2008. Their team at Big Pink was friendly but no-nonsense about safety. I was reprimanded twice: once for leaning over the edge to take photos of a rappeller (if I dropped the phone, I could kill someone below) and once for getting in their workspace without wearing a helmet. I appreciated how careful they were.
Photo by Teresa Bergen
After suiting up in a harness, gloves, and helmet, we got a safety lesson inside the building on a demo rope. Then we went up to the roof, where Over the Edge had two ropes set up dangling off. I rappelled at the same time as Michael Curtis, a fundraising superstar known for his epic stand-up paddleboard journeys in support of Northwest Battle Buddies.
Michael Curtis and I suited up and ready to go. / Photo courtesy of Michael Curtis
We had to climb up stepladders to reach the ledge, then stand with our backs to downtown. Having only rappelled off rocks before, the slick building was a bit of a challenge. My legs started to get tired a few floors down, and I wondered “Geez, do they wax this thing?” They probably do.
It was a thrill to be so high up with a viewpoint I’d never seen before. I gazed down at the Willamette River, where I’d been swimming that morning, and our city looked so beautiful. Still, it was a relief to reach the bottom!
The view from the top. / Photo by Teresa Bergen
On such a gorgeous summer day, pumped up from the thrill of an epic descent, it’s all good feelings. But the underlying purpose is to bring more good feelings to our veterans. Every day in the U.S., approximately 22 veterans take their own lives, due in part to PTSD. That’s roughly 8,000 a year.
On the roof of Big Pink, Walker emphasized the most important point. “We’ve provided 212 service dogs. We have not lost one veteran to suicide.”
Northwest Battle Buddies hopes to make the rappel an annual event. But you don’t have to wait until next year. Donate here anytime.
The Incas really, really liked to build steps, and we walked up approximately a zillion of them on our morning hike. The last 50 or so steps to the Sun Gate were so steep we had to crawl. But then, there it was in the distance: Machu Picchu, the famous 15th-century Inca spiritual site.
I was on a group tour with Choose Life Sober Adventures. The victory was doubly sweet since we’d all fought addictions (as well as steep stairways) to get to the Sun Gate. While Machu Picchu was the featured event in our weeklong tour, it was just one of many fabulous outdoorsy and cultural Peruvian experiences we shared.
Machu Picchu in the distance! / Photo courtesy of Teresa Bergen
From Cusco, Peru, to The Sacred Valley
Our group of 11 Americans — including two Choose Life leaders — met in Cusco, a beautiful city full of Catholic churches built over old Inca temples. The historic core is an intriguing place to walk, shop, and people-watch — if you can stand the altitude. At 11,152 feet, the town left many of us short of breath. If you visit, move slowly and drink lots of water.
Lots of alpaca photo ops in Cusco. / Photo by Teresa Bergen
After an initial day in Cusco, we boarded a private bus along with our guide Jose Soldevila, then headed for the area known as the Sacred Valley. This region in the Andean highlands was once the heart of the Inca empire. At the archeological ruins outside the town of Pisac, we could still see the holes in the hill where mummies were once buried — before their tombs were plundered by grave robbers looking for gold.
We hiked six miles downhill from the village of Chinchero, where we mostly encountered local people out for their Sunday walk. Two nights at the Hotel la Casona de Yucay, a hacienda built in 1810, were quiet and peaceful. We did yoga overlooking the flowery grounds of the hotel.
Pisac archeological site. / Photo by Teresa Bergen
Peruvian cultural experiences
Peruvians love to celebrate, and several times, we found ourselves in the middle of a fiesta or religious procession. In Pisac, an older woman determinedly pinned a glass broach depicting the Virgin Del Carmen onto my T-shirt as masked men danced in the town square, surrounded by a thousand cheering onlookers. In Cusco, I joined a religious procession where dozens of people shouldered three palanquins bearing icons of Santa Catalina.
A Cusco religious procession. / Photo by Teresa Bergen
Some trip experiences were geared toward tourists, such as a boisterous dinner at Tunupa, a restaurant in Cusco. Musicians played covers of Beatles songs with pan pipes carrying the melody, then stopped to welcome diners table by table and applaud our home countries: Mexico, Argentina, Columbia, Brazil, and the United States.
We had a more intimate cultural experience in the mountain village of Huayllafara. After our bus drove up death-defying dirt switchbacks for about 20 minutes, community members in traditional dress served us a local lunch and explained their farming and harvest cycle.
The lunch was excellent — small baked potatoes we ate with our hands, adding hunks of cheese or avocado and spooning on a chili-herb sauce. There was quinoa soup, chicha morado punch made from purple corn, and a passionfruit dessert. Guide Celinda Humilde, who escorted us to the village, explained that the community travel program helps support locals “without basically changing their life. They just experience a day with travelers.”
Segundino Mamami explaining traditional agriculture. / Photo by Teresa Bergen
Group leader Segundino Mamami talked to me with Humilde translating. “We’re happy to share our food and traditions,” he said. “It also improves our economy.” He was surprised that foreigners were interested enough to want to visit. Some even ask to stay for several days. “It’s good because that helps us improve our houses. Now they are more comfortable.”
I also had two shamanic experiences in Peru, one planned and one unplanned. In a Pisac shop, I mentioned my sore throat to the shaman/shopkeeper. Before I knew what was happening, he was treating me with a ceremony that involved blowing herbs in my face, smearing herbs on my neck, and lighting a match in front of my forehead as I tried to keep my eyes closed and trust he wouldn’t set my hair on fire. My throat stopped hurting.
Shamanic healing in Pisac. / Photo courtesy of Teresa Bergen
Our group shamanic ritual happened in Sacsayhuamán, an archeological site on the northern edge of Cusco. As we sat in a circle beside an old moon temple, a young shaman in an orange poncho prepared an offering of food and candies for Pachamama, the earth mother who’s very much still revered in Andean Peru. We each held three coca leaves glued together with llama fat, concentrating on wishes for protection and prosperity. The shaman promised to take our offering up the mountain that night and burn it.
Lake life
While most of our days were busy, with lots of touring, hiking, shopping, and getting from point to point via bus or train, we had one long, relaxed day and night at Piuray Outdoor Center on Lake Piuray. A row of tents (and the friendly camp llama, Pancho) awaited us, facing the lake.
Pancho, the camp llama. / Photo by Teresa Bergen
We spent the late morning on the water, on SUPs or in a narrow six-person canoe. The water temperature was on the cool side, probably in the mid-50s. After a group meditation based on Wim Hof’s cold water therapy philosophy, we had a chance to jump off our SUPs or out of the canoe and chill in the lake for a while. Brrr.
Photo by Teresa Bergen
After the water outing, our hosts prepared a pachamanca lunch. This meal entails cooking tubers, plantains, vegetables, and meats in the ground with hot stones and fragrant herbs. It’s traditionally done for celebrations. Cooking the lunch started with a ritual offering of soda poured on the ground for Pachamama.
Pachamanca lunch. / Photo by Teresa Bergen
In the evening, we had a bonfire. One of our local guides, Wilfredo Huillca, played the pan pipes for us as the sun set.
Machu Picchu
After hiking for seven hours, we got our first peek at Machu Picchu at four p.m. The crowds had gone home. We had a little time to soak in the beauty of the site and the surrounding mountains, which are narrow and steep.
We stayed the night in nearby Aguas Calientes, then returned the next morning for an archeological tour. Our guides Soldevila and Huillca took turns interpreting what’s known and theorized about Machu Picchu.
After leading the four-day Incan Trail hike to Machu Picchu at least 350 times, Huillca is excited about how much could still be uncovered from the surrounding jungle. “There’s more out there,” he said several times, pointing at terraced mountain slopes overgrown with trees and vines. “There will be more to see.”
A misty morning at Machu Picchu. / Photo by Teresa Bergen
The site we know as Machu Picchu was hidden by jungle for 400 years. It’s still shrouded in mystery and conflicting theories. The Incas seem to have abandoned Machu Picchu after the Spaniards conquered them in the 1500s, only about a hundred years after building it. Fast forward to 1911, and Hiram Bingham III, a visiting American, stumbled upon the overgrown ruins.
Temple of the Condor at Machu Picchu. / Photo by Teresa Bergen
“It’s not only a beautiful site. It’s much more than that,” Huillca said. “For me, Machu Picchu is a sacred place.” He talked about worshiping Pachamama and how the Incas found a place with mountains aligning north, south, east, and west. Huillca pointed out pragmatic features of the site, like aqueducts, kitchens, and housing. Some of the more esoteric and extreme Incan ideas caught our imagination, such as “ice maidens,” young girls raised to be sacrificed on glaciers. We also saw altars used for llama sacrifices and tables designed for mummifying the dearest departed.
Table used for mummification. / Photo by Teresa Bergen
Traveling with like-minded people
Our group coalesced well because we all were excited to learn about another culture while supporting each other. Also, having fabulous guides like Soldevila and Huillca made life so good. An individual tourist could figure out how to navigate Peruvian trains and the tourist buses to Machu Picchu. However, life is about a hundred times easier when a guide hands you a ticket and escorts you to the right line.
As for the sobriety aspect, we had nightly meetings where we’d talk about recovery-related topics, mention a highlight of the day, and ask for any help we needed. Group member Gillian Kreitenberg of Los Angeles has traveled extensively around the world but also acknowledges that travel can induce anxiety. “Being with like-minded people who have a lot of the same struggles makes it a lot easier to feel comfortable and safe,” she said.
Sometimes, I think Flagstaff, Arizona, has shot itself in the foot with all the “gateway to the Grand Canyon” hype. At 75 miles away, it is close to that epic hole in the ground. But Flagstaff is a fun and cute city with plenty to do, and it deserves travelers’ attention as a destination, not just a place to drive through.
The city of 77,000 rests 7,000 feet above sea level — the sweet spot for ponderosa pines, which grow at 6,000 to 9,000 feet. Tree huggers will love visiting the world’s largest contiguous ponderosa pine forest surrounding Flagstaff. Since the 1960s, international athletes have used Flagstaff as a high-altitude training site. So pack your hiking boots and sporty layers, because it’s time to get outside.
People who have lived in Southern California long enough might remember Santa’s Village, a year-round Christmas theme park that delighted children with rides and reindeer. Now, SkyPark at Santa’s Village has been revamped into a mountain biking park that delights riders of all skill levels while preserving a few touches of the North Pole.
Photo courtesy of SkyPark at Santa’s Village
When the old theme park tucked into the San Bernardino Mountains came up for sale in 2014, mountain biking couple Bill and Michelle Johnson jumped at the chance to develop their dream bike park. They envisioned a place with enough variety for a whole family, from toddlers to grandparents.
“We have a pump track for the little ones, entry and medium level trails, and even expert-level tracks that keep pro riders coming back,” Bill Johnson said in a statement. “The park is designed much like a ski resort, although we do not have a lift service. Everyone can ride together to the top, but a scaled network of trails for all levels can bring you down, back to the village, at a central location to regroup. We’re constantly improving and adjusting trails, with expansion continuing to change the experience every season.”
The park offers trails for riders of all skill levels. / Photo courtesy of SkyPark at Santa’s Village
SkyPark offers group and private lessons for ages three and up, plus an onsite bike shop. Buy a bike from SkyPark’s Bike Swap, and you’ll get a credit for a day of riding at the park. Families can camp at the campground next door or bring their RV.
Photo courtesy of SkyPark at Santa’s Village
The original Santa’s Village opened in 1955, before Disneyland. It went through a bankruptcy and a couple of owners and iterations before closing in 1998.
“Bill and I used to come here when we were younger, back when Santa’s Village was closed, and make bike paths through the trees,” Michelle Johnson said. “In 2014, long after we were married and had gained significant experience in the real estate world, we saw the old Santa’s Village property come up on the market and it was like the universe was giving us a chance to share this magical place with the world. Now everyone gets to experience the park we’ve spent years perfecting.”
Photo courtesy of SkyPark at Santa’s Village
SkyPark at Santa’s Village is part of a larger trend of using traditional skiareas for mountain biking during the off-season. “We’re proud to be a part of that mindset shift,” Bill Johnson said. “These mountains need to be experienced and mountain biking is such a great way to do it year-round. It’s good for the local community as well, to have something year-round again. Plus, we’ve brought the famous Santa’s Village theme park back to life for new generations, and that’s really special.”
There’s something so evocative about lighthouses and the lonely yet romantic lives of lighthouse keepers. They were available to work 24/7 and had the responsibility of keeping a tower’s lamp lit every night from sundown to sunrise. Many travelers can’t get enough of these historic beacons, whether they’re taking photos from the base or climbing to the top to check out the views.
According to the United States Lighthouse Society, 779 lighthouses are currently standing in the country. Here are some of the best-looking lighthouses to visit while traveling around the U.S. this summer — just in time for National Lighthouse Day on August 7.
