The modern world is not quiet. Or maybe I should say:听people are not quiet. I live in a small mountain town, which you might expect to be an entirely peaceful habitat. But from my yard, throughout the day, I can hear cars on the interstate, kids playing, delivery trucks backing up鈥攊t鈥檚 a constant barrage of background noise that has become so much a part of our lives. I鈥檓 actually uneasy when I experience truly quiet situations.

Recently, I was camping alone in Utah, at the base of a canyon near Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which is several miles from the nearest road. The silence was all-encompassing. Occasionally, I could hear the wind move through a sandstone channel behind my campsite, but otherwise, there was no noise. The sound of silence was so far from my status quo that it was disconcerting. No bugs. No fire crackling. Just鈥e.

But we need that quiet in our lives. Studies show that experiencing even brief periods of silence can help lower , improve , and even stimulate . As the world becomes noisier, more people are in search of silence, with 鈥渜uiet-cations鈥� becoming one of the hottest trends in .

The good news? There are still places where you can go to find total quiet, or at least places where the only sounds you hear are from nature: birds, crickets, wind rustling trees.

is a non-profit that researches and certifies locations all over the world based on the decibel levels of background noise (background noise in certified quiet locations doesn鈥檛 exceed 45 decibels).听I selected some enticing destinations deemed Quiet by the organization and scoured our public lands, looking for broad swaths of wilderness that are located so far from noisy roads and towns that they鈥檙e bound to be silent.

Here are 9 hush-hush destinations for your next quiet adventure.

1. Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas

There鈥檚 West Texas, and then there鈥檚 Far West Texas, a remote corner of the state near the Mexican border. Once you hit Far West, keep going, and you鈥檒l find Big Bend Ranch State Park, a massive (311,000 acres) swath of mountains, canyons, and desert along the Rio Grande. Together with its neighbor, Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch makes up the largest International Dark Sky Reserve in the world. The lack of ambient light pollution that delivers dark skies also means there鈥檚 a lack of ambient noise, contributing to quiet days. I spent several days exploring Big Bend Ranch on a mountain bike a few years ago and saw more road runners than people.

There are more than inside the park, some of which meander past old movie sets, Native American homesites, and the occasional oasis, not to mention more canyons and cacti听than I could count. Your best bet is to saddle up on a mountain bike ( has rentals from $50 a day) and pedal the 60-mile that combines singletrack, dirt roads, and dry creek beds to deliver you deep into the heart of the park. There are multiple bail-out options along the way if you don鈥檛 want to tackle the full route.

What to Listen For: The sound of a small waterfall (the Epic route passes by an oasis) and the neigh of feral donkeys that live within the park.

2. Olympic National Park, Washington

The last time I was in Olympic National Park, I was riding a bike, so I mostly heard the sound of my own heavy breathing as I tried to keep up with my group. But this is the park that inspired acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton to create Quiet Parks International in an attempt to preserve peaceful places. It鈥檚 a big park with a diverse landscape that ranges from craggy coastline to glaciated peaks, so there鈥檚 plenty of space to spread out and find your own slice of peace and quiet.

I鈥檝e spent near-silent afternoons paddling Lake Crescent with no soundtrack but my paddle strokes, and lonely stretches of beach offer opportunities to give yourself over to the sound of crashing waves. But it鈥檚 the Hoh Rain Forest, a 24-square-mile temperate rain forest on the west side of the park, that鈥檚 the most intriguing from a sonic experience. Giant old growth conifers rise towards the heavens while thick ferns and mosses blanket the forest floor, all combining to dampen sound.

The , an .8-mile loop near the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center, is the easiest way to experience the landscape, the trail’s namesake moss climbing the trunks of the trees throughout the area. If you want to explore further, hike a piece of the 17-mile Hoh River Trail to Glacier Meadows, which offers a view of Mount Olympus. Most day hikers turn around at Five Mile Island, making it a that will definitely get you away from the crowds.

What to Listen For: The babbling Hoh River will, unsurprisingly, accompany you on the Hoh River Trail. Also, keep an ear out for bugles from the herd of elk that live in the rainforest. And then there鈥檚 the rain; Hoh gets 12 feet of it per year.

3. Mount Tabor Park, Portland

You don鈥檛 have to leave the city for peace and quiet. , a 175-acre park on the eastern edge of Portland, was named the country鈥檚 first by Quiet Parks International in 2023. Mount Tabor is a popular park, and during the certification process, acoustic engineers recorded background noise between 38 and 43 decibels, which is just below the threshold for what Quiet Parks International considers quiet. But Mount Tabor鈥檚 accessibility to such a large and diverse population gave it the edge for the final designation.

Mount Tabor itself is a dormant cinder cone volcano, the shape of which helps isolate background noise. So, if one section of the park is noisy, you can trek to the other side for a more subdued experience. The park鈥檚 53 tree species, including a dense Douglas fir forest, help absorb some of the ambient noise as well. Mount Tabor has six miles of official trail and nearly the same length of social trail. Hiking the mile-long Red Trail and looking for a quiet path into the woods is your best bet for silence.

What to Listen For: Children playing. It鈥檚 an urban park with playgrounds, and the sounds of children playing are among the best human-made sounds on earth.

4. Niobrara National Scenic River, Nebraska

The Niobrara River begins in Wyoming and runs more than 500 miles before joining the Missouri River, but a particularly gorgeous 76-mile stretch has been designated a National Scenic River thanks to its outstanding beauty. Here, the Niobrara passes through the Sandhills of Nebraska鈥攔olling mounds of sand dunes stabilized by permanent grass and grazed upon by elk鈥攚hile also carving a path through the occasional sandstone cliff. The river is fed by hundreds of natural springs, some of which tumble into the Niobrara as waterfalls. You鈥檒l find the 63-foot Smith Falls, the tallest plunge in the state, along this designated National Scenic River.

The Niobrara National Scenic River has also earned the distinction of being the first certified from the Quiet Parks organization. The best way to explore the river and experience the soundscape is from the hull of a canoe.听Most of the land surrounding the river is private ranch land, but the nine-mile stretch through the听 just east of Valentine offers a scenic and mellow run with the chance to hop out of the boat and hike the refuge.听 has canoe rentals (from $69).

What to Listen For: Waterfalls, the sound of your paddle in the water, and waterfowl overhead.

5. Dixie National Forest, Utah

The is huge, occupying almost two million acres of aspen-topped mountains and red sandstone canyons in Southern Utah. Maybe more important from a sonic perspective, those two million acres are buffered by Capitol Reef National Park and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, so the forest sits in the heart of a massive complex of public lands that has very few auditory distractions. I spent a week backpacking through Dixie and Grand Staircase and didn鈥檛 come across a single person outside of my small group. The only thing I heard was the wind whistling through the aspens and the occasional elk bugle.

Elevations in the forest range from 11,322 feet at the summit of Boulder Mountain to just under 3,000 feet, and the ecosystem shifts with the altitude. Up high, you鈥檒l find dense groves of aspens and evergreens and boulder-choked creeks. Down low is slick rock desert with narrow canyons and steep cliffs.

The Escalante Ranger District of Dixie has a robust trail system offering relatively easy access to solitude from the small town of Boulder. Pick up the Slickrock Trail northeast of town for a pleasant walk through a high-elevation spruce forest. If you really want to get away from it all (and you have solid route-finding skills), look south to one of the many canyons that drop from the ridge, traveling through a remote corner of the forest before entering Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.

What to Listen For: The wind rustling through the aspen leaves at higher elevations is a delightful sound.

6. Green Bank and Spruce Knob, West Virginia

At least part of the joy of finding quiet places is embracing the notion of getting offline. No cell phones, no social media, no buzzing alerts on your phone鈥攖hat听disconnection is what makes the small town of Green Bank, West Virginia, so damn appealing. It sits in the heart of a 13,000-square-mile National Radio Quiet Zone, which is a federal designation that bans all wireless tech. No radio, no cell service, no wi-fi. The rule is in place to remove any potential interference with the seven telescopes pointed skyward.

The Observatory is cool, but the Quiet Zone also encompasses some intriguing portions of the Monongahela National Forest, including 4,863-foot Spruce Knob, the tallest mountain in West Virginia. Hike the easy .5-mile Whispering Spruce Trail for a loop around the summit and views of Seneca Rocks, a fin-like sandstone outcropping that鈥檚 popular with climbers. If that nature trail isn鈥檛 quiet enough for you, hike deeper into the Spruce Knob-Seneca Creek Backcountry, where 60 miles of trail explores meadows, streams, and hardwood forests. Pick up the 5.2-mile at the summit and drop 1,000 feet of elevation off the ridge into fields of wild blueberries and huckleberries until you reach Seneca Creek.

What to Listen For: The wind whipping through the forest at the summit, so strong and constant that the peak鈥檚 red spruces have become deformed and only have branches and nettles on one side.

7. Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, Idaho

滨诲补丑辞鈥檚 Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness is the largest federally designated wilderness area in the lower 48 at a robust 2.37 million acres. That means if you鈥檙e standing in the heart of Frank Church, there isn鈥檛 a road or mechanical device within two million acres. Promising from an auditory perspective.

Most people experience Frank Church from the hull of a raft careening down the Salmon River, which is a bucket list adventure to be sure, but it鈥檚 not exactly the peaceful scenario we鈥檙e looking for here. I say lace up your boots and explore one of the primitive trails that traverse the Frank.

The hiking is tough (rangers recommend you carry a handsaw in case you need to clear any downed trees), but the offers an approachable entry into the wilderness. Pick up the trailhead at the Langer Monument on Beaver Creek Road and hike 2.1 miles to the aforementioned backcountry lake. The climbing begins immediately, gaining almost 1,000 feet in the first mile, but it levels out in a valley recovering from a previous wildfire. The lake itself is a 12-acre pond at the base of the craggy Roughneck Peak that is known to have feisty rainbow and cutthroat trout if you are so inclined.

What to Listen For: The sound of your fly smacking the water as you hunt patiently for one of the wild trout within the lake.

8. 100-Mile Wilderness, Maine

The 2,000-mile long Appalachian Trail, running from North Georgia to North Maine, is arguably the most famous footpath in the world. Some 2,000 people try to hike the entire thing every year, but most of them give up before they hit Maine. That means they never get to experience the 100-Mile Wilderness, the most remote stretch of the entire A.T., with no paved roads or towns along its corridor. The terrain is a mix of backcountry lakes, craggy peaks, and dense hardwood forests, with steep climbs and a tread that is notoriously rocky and rooty.听 So why bother, you ask? For the chance to take cold dips in backcountry lakes, spy 360-degree vistas from peaks, and experience real solitude, which can be tough to find on the eastern seaboard.

You could hike the entire thing if you鈥檙e looking for an epic adventure ( can help with logistics like shuttles and food drops), but if you don鈥檛 have the requisite week to 10 days this sort of effort requires, I recommend heading to the portion of the 100 Mile Wilderness. This is a 1,600-acre tract owned and preserved by Maine Audubon that offers day hikers a manageable intro to the wilderness via a handful of short trails. Hike the 1-mile , which follows the shore of a pond before climbing to the rocky, dual-peak summits of Borestone Mountain. From there, you鈥檒l get a 360-degree view of the wilderness that, on a clear day, extends all the way to Mount Katahdin, the northern terminus of the A.T.

What to Listen For: It鈥檚 an Audubon preserve, so listen for the 10 warbler species that call the sanctuary home. Peregrine falcons are also known to soar near the craggy peaks, and moose are commonly found near the lakes.

9. Deer Haven, Badlands National Park, South Dakota

If you want to get away from the noise of modern life, heading to South Dakota is a good start; the entire state has less than a million residents, many of whom are huddled in Sioux Falls. Exploring Badlands National Park will get you even further from any ambient noise, as the park鈥檚 steep canyons, tall buttes, and thick red clay have appeared inhospitable to humans since the Lakota gave the area the 鈥渂adlands鈥� moniker. But tough terrain often equals quiet, as few visitors venture into the park鈥檚 backcountry.

Start at the Conata Picnic Area and pick up the , an unmaintained game trail that leads for 2.5 miles through grasslands and between buttes to a cluster of juniper trees. Bring a tent and find a primitive site either in the prairie at the base of the buttes or tucked into the junipers.

What to Listen For: Keep an ear out for the hooves of the 1,000-strong bison herd that roams this section of Badlands.

Graham Averill is 国产吃瓜黑料 magazine鈥檚 national-parks columnist. Based in Asheville, North Carolina, he is fortunate enough to live within a few hours of three free national parks. He recently wrote about the best hikes in Joshua Tree National Park, his favorite mountain town, and the national park he chose as the most adventurous.

The post 9 Quiet Destinations That Cut Out All the Noise appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

My older brother wanted to stop our four-day, 28-mile hiking trip after a mile and a half. He said his feet hurt.

鈥淵ou鈥檒l feel better when we get to the lake,鈥� I said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just an easy mile or so.鈥澨�

It was two miles, all uphill.听

鈥淚 won鈥檛 feel better,鈥� Don said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I鈥檒l ever feel better.鈥�

We stood in a shadowy clearing, surrounded by moss-covered subalpine fir trees and the twittering, rustling, and sighing forest sounds that I had hoped might provide the soundtrack to a fraternal late-midlife adventure. Don stared at the ground. I shoveled a handful of trail mix into my mouth. My feet hurt, too. I worried that this trip might have been a huge mistake.听

Don was 64, recently divorced after 24 years, recently retired from a long career as a law partner and CEO. His only child had graduated college two years earlier and moved 2,500 miles away, and Don was spending a lot of time in his four-bedroom house in Portland, Oregon, alone, lonely, plagued by shoulder pain and acid reflux, and deeply committed to what he was certain was a reasonable survival strategy, namely, 鈥淚 just need to get used to the idea that I鈥檓 closer to death and the world is meaningless and there鈥檚 a good chance I鈥檒l never find anything worthwhile to do.鈥澨�

Slightly alarmed, eager to help, and always up for a trip听in the outdoors, I had broached the idea of a hiking vacation together. I was 62, single, childless, technically unemployed (I鈥檓 a writer), renting a studio apartment in New York City, and suffering from recurrent gout. While generally resistant to the idea that a toasted marshmallow could change anything profound in anyone鈥檚 life, I was still desperate to believe that it might.听

I told Don on the phone that the hike听would cement our brotherly bonds and reconnect us to the wilderness where we had spent significant chunks of our young adulthoods. I told him we might find听something like peace in alpine meadows and under starry skies. I told him the trip could be life changing, that it would provide us both a much needed reset.听

鈥淣o thanks,鈥� he said. Don had never been one for big speeches.

鈥淲hy not?鈥澨�

鈥淲hat鈥檚 the point?鈥�

鈥淔un? Exercise? Living in the moment?听Leaving our comfort zones?听Getting some clarity and perspective? Rediscovering purpose and connection?鈥� I鈥檓 a talker.

鈥淪pare me the inner-life mumbo jumbo,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou have the luxury of dabbling in that stuff, since you haven鈥檛 had a real job in decades.鈥�

I reminded myself that Don was in a dark place, that he needed my support.听

鈥淵ou love hiking,鈥� I told him. 鈥淵ou always loved hiking.鈥�

鈥淚 can鈥檛 hike. My Achilles tendon won鈥檛 allow it. I鈥檒l never be able to hike again.鈥�

鈥淒on, you can hike. Take an Advil. You hike every day听when you walk to the coffee shop.鈥�

鈥淭hat鈥檚 not hiking, that鈥檚 walking.鈥�

鈥淪o when we鈥檙e on the trail, pretend like you鈥檙e going to the coffee shop.鈥�

鈥淎t least at the coffee shop听someone makes me coffee.鈥�

Three months later, I flew west, and we drove four hours south and east until we arrived at the Middle Rosary Lake Trailhead,听smack in the middle of 听on the eastern side of the听Cascades. It was August 9, 2 P.M. At 3 P.M., we had covered a mile and a half. That鈥檚 when Don announced that his feet hurt.

We shared a bedroom until we were six and eight years old. Don collected rocks. I hoarded seashells. Angelo the barber gave Don a crew cut on the third Saturday of every month. I sported a Princeton. Don worked hard. I tested well. Don was tall, with slim hips and broad shoulders, and he won every 60-yard dash and pull-up competition in grade school. I had to wear husky pants. Don spent his allowance on comic books featuring听Superman and Batman, champions of justice who, like Don, kept their own counsel. I was more partial to the Silver Surfer, the conflicted and somewhat blabbermouthed defender of earth, who said things like, 鈥淢y fate is of little consequence 鈥� if it can save the world that gave me birth!鈥� When frustrated听or stymied, Don stewed, plotted, and then acted (often, it seemed, against me). I tended to cry, frequently听and loudly.听

When I was 11 and my mother, for the third year in a row, couldn鈥檛 locate the present I had bought for her birthday (a gift inspired after one night I bore witness on television to the gadget鈥檚 incredible slicing and dicing powers), Don pulled me aside after a trip to Angelo鈥檚, and he laid an already muscled forearm across my naked, flabby, soft, and, as I remember, slightly quivering neck. 鈥淪teve,鈥� he said, 鈥渄o you really think mom is losing all those Veg-O-Matics?鈥澨�

鈥淲ow,鈥� I exclaimed. 鈥淎mazing!鈥澨�

Don grunted.听

We stood upon the edge of a gleaming green jewel of a lake (named, coincidentally enough, Green Lake). It was听day two, and we had climbed about 1,000 feet and covered four miles, moving alongside Fall Creek, past waterfalls, into and out of dense forests of red pine carpeted with clover. The fact that Don had not spoken for the past hour wasn鈥檛 unusual, but combined with the 鈥渃loser to death and the world is meaningless鈥� stuff, it unsettled me some. I had mentioned听to Don听more than once听that perhaps his perspective was clouded, by retirement, by divorce, and that maybe with time he would see things more clearly. Maybe, he allowed, but probably not. He doubted he would ever find love. He suspected that lucrative, fulfilling work was out of reach forever. And really, weren鈥檛 those who had found love and satisfying work doomed to lose both?听

鈥淗ow about a quick dip?鈥� I said.听When I worried about Don, which I often did, I suggested things he might do to feel better. Over the past few decades, I had suggested that he see a therapist, consider听the latest emotional-retreat weekend workshop I had recently attended, and/or think about joining听a Kundalini yoga practice that took place in a salt cave. I had heard good things about salt caves.听

鈥淵ou go ahead,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to take a pass on the hypothermia.鈥� When Don worried about me, which was often, he suggested I get married and settle down听or at least stick with a regular girlfriend听or, if I couldn鈥檛 manage it, that I maintain a semi-regular writing schedule听or, if that was too much, that I at least make an attempt to get out of bed before 10 A.M. more often.听

Also, that I might 鈥渞eroute some of the money you鈥檙e spending on your inner child into a SEP-IRA.鈥澨�

We stood at the lake鈥檚 edge. The water lapped.听

鈥淵ou should take off your boots and soak your feet,鈥� I said. 鈥淚t will cheer you up听and make our return hike go faster.鈥� I stripped, dove in.听

Don slowly crouched, stuck the ring and middle fingers of his left hand into the water, used his right hand to shade his eyes as he studied the horizon, still bright and blue.听

He stared at something only he could see. 鈥淭he return hike is going to be the return hike,鈥� he said. 鈥淔our miles, at least two hours. Unless someone falls. Harder on the knees, going downhill. Lots of dirt. And tomorrow鈥檚 hike is going to be longer听and steeper. But enjoy the swim. I think I鈥檒l conserve my energy.鈥�

Don showed me that by holding my pillow next to the air conditioner on summer nights, then running back to bed with it, I could keep my head cool.听He taught me that when Wolf, the neighborhood German shepherd, jumped on me, I should knee him in the chest and frown. Over the years, he has coached me before work interviews, reviewed contracts, counseled me through professional disappointments and breakups, fixed me up on dates, and made sure I wasn鈥檛 alone on holidays. When our younger sister, at the time living by herself and raising a three-year-old and an infant, told me that she was having trouble getting out of bed and was crying for hours every day, I told Ann that she should let go of her anxiety and embrace gratitude and joy. I told Don about our conversation, and the next morning he flew to Colorado, packed her bags and those of her two children, flew them all back to Oregon with him, and then, with his wife at the time,听cooked for Ann and the kids, babysat, and generally nursed her back to health.听

He favors button-down shirts and lace-up shoes and travels with his own pillows, plural, because 鈥渂etter to carry a little extra听than to be surprised.鈥� He listens to albums on his turntable, reads the print version of The New York Times, watches network news, naps every day at precisely 4 P.M., and has erected some sturdy and clearly defined personal boundaries, especially when it comes to our mother. For his 60th birthday, he hosted a small gathering, to which he invited Mom. When she asked if there would be cake, he replied in the affirmative. When she asked what flavor it would be, he asked why she needed to know.听

I like听hoodies and听Hawaiian shirts, have occasionally lied about my age on dating sites, and have, in the past ten years, inspired by infomercials, purchased fake thumbs that lit up when activated with secret buttons, a Bowflex Xtreme 2, and something called the Owl Optical Wallet Light, which contained a magnifying glass and a reading light. Actually, I bought two of those. I answer any and all questions from my mother, then deal with my resentment and guilt by eating Entenmann鈥檚 Devil鈥檚 Food Crumb Donuts and Ben & Jerry鈥檚 Chubby Hubby ice cream until I am sick.

For years, Don had been telling family members that they needn鈥檛 give him gifts on holidays or for his birthday, but if they felt compelled, they should only shop from a list he distributed, and that first we should check with each other to avoid duplication. I decided that his energetic efforts to control the world masked a terrible interior sense of chaos, and that a surprise might psychically jolt him into a more relaxed, happier state. So听one winter break, I carried home from college and presented to Don a 13-pound听authentic 鈥渃ountry-cured Boone County Ham,鈥� along with printed instructions for scraping off the ham鈥檚 mold with a stiff brush, washing it, then soaking it in cold water for 12 to 24 hours before roasting. He read the instructions, then stared at me. 鈥淎re you fucking kidding me?鈥� he said.听

Day three, and I have accepted the impossibility of either of us finding peace by eating toasted marshmallows. There have been and will be no toasted marshmallows, because after discovering that the only campsite available on our first night sat next to a dumpster, we听decided that, for the remainder of the trip, we could bond just fine without sleeping on the ground or having to urinate outside. So we鈥檝e been sleeping in lodges and cabins the past two nights.听

We have been watching downloaded movies, treating ourselves to pancakes and scrambled eggs in the morning, and spending most of our daylight hours hiking. Today, climbing through a dense hemlock forest, we have been discussing knee pain, shoulder pain, love, divorce, cortisone, our parents, physical therapy, Don鈥檚 child, our sister鈥檚 children, our childhoods, yoga, and real estate. I have been doing most of the discussing.听

Just as I was weighing the relative risks and benefits of therapy under the influence of psilocybin, we popped out of the forest and onto a rocky, almost lunar plain. Jutting up along the horizon were the granite, snow-veined South Sister and Broken Top Mountains. Between them and us,听though we couldn鈥檛 see it,听lay , which听a website I鈥檇 checked called听one of the most beautiful mountain lakes in the area.

鈥淚t sounds incredible,鈥� I said.

Don consulted his map, cross-checked with his compass. 鈥淚t always sounds incredible on a website,鈥� he said.

He has never shied from straight talk or hard truths. The supermodel girlfriend a young cousin once听brought to a family wedding? 鈥淪uper skinny is more like it,鈥� Don said. The newest four-star Manhattan restaurant where we celebrated a birthday together? 鈥淣oisy. And overpriced.鈥� The three-story, five-bedroom Florida house we snagged one Thanksgiving? 鈥淗ave you been monitoring red-tide levels?鈥澨�

When we made it to the lake, I immediately began disrobing. Don consulted his watch, the map, the sky, his watch again, the compass, then the lake. I walked in, up to my knees.

鈥淐鈥檓on!鈥� I said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great.鈥�

He studied the sky again.听

鈥淲hat are you doing?鈥�

鈥淭hinking.鈥澨�

Ten years earlier, when Don was a CEO, the chairman of the board鈥檚 secretary told Don on a Monday that he needed to be in the chairman鈥檚 office that Friday听at 4 P.M.听for a private one-on-one meeting. Don told me it could only mean one thing: he was going to be fired. I told Don he had been sure he was going to be fired many times before, that he would be happier if he spent less time worrying and more time focusing on the present. Instead, Don spent the next week imagining all the missteps he might have committed in his tenure and jotted down explanations for each. He also worked on an elaborate, technical, and airtight legal document that, if necessary, he would present to the chairman, demanding a two-year severance package,听with stock options. Just in case.听

When Friday arrived, the chairman said he wanted to discuss the company鈥檚 annual holiday celebration. That was it.听

I pondered all the time my brother has spent planning for catastrophes that don鈥檛 happen.听

鈥淒id you learn anything from that experience?鈥� I had asked Don.

鈥淵eah,鈥� he听said. 鈥淚t pays to be prepared.鈥�

Stories about mental illness and growing old can be amusing, even hilarious, especially before you or someone you know endures either. So this might be a good place to mention that, about two years before our hike, doctors had diagnosed and begun treating Don for depression. Until then, for the most part, I had viewed his occasional grouchiness, frequent pessimism, general dismissiveness (especially toward me), and ever vigilant posture toward the world as merely elements of his personality.

Then again, until I had been diagnosed and treated for depression myself, a few years before Don, I had considered my romantic difficulties, binge eating, binge sleeping, binge crying, and binge Veg-O-Matic and Owl Wallet Light purchasing as elements of my nature. But couldn鈥檛 we change? Our hike in the woods coincided with a point in our lives when we were trying to ascertain exactly which of our not entirely welcome behavioral patterns might be malleable and subject to our best intentions and which ones we were simply doomed to endure. In other words, our hike happened right around the time听we were getting ready for Medicare.听

Pudgy gray clouds scud across a sky so blue it looks painted. Pine trees above us quiver in the soft breeze, while the deep, clear Metolius River flows below. Today, our last hike, is a gentle five-miler, flat, mostly shaded.听

It鈥檚 a narrow trail, and Don walks ahead. The wind picks up.听

鈥淗ey, Don,鈥� I say, 鈥渢hanks for teaching me how to handle Wolf the dog and showing me the cooling-the-pillow trick.鈥�

鈥淯h-huh,鈥� he says.

Across the river, clear water gushes from a spring, turning the meandering stream to churning听whitewater. We enter a winding canyon, bordered by old-growth ponderosa pine. Broods of goslings paddle next to us. Bunches of bright yellow tanagers hop in the shrubs lining the banks.

鈥淎nd I appreciate your breaking the news about the Veg-O-Matics to me,鈥� I say, 鈥渆ven if it hurt my feelings at the time.鈥澨�

Don grunts.听

We have two miles left in our trip. I wonder if they鈥檒l be done in silence.

鈥淚 should have kept the Hanukkah ham,鈥� Don says.

鈥淗耻丑?鈥�

鈥淚 just couldn鈥檛 get past the mold. I can see now that it was a mistake. You wanted to surprise me, and you thought it would help me. I appreciate that now.鈥�

I feel something dislodge in my chest. I don鈥檛 know what to say. So I say what I have been saying for the past 55 years or so.听

鈥淢y fate is of little consequence 鈥� if it can save the world that gave me birth!鈥�

I can hear Don sigh, even over the wind.听

鈥淩ight, Steve鈥� he says. 鈥淥f course.鈥�

We鈥檒l survive the hike to the trailhead, the drive back to Portland, the unpacking. We鈥檒l survive family vacations. We鈥檒l survive family drama. (Don will tell me that if I write about our trip, 鈥淧lease quote me as saying the story will be incomplete听and mostly true.鈥�) We鈥檒l survive the next two years, a time when Don will meet a woman, and they will move in together, raise chickens, and plant a garlic patch. He will visit his son in Brooklyn many times, and in Portland he鈥檒l join a lawyers鈥� support group, and when another man in the group says that he has been experiencing crippling despair and paralyzing anxiety听and has decided that in order to improve, he needed to imagine the future he hoped for and pray to a power greater than himself, Don will ask, without meaning to be funny or mean, 鈥淛ust in case, do you have a plan B?鈥�

He will add a hot bath to precede听his daily nap, and accept positions on the boards of three Portland nonprofits: one that helps adults suffering from mental illness, another serving homeless youth, and a third dedicated to preserving the Columbia Gorge. As a volunteer, he鈥檒l take the adults on hikes and the teenagers to a boxing gym owned by a man he has helped with legal issues over the years. He will find meaning听and purpose听but will continue to worry. I will continue to assure him that everything will be OK, to which he will invariably reply, 鈥淪ure, unless it won鈥檛.鈥�

I will cut back on the Chubby Hubby and the Devil鈥檚 Food Crumb Donuts. I will save enough money to rent a cabin in the woods for a month in the summer, where I will host my mother, sister, and nephew for two weeks. I will divest myself of all but three Hawaiian shirts, as well as toss听the Bowflex Xtreme2 and both Owl Optical Wallet Lights. I will take the seven sets of Lightup Magic Thumbs from their special box on my bookshelf only on special occasions.听

Except for a set of Perfect Pushup Rotating Handles, which are, after all, health related, I will cease infomercial-inspired shopping.听

But all that occurs later. At the moment, there is only the two of us, and the trail, and the wind, and the scudding clouds, and bright blue sky. Brothers. I stop, tilt my face to the warming sun.听

鈥淎 perfect end to a perfect trip,鈥� I say.听

Don stops, too, lifts his face to the exact same sun. The river, deep and cold, surges past. He shades his eyes, He studies the sky.听

鈥淭rue,鈥� he says. 鈥淓ven if it rains.鈥�

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A few years ago, Ben Leoni and Lindsay Bourgoine moved from Portland, Maine, to Boulder, Colorado. They听relocated for work听and also a lifestyle change. Both skiers, they wanted to be closer to the mountains and spend their time off doing what they love. Leoni recently started a new job as an attorney at the U.S. Department of the Interior, and Bourgoine works as the director of policy and advocacy for .

As a government employee, Leoni has听12 days of paid time off each year, and he works longer hours so he can get every other Friday off. Protect Our Winters, where Bourgoine works, has a policy that encourages staffers to get outside to relieve stress. Dubbed Nature Days,听employees can take one day per month to play outdoors and refuel, in addition to their allotted vacation time. The couple plans to use every single one of those available days off.

They don鈥檛 have to go far to get away. 鈥淲e take microadventures,鈥� says Leoni. 鈥淓ven if they鈥檙e just two or three days, getting away can feel like hitting the reset button. Being outside and putting distance between myself and work is really helpful. I feel more productive when I鈥檓 at work after I鈥檝e been away. I鈥檓 just generally happier.鈥�

There鈥檚 a growing body of research that reaffirms what Leoni and Bourgoine already know: taking time off is good for you, and it鈥檚 good for your work.听A conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and University of California at听Los Angeles听found that, when asked, most Americans said they would prefer more money as opposed to more time off. But those who answered the latter听showed higher levels of happiness.听A听 published in Canada the same year reported that those who took more vacation days experienced better overall health and life satisfaction, while a听 in Helsinki听interviewed employees over several decades and found that those who took shorter vacations reported worse general health and had a higher mortality rate.

Despite all the data, Americans are still not inclined to take days off. According to the most recent report from the U.S. Travel Association, 55 percent of American employees had unused vacation days in 2018, which equated to 768 million unused paid-time-off days on the table, up 9 percent from the previous year. Of those unused days, 236 million were forfeited completely and didn鈥檛 roll over to 2019.

Why are we not using our days off? 鈥淭here are a few reasons that Americans cite for not taking the vacation days they鈥檙e allotted,鈥� says Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. 鈥淎fter the cost and expense barriers, the top reason we hear is that Americans say it鈥檚 just too hard to get away from work. They say they are afraid they could be seen as not a dedicated worker if they take a vacation.鈥�

Not everyone gets paid time off, of course. The Center for Economic and Policy Research听 that one in four U.S. workers receive听no paid leave. Of the 21 richest countries in the world, the U.S. is . In 2019, New York mayor Bill de Blasio proposed a bill that would require employers of a certain size to provide up to ten听days of paid vacation to their workers, which would听make the city听the first in the country to enact such a law. But it has听yet to pass.

But company culture in America is shifting, and progressive businesses are realizing that to avoid fatigue and retain happy, productive employees, vacation is necessary. Take听, a Boulder-based software startup. In addition to unlimited paid time off, Bonusly has an expectation that all employees will take a minimum of two weeks of vacation. If you don鈥檛 take enough, a manager will remind you to do so.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very in vogue to offer an unlimited vacation policy,鈥� says Raphael Crawford-Marks, founder and CEO of Bonusly. 鈥淏ut that policy, intentionally or not, has led to an implicit pressure to not take vacation, because there is always important work to be done. So听I felt strongly about not just saying听we have an unlimited vacation policy but also that it鈥檚 part of your job to get enough rest and recreation that you can do this over the long term. We鈥檙e going to hold you accountable for taking that vacation.鈥�

Bonusly has a very low turnover rate鈥攍ess than a third of the average for startups at its stage, according to Crawford-Marks, who credits the vacation policy with reducing burnout.

SheerID, a digital-verification company with offices in Portland and Eugene, Oregon, shifted from offering employees 15 paid days off in 2018 to allowing unlimited days off and including a requirement that staffers take at least three weeks each year. (Both Bonusly and SheerID were named among听国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Best Places to Work in 2019.)

鈥淲e鈥檙e at a point where so many people spend so much time working, taking it home with them, and they鈥檙e always engaged and available. It鈥檚 so important that companies cultivate that culture of 鈥榯ake time away and come back when you鈥檙e ready,鈥欌�� says Halsey Gilligan, director of human resources at SheerID. 鈥淩esearch shows that we鈥檙e more productive when we鈥檝e had time to rest and relax or get outside or be creative.鈥�

So why are people still not taking days off when they can?听There鈥檚 one more thing that the U.S. Travel Association鈥檚 Dow听cited as a reason. 鈥淣early half of Americans fail to plan for their vacation,鈥� he says. Here鈥檚 an idea: start听planning your next trip or staycation now, get something on the books, so听you鈥檒l have no excuse not to get away. It doesn鈥檛 have to be big鈥攊t can be staying home and pitching a tent in the backyard, or driving an hour away to that lake you鈥檝e always wanted to swim in.听

The point isn鈥檛 that you need to take three weeks off at once and plan a mega adventure to some far-flung country (although, of course, that鈥檚 always fun, too). All that matters is that you step away, stop thinking about work for a sustained period of time, and remind yourself that a vacation can happen anywhere and anytime鈥攁s long as you let yourself have one.

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Forget chocolate and roses. All you really need to celebrate听Valentine鈥檚 Day is quality time outside听and a cozy place to curl up at night. We found some听cabins听located in ideal places for exploring, making them perfect retreats听for adventurous couples.

For Skiers and Snowboarders

First off, there鈥檚 the location: you鈥檙e five minutes from the slopes of California鈥檚听 and a few more from the legendary steeps of Squaw Valley. On weekends,听a free, on-demand shuttle called the听听that鈥檚 operated by the ski resort听will pick you up at the cabin and deliver you to the hill. Then, of course, there鈥檚 the house itself: a听thoughtfully restored, dog-friendly A-frame with two bedrooms, a wood-burning stove, a full听kitchen, and a deck overlooking pine forests and snowcapped peaks (from $224).

For Digital Detoxers

Located two hours from Portland, Oregon, near the volcanic peak of Mount Adams, Washington, this collection of tiny cabins dot a campground听with no cell service. (Don鈥檛 fret: there鈥檚 a landline if you really need to make a call.) There鈥檚听 in the surrounding area, from hiking in the Columbia River Gorge to exploring the Guler Ice Cave. Your cabin鈥攚hich is less than 200 square feet鈥攃omes well stocked with a kitchen, a private bathroom, books, and a wireless speaker (from $99). Provisions like marshmallows, oatmeal, and hot chocolate are available for purchase.

For National Park Fans

This sleek one-bedroom cabin (from $393), just five minutes from , on the Big Island, was recently made available to rent. You can hike through rainforests into a volcanic crater and spot lava flow from previous eruptions. If you鈥檙e craving a beach day, you鈥檙e just 40 minutes by car听from the seaside town of Hilo (don鈥檛 miss the stunning 80-foot-high Rainbow Falls nearby). A hot tub, an outdoor fire pit, and a spacious king bed will keep you happy by night.

For Those Who Want to Get Away (But Not Too Far)

If the idea of being in a remote cabin alone in the woods doesn鈥檛 sound ideal to you, then consider a lodge听next to a full-service hotel, like 听in the Catskills, near the town of Windham, New York. It offers three Scandinavian-style A-frames听that are just 220 square feet and come with a queen bed, an attached bath, and access to a nearby wood-barrel sauna (from $299). You may not want to leave the property, thanks to a hip on-site bar and restaurant, but if you do, skiing at Windham Mountain is just a few minutes away.

For Ocean Lovers

Birdwatchers and sea kayakers love Dauphin Island, Alabama, a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico accessed via a short ferry ride from Mobile Point or a drive听over a three-mile-long bridge. Walk through the , sea-kayak from the marina, or pet stingrays at the . Stay at this remodeled A-frame, which has views of the Gulf Coast and is just steps away from white-sand beaches (from $72).

For Hardy, Do-It-Yourselfers

Available for bookings from December through March, this wintertime backcountry hut (from $88) is located on private land in Huntington, Vermont. It鈥檚 not fancy: most everything needs to be packed in. You鈥檒l need your own sleeping bag, use a detached outhouse, build your own fire, and melt snow for water. Getting there is straightforward鈥攊t鈥檚 a 250-yard walk or ski from the road. And there鈥檚 a path听from the cabin that connects to the 300-mile-long听, beloved by Vermont鈥檚 nordic skiers.

For the Whole Family

These nine year-round cabins in Ca帽on City, Colorado, about two and a half hours south of听Denver, come in a variety of sizes, depending on your group. There are 600-square-foot, one-bedroom cabins for just the two of you, or, if you鈥檙e bringing the kids, you can opt for a听two-bedroom house (from $375). You鈥檒l score views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains听from your front stoop. The town鈥檚 main attraction is the Royal Gorge, a 1,200-foot-deep canyon that runs for ten听miles and contains the Arkansas River, a paddler鈥檚 paradise come summertime. For a sweet view of the surrounding area, be sure to walk across the Royal Gorge Bridge, one of the world鈥檚 highest suspension bridges.

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Spring break is coming up soon, and it doesn鈥檛 have to be synonymous with expensive or crowded. You can get away from it all on a dime if you know where to go.听Plus, you鈥檒l find plenty of good reasons to travel at this time of year, from blooming wildflowers听to听corn snow.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California

The wildflowers in 620,000-acre听, two hours northeast of San Diego, are stunning come springtime. Take a hike along 18.9 miles听of the Pacific Crest Trail, which cuts through it, or the four-mile , and you鈥檒l spot blooming yuccas, cacti, sunflowers, dandelions, and desert lilies. The flowering usually starts in late February or early March and lasts through May, but call the park鈥檚 wildflower hotline (760-767-4684) for the latest update. Stay at the 15-room听 (from $175), or use Hipcamp to find听a听听at a nearby retreat center听(from $80).听 rents mountain bikes and offers听guided bike tours in the park.

Rossland, British Columbia

Hostels aren鈥檛 what they used to be.听Expect听the affordable, communal vibe听but in a much more听upscale package. Take, for example,听, a design-forward hostel that opened in late 2018 at the base of听, outside the town of Rossland. You can get private rooms or bunks starting at $30 a night, whip up a meal in a sleek shared kitchen, and tap into high-speed Wi-Fi in the lounge. Plus, spring skiing at Red听Mountain is always a good time. The resort closes for the season on April 5, but before then, you鈥檒l find zero crowds and plenty of corn snow, as well as听pond skimming, concerts, and end-of-season parties.

Reed Bingham State Park, Georgia

Want to stay on your own private island for just $35 a night? At听, 20 minutes east of the town of Moultrie, Georgia, you can do just that. Rent a canoe from the park (from $60) and you can paddle a short distance to a primitive, remote campsite on Eagle Island, smack in the middle of the park鈥檚 375-acre Lake Reed Bingham. From there, you can fish, swim, or explore the island. Or paddle back to shore to hike seven miles of trails. In spring, keep your eyes open for baby bald eagles hatching and leaving their nests.

Portland, Oregon

So you want to go camping for spring break, but you don鈥檛 want to fly with all your camping gear.听 in Portland recently partnered with gear-rental company听 on a听 that solves that problem. Stay a few nights in the hotel and then a few nights road-tripping and camping along the Oregon coast. The package starts at $210, which includes one night in the hotel and one night of camping. That also includes 20 percent off your room rate and gear rental. Your kit鈥攕leeping bags and pads, tents, a propane stove, kitchen supplies, camp听chairs, a cooler, and more鈥攃an be arranged for pickup or delivered directly to the hotel. Xscape Pod鈥檚 campsite concierge can help you book a location,听or try central Oregon鈥檚听 (from $21), a stunning campground on a sandy beach, perfect for whale-watching.

Playa Guiones, Costa Rica

Located on the Pacific coast鈥檚 Nicoya Peninsula, Playa Guiones is a four-mile-long, white-sand beach with a stellar surf break. Stay at the听 (from $179), a shorefront hotel that has an on-site surf school for lessons, rentals, and guided outings. Don鈥檛 miss the property鈥檚 weekly live music听and daily yoga classes.听 rents mountain bikes and leads tours of surrounding听trails, and just听north, you can watch nesting turtles this time of year at . Liberia International Airport is about two and a half hours away, and the hotel can arrange for an airport shuttle, but flights from the U.S. into (five hours away) tend to be considerably cheaper.

Washington, D.C.听

In the spring, the nation鈥檚 capital city turns pink with blooming cherry blossoms. The four-week-long听 takes place from March 20 through April 12 and includes free events like kite festivals on the grounds of the Washington Monument and street parades down Constitution Avenue. The听 (from $153),听minutes from the听, has a hip bar and lounge stocked with board games. Take a hike or run in 1,754-acre听, one of the country鈥檚 largest city parks, which has 32 miles of trails.

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Living in a big city doesn鈥檛听mean you don鈥檛 have听access to the wild outdoors. The , an initiative within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, manages 567 national wildlife refuges, including听101 听located within 25 miles of cities housing populations over 250,000鈥攕erving the 80 percent of Americans who live in and around metro areas.听We鈥檙e talking about massive plots of lands, immense networks of trails, and thriving biospheres听of animals and plants in 36 states, all within an hour of places听like Detroit or Birmingham, Alabama.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

John Heinz

11 miles from the Liberty Bell

,听located within Philadelphia鈥檚 city limits, was our country鈥檚 first urban refuge, established in 1972. Known for听its focus on education, it enlists community members to听convert unused lots into urban-pollinator gardens and hosts听local听students听for in-the-field environmental courses and summer internships. There鈥檚 incredible wildlife spotting along the 285-acre freshwater tidal marsh,听including bald eagles, beavers, and deer. (You can borrow binoculars from the visitor听center for free.)听Or opt to听paddle a canoe down the 4.5-mile tidal segment of Darby Creek听or hike 10 miles of trails that traverse the site.

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Valle de Oro听

7 miles from the Albuquerque airport

Wildlife and habitat restoration are听priorities at听, set along the eastern banks of the Rio Grande just a few miles from downtown Albuquerque. Park staff are听currently teaching听the听ABQ Backyard Refuge Program, where people听learn how to rebuild habitats and garden to reintroduce听wildlife in their own backyards. The 570-acre swath听was created in 2012 on a former dairy farm, making it one of the country鈥檚 newest听urban wildlife sanctuaries and the first in the Southwest. Come for a visit and you鈥檒l score views of migratory birds, like snow geese and sandhill cranes, with听the Sandia Mountains听as a backdrop. There are also听guided walking tours on newly built trails听and stargazing sessions.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Bayou Sauvage听

46 miles from the French Quarter

If you want to spot American alligators close to New Orleans, head to the marshes of听鈥擩oe Madere Marsh is one of the best places for viewing this endemic species. You can learn about the importance of marshes and wetlands in protecting New Orleans from storm surges, fish for largemouth bass or catfish in its听freshwater lagoons and bayous,听or launch a canoe and听paddle the canals and small lakes that dot the property. Short boardwalk trails are also popular with hikers听and nature photographers. More recently, students from the University of New Orleans have been learning to plant trees and marsh grasses to help rebuild wetlands here.

San Diego, California

San Diego Bay听

13 miles from the San Diego Zoo

stretches over 12,300 acres, offering easy access to wilderness for the millions of residents in this听metropolitan area. The park has听trails for hiking and mountain biking, restored grasslands and oak woodlands that were once damaged by wildfire, and endangered butterflies and waterfowl that stop听over during their winter migrations. The 听facilitates听educational programs here, and the听San Diego听nonprofit organization , which connects local kids to outdoor activities, leads excursions听at the refuge like fishing, biking, and kayaking.

Portland, Oregon听

Tualatin River

15 miles from Powell鈥檚 City of Books

Just outside Portland, within the floodplain of the Tualatin River, you鈥檒l find a peaceful sanctuary in an otherwise busy urban area. The , southwest of听downtown, is a stopover for migrating waterfowl and songbirds on the Pacific Flyway and home to a number of mammals, including coyote, deer, and bobcat. Several miles of trails are open to hikers. In the fall,听admire the听changing foliage and migrating geese and swans. The park hosts well-loved events, like the annual Tualatin Bird Festival in the spring or youth-oriented programs听through , an organization that encourages wilderness education and community involvement for local schoolchildren.

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minnesota Valley听

Less than 2 miles from the Mall of America

Smack in the middle of the Twin Cities, covers 14,000 lofty acres and 70 miles along the Minnesota River.听Paddle the waterway听in a canoe, or hike or run听46 miles of winding trails. The refuge hands out free loaner binoculars, fishing gear, and snowshoes at its听visitor听center,听and local kids can听borrow snow clothes and boots when they show up midwinter.听An on-site art gallery showcases nature-inspired work from hometown听and rotating artists.

Denver, Colorado

Rocky Mountain Arsenal听

14 miles from Mile High Stadium

Spot bison, deer, bald eagles, prairie dogs, songbirds, and endangered black-footed ferrets at the 15,000-acre, located between Denver International Airport and听downtown鈥檚听skyscrapers, with views of the Rocky Mountains. Hike the ten听miles of trails or motor along Wildlife Drive, an 11-mile loop where you can see bison and deer. Fishing is big here: there鈥檚 bass in听Lake Mary or Lake Ladora, as well as and an for those with disabilities.

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You want a vacation that feels like a vacation鈥攁 pool, a comfy bed, good food, plenty of things to do (or not). But you also don鈥檛 want a holiday that puts the environment second fiddle to your comforts. Now more than ever, properties听in听dreamy locales are making environmental protections part of the experience, either through听design, like making the most of听alternative energy sources, green building protocols, energy-efficient heating and cooling, and waste-reduction practices, or by inviting you to participate in conservation efforts. Here are seven notable outposts doing just that.

Wilderness Safaris Jao Camp

Okavango Delta, Botswana

At听, which closed for a top-down renovation in 2018 and reopened this summer, you鈥檒l stay in one of five villas built into the tree canopy, with your own private plunge pool, outdoor shower, butler, and chef. This entirely solar-powered safari camp was reconstructed with an intentionally low footprint to minimize impact on the Okavango Delta. Electricity and hot water are听powered by on-site solar panels,听rooms are chilled听with a silent evaporative cooler,听which consumes less energy than normal air-conditioning,听and single-use plastics have been replaced with reusable, organic amenities. When you鈥檙e not relaxing in your villa, paddle the delta in a traditional dugout canoe, search for听buffalo and elephants, or stargaze on an outdoor deck.听From $1,262 per person, all-inclusive

The Nines Hotel

Portland, Oregon

The silver LEED-certified听, located in a historic downtown Portland building that once housed a department store, gets creative听with its sustainability efforts. All 331 guest rooms have energy-saving thermostats, low-flush toilets, and LED lights. But this property听goes beyond听the typical requirements, with a听rooftop herb garden and rainwater collection system, an听on-site beehive that supplies all of the hotel鈥檚听honey, and discounted rates on valet parking if you drop off a hybrid car. Close to 80 percent of its waste is diverted from landfills, thanks to a full-proof recycling system and biodegradable products. Take the MAX light-rail around town, run through Waterfront Park, or dine on vegan sushi and dim sum on the hotel鈥檚 rooftop terrace.听From $235

Clayoquot Wilderness Resort

Vancouver Island, British Columbia

At听, sleep in one of 25 well-appointed waterfront or rainforest tents set along a seven-mile-long deep-water听fjord. No roads lead here, so arrive via a 40-minute boat ride from nearby Tofino听(you can also get there by a听45-minute floatplane听ride from Vancouver, but it won鈥檛 fit the eco theme quite as well). Meals are served in a log cookhouse, yoga takes place daily in the studio or on its deck, and you can paddleboard or enjoy听guided hikes throughout the area鈥檚 estuary. If you feel inspired to give back,听join the hotel鈥檚 wildlife-habitat rehabilitation听efforts on the Clayoquot Sound听by signing up to听remove marine debris or replenish salmon-spawning environs. Since 2001, the resort, in concert with Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Ahousaht First Nation, has been working to repair environmental damage left from the mining and logging industries of the 1800s.听From $3,531 per person for a three-night package

Kasiiya Papagayo

Guanacaste, Costa Rica

There are just five tented suites built on timber platforms at听, which opened in January, and each comes with supreme privacy on the resort鈥檚 123-acre waterfront property. This solar-powered wilderness retreat was built without cutting down any trees and by using natural, low-impact materials. An electric car delivers guests to nearby sights, tents come听stocked with drinks in a cooler instead of a fridge, and there鈥檚 an empty, white-sand beach steps from your deck. Surfing at Tamarindo is an hour away, or you can climb a tree, sea kayak to islands, or take a hike through the jungle right from your tent. Spot monkeys, crocodiles, and butterflies in the animal sanctuary at the nearby Diamante Eco 国产吃瓜黑料 Park.听From $490, including meals, activities, and airport transfer

The Blake Hotel

Taos, New Mexico

The upscale, slopeside听 opened at the base of Taos Ski Valley in 2017. This 80-room silver LEED-certified property is part of a revamp of the ski area鈥檚 base village, continuing听the听resort鈥檚 ongoing commitment to environmental practices. The hotel鈥檚 geothermal heating and cooling system and its water efficiency will contribute to Taos Ski Valley鈥檚 goal of reducing its greenhouse-gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020. (Taos Ski Valley is the first and only ski resort in the world to become a Certified B Corporation, a designation for businesses that exhibit high standards of social and environmental impact.)听As a guest, you鈥檒l appreciate the spa鈥檚 skier-specific massage treatments, overnight ski storage with boot dryers, and apr猫s-ski cocktails at the hotel bar.听From $259

Oxford Hotel

Bend, Oregon

Borrow a free cruiser bike from the 59-room听 to explore downtown Bend, or park your Tesla out front in one of the electric-vehicle charging stations (electric cars also get free valet parking). This boutique property听has comfortable suites with views of the Cascade Mountains, loaner guitars for impromptu jam sessions, and organic breakfast delivered to your room. Powered entirely by renewable energy, the Oxford is equipped with low-energy heating and cooling systems, recycled materials in the design听build,听low-flow bathroom faucets, and all-natural mattresses.听From $409

High Lonesome Ranch

De Beque, Colorado

Less than an hour north of听Grand Junction,听 is a conservation-minded organization disguised as a guest ranch. Stay in private cabins, shared homes, or canvas tents along a tumbling creek on the ranch鈥檚 sprawling 250,000 acres. Miles of hiking and mountain-biking trails surround the property, and horseback riding and fly-fishing for brown and brook trout are a must. While it doesn鈥檛 have many听eco-lodge elements in its design, the听ranch works to protect and preserve biodiversity听through an on-site听research group听that studies everything from stream restoration and听migratory animals to听aspen-grove replenishing. It also has a team听dedicated to preserving and restoring degraded wildlife habitat听in an effort to promote mixed use of the land, from ranching and farming to recreation.听From $1,245 for two nights of double occupancy, meals and some activities included

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It doesn鈥檛 matter if you鈥檙e a longtime rider or a total newbie听at these听bike festivals,听the perks of being there are numerous鈥攜ou can stock up on the latest gear (many festivals offer bike demos as part of the entry fee), learn critical skills,听join group rides, or grab a map and head out on your own. When you鈥檙e done riding, return听to the grounds for what听good festivals do best: music, food, and beer.

Sedona Mountain Bike Festival

Sedona, Arizona

Every March, the听 brings together thousands of singletrack fans for a laid-back gathering of riding, beer drinking, and gear testing. Its听three-day event pass grants access to demo fleets from more than 90 top mountain-bike brands, shuttled drop-offs to the area鈥檚 best trails, skills clinics, live music, food-truck fare, and craft beer. Riders get to traverse the scenic trail system within the Red Rock Ranger District of Coconino National Forest, and proceeds from the event go toward听its maintenance.听 (from $169), a 20-minute shuttle ride from next year鈥檚听event location at Posse Grounds Park,听has nine A-frame chalets that sleep up to five听and five two-person studios, plus an outdoor pool and private entry听to trailheads like Bell Rock and Slim Shady.

Sea Otter Classic

Monterey, California

As one of the oldest and most well-attended festivals in the country, the annual , held on the Pacific听coast in April, is a sight to behold. Started in 1991, the four-day gathering has a massive gear expo with over a thousand brands, as well as stunt shows, kids鈥� programs, and road and mountain-bike races for elites and recreational riders, who show up in numbers nearing 10,000. The competitions听cover almost every discipline, from cross-country and downhill to dual slalom, plus noncompetitive races for all ages. Camp on-site (from $70) or rent an RV from nearby 听(from $150) for the full festival experience. In 2017, the event expanded to Europe, too, with the still growing taking place every May in Costa Brava, Spain.

Crankworx

Whistler, British Columbia

is the ten-day mountain-bike party that has taken over this resort town听every August since 2004. Watch as the pros battle it out in downhill or best-trick contests, sign up for a women鈥檚 or adaptive group ride, get the family involved through Kidsworx, or check out the accompanying photo and film competitions. The centrally located听 (from $225) has 192 modern听rooms and a valet bike service. The event has also gone global: you鈥檒l now find Crankworx in New Zealand and Austria, too.

Pedalpalooza听

Portland, Oregon

,听the monthlong tradition that takes place every June,听is as much a worthy bike festival as it is a way to experience the true spirit of Portland. It's听wacky collection of free, volunteer-organized events and gatherings includes听galactic disco rides, a banh mi鈥損owered bike tour of the city, and the notorious local version of World Naked Bike Ride, which sees upward听of 10,000 participants. In true Portland style, there are group rides for every sector of the community, from vegans and听remote workers to human-rights activists and bookstore enthusiasts. The recently opened听 (from $179) has 179 design-forward rooms, plus bikes and film cameras to rent from an on-site gear shed.

Virginia Trail Festival

Stokesville, Virginia

Held over Memorial Day weekend, the听听takes place within the 200,000-acre Shenandoah National Park, which is an easy 90-minute听drive from Washington, D.C.听Organized by local bike-touring outfitter Shenandoah Mountain Touring, it鈥檚 a family-friendly campout at the听听(from $50), where you鈥檒l have access to up to 500 miles of purpose-built mountain-bike trails from your tent and group meals prepared by volunteer cooks. After your ride, take a plunge in the North River, which flows through the campground. At night, post up around the campfire or stargaze from the on-site observatory.

Alyeska Bike Festival

Girdwood, Alaska

More and more听ski resorts are realizing they need to attract summertime visitors鈥攁nd what better way to do that than by throwing a killer bike festival? Alyeska Ski Resort, located an hour by car from Anchorage, hosts the听听at the start of听September to mark the final weekend of its summertime听bike park. Participants can ride lift-accessed downhill mountain-bike trails, sign up for dirt-jump contests and enduro races, or enter more lighthearted events like a tractor pull or pond crossing. Stay at the 300-room, ch芒teau-style听 (from $299) so you can hop on the aerial tram at听sunset and soak in the saltwater pool at the end of the day.

Rebecca鈥檚 Private Idaho听

Ketchum, Idaho

Join professional cyclist Rebecca Rusch in her hometown of Ketchum for听, a bike festival over Labor Day weekend that features gravel races of varying lengths, from 18 miles to a four-day stage race. The event raises funds for bike and trail-building organizations. To counter its growing popularity, Rusch limits听the number of registrants to around 1,000听in order听to keep the vibe more low-key. That said, the festival ends with a raucous beer-guzzling, gelande-quaffing听contest. Many of the group rides start from the听 (from $385), which has 93 rooms and听six suites, and Four Mountain Sports, an on-site听bike shop that offers听demos and rentals from the brands Giant and Norco.

Fruita Fat Tire Festival

Fruita, Colorado

The trail-heavy town of Fruita is a verified mountain-biker鈥檚 hub in Colorado. Many of those knobby-tire enthusiasts unite for one weekend in May every year for the fun-loving听. You can test out new bikes from the demo fleet, listen to live bluegrass from a central beer garden, and join skill camps and guided group rides through听wine country and听Colorado National Monument听and over Douglas Pass. The company听 has a number of vacation rentals, from downtown bungalows to a teardrop camper.

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Summer has flown by and Labor Day is right around the corner. For those of you who are as unprepared as I am, there are still opportunities to take that spontaneous trip鈥攋ust opt for a short hop within your region. These adventures all still have availability and are mapped out by location to make it easy to book a last-minute getaway.

In the Midwest

The Ozarks, Missouri

From bass and fly fishing on Table Rock Lake to tram tours that take you through , a 10,000-acre reserve filled with bison, elk, and whitetail deer, it鈥檚 no surprise that (from $405) and its new 40-tent (from $214), in Missouri鈥檚 Ozark Mountains, was masterminded by Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris. It鈥檇 be easy to spend a long weekend at the 342-room resort, located an hour by car from Springfield, or 15 minutes from the smaller Branson airport, but that would mean missing out on the rich history of the surrounding towns. Be sure to stop by , 30 minutes by car from the lodge, for a taste of the area鈥檚 moonshine-making heydays, or drive an hour west to downtown Eureka Springs, in Arkansas, an offbeat creative hub filled with galleries, shops, and Victorian-era architecture. Closer to Branson, (from $200) is another iconic lakeside resort that鈥檚 geared towards families, with a marina that offers boat rentals, water skiing, parasailing, and scuba diving.

In the Mid-Atlantic

Fayetteville, West Virginia听

As whitewater rafting season winds down in the rest of the country, West Virginia鈥檚 Gauley River, a 35-mile stretch of Class V rapids, enters its primetime. Starting in early September for six weekends, the rapids attracts hardcore rafters to Lower Gauley, a technical section that includes a 30-foot plunge, while families and beginners can head to Upper New River, a laidback passage ideal for swimming and wildlife spotting. , a resort located on New River Gorge in the nearby town of Fayetteville, still has plenty of rafting availability over Labor Day weekend (and is offering half-off normal prices for Upper and Lower New River rafting trips; from $69.50), as well as campsites (from $15) and one- to four-bedroom cabins (from $129). The surrounding area offers a variety of other activities, like climbing and fishing, but for some prime mountain biking, drive three hours north, where the 10.5-mile in Blackwater Falls State Park, and the 22.4-mile , are fun singletracks.

In the Northeast

Acadia National Park, Maine

While East Coast city residents make an exodus to the standard rotation of weekend getaways (the Hamptons, Newport, Nantucket), head to Portland or one of Maine鈥檚 surrounding areas for a quieter and less scene-y alternative鈥攁nd plenty of outdoor fun. After a day or two exploring Portland, make your way to , a coastal stretch of granite mountains, woodlands, and beaches on Mount Desert Island, a three-hour drive northwest from the city. Spend a morning hiking the , which ascends 1,000 feet by a series of ledges that offers sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean, before stopping by for a seafood lunch. In the afternoon, rent a bike from to test six miles of trails at The Camden Hills or rent a kayak from to explore the 60 islands that make up the Stonington Archipelago. Come sunset, post up at Sand Beach, a secluded stretch of white sand tucked in between mountains on the east side of Mount Desert Island, which you can access via Park Loop Road, the park鈥檚 scenic drive. While most of the park鈥檚 main campsites fill up in advance, the main town of Bar Harbor has plenty of inns and hotels that range in price, and (from $250), (from $139), and (from $279), still have availability.听

In the South

New Orleans, Louisiana

As the city gears up for its fall festival season, when events like and fill the streets with visitors, Labor Day weekend marks a less crowded and less expensive time to visit. With most of the area鈥檚 adventure offerings within an hour鈥檚 drive from the city, its worthwhile to post up in town. And luckily, the city no longer has a shortage of places to stay, with a number of design-forward (and affordable) boutique hotel openings this year, from the Marigny鈥檚 old-world-style (from $129), which comes with its own 1860s-era church, and the 67-room (from $389), from the guys behind Ace Hotels, to (from $200), which has 197 rooms in a series of warehouses on Magazine Street. In between your requisite eating and drinking, paddleboard Bayou St. John, a four-mile waterway that passes historic homes and a sprawling park (); bike the 31-mile , a trail converted from former rail yard tracks that goes from downtown Covington to Slidell; or kayak the swamps at .

In the Southwest

Santa Fe, New Mexico

If there鈥檚 a time of year to experience the full spirit of Santa Fe, it鈥檚 over Labor Day weekend, when the annual , a week-long celebration across town, takes place. The festival, which goes from August 31 to September 8 this year, includes parades, arts and crafts booths, mariachi bands, and culminates with the burning of Zozobra, or Old Man Gloom,听a towering marionette that represents the hardships of the past year. For those looking for some respite in between exploring the nearby national forests, parks, and monuments, book a听stay at 听(from $240), which just added a series of hot tubs听set at the edge of its cottonwood-shrouded pond. Or to stay closer to the festivities, opt for (from $280), a refurbished 86-room motor lodge that opened last fall.听

In the Northwest

Portland, Oregon

Visiting the city in early September gets you the best of both worlds: it鈥檚 the tailend of the busy summer season, when the skies are clear and flowers are in full bloom (it鈥檚 called the City of Roses for a reason), and some hotels drop their rates. For visitors who want to take in all the nearby adventure offerings, from hiking up to 80 miles of trails at Forest Park to fishing Clackamas River, without the hassle of buying or renting gear, a stay at the new 174-room (from $179) comes with full access to its Gear Shed, stocked with fishing poles, mountain bikes, and鈥攊n true Portland fashion鈥�35mm and Leica cameras to document it all with.

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Colin O鈥橞rady was fully aware of the flow. For years he鈥檇 felt it on long runs and grueling rides, but usually it was only after the trance had passed that he recognized he鈥檇 been in it at all. During those moments of extreme exertion, the pain disappeared and time became less of a river, more of an ocean. How wonderful it was now to be in it and aware of it, too. He could hold the sensation and study it like a piece of sea glass plucked from the sand.

For hours鈥攐r had it been days?鈥攕cenes from his life scrolled by to the rhythmic, scratchy hiss of his skis on ice. He was a kid at a swim meet, his mom holding an orange towel on the far side of the blocks. He was on one knee in Ecuador, asking his girlfriend to marry him. He was on his back in a grimy Thai clinic, a cat crawling around his purple, gooey legs, which he鈥檇 just burned to a crisp in a freak accident.

Kicking and gliding his way forward, mile after mile, he began repeating a phrase that gave him strength. Infinite love. Infinite love. Infinite love.听

A wooden post appeared on the horizon and he snapped to. It was the day after Christmas in 2018, and O鈥橞rady, then 33, was in Antarctica. Staffers from the Antarctica Program at McMurdo Station, an American research outpost, had placed the post here to mark the edge of the continent, the boundary where the land below the snow and ice ended and the sea began. For 54 days, O鈥橞rady had trudged alone, fighting whiteouts and howling wind. He鈥檇 hauled a sled of food and fuel some 566 miles and up 9,000 vertical feet to the South Pole, then veered hard to the west and made his way another 360 miles to this spot. He鈥檇 shed 25 pounds. Superglue caulked the deep, painful cracks in his fingers and hands. In Antarctica, skiing 20 miles is a Herculean day. In a deep flow state for much of the past 32 hours, O鈥橞rady had covered nearly 80.

He touched the post, called his wife, and cried as the weight of what he鈥檇 done settled in. O鈥橞rady could now claim one of the last great adventure firsts: a solo crossing of the Antarctic landmass, under his own power and with no resupplies. He collected himself and shuffled about a mile away to a spot where a plane could land. He was out of food but found a cache that had been left there a year earlier by Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions, or ALE, a Salt Lake City outfitter that operates flights and guided services into the interior of the continent. They would come for him in a few days. Inside the box he found some chocolate, freeze-dried meals, and a note: 鈥淐ongratulations, Ben!鈥�

Ben Saunders, a Briton and star polar adventurer, had attempted his own solo crossing of Antarctica in 2017 but had stopped at the South Pole after realizing he would starve before completing the route. The goody box had been waiting ever since.

O鈥橞rady set up his tent and slept. Somewhere in the white enormity behind him, British Army captain Louis Rudd, 49, was steadily grinding toward the same wooden post. Rudd had been friends with Henry Worsley, a fellow army officer and distant relation of Frank Worsley, the captain of Ernest Shackleton鈥檚 doomed ship, the Endurance. In 2016, Worsley was just 30 miles short of completing an unsupported crossing under his own power, but he suffered an infection and had to be airlifted to Chile, where he died of organ failure at age 55. The following year, Rudd led a team on a traverse of the continent. Now he was back to do it again, alone, to honor his fallen friend. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really important it鈥檚 a Brit that cracks this journey first,鈥� he told the Telegraph shortly before leaving. Now a hippie from Oregon had beat him to it.听

O鈥橞rady hadn鈥檛 seen Rudd since day six, when the captain had shuffled up beside him in a whiteout.

鈥淢orning, mate,鈥� Rudd said. 鈥淚鈥檝e got a bit of a suggestion for you.鈥�

O鈥橞rady cut him off. 鈥淲e both know the score out here,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 wishing you well, but let this be the last time we speak.鈥�

Rudd removed his glasses and stared into the American鈥檚 cool blue eyes.

鈥淥K,鈥� Rudd said. 鈥淪uit yourself.鈥�

What was Rudd going to say over the screaming wind? Was he trying to get in O鈥橞rady鈥檚 head? Hoping to offer advice as a more experienced explorer? To this day, O鈥橞rady doesn鈥檛 know. What鈥檚 certain is that both men were feeling the tension of their contest, as Will Ferrell once put it, all the way down to their plums.听

And yet their race across Antarctica wasn鈥檛 intentional鈥攏ot initially, at least. When they started planning their expeditions, neither knew that the other was preparing to go. Rudd announced his bid in April 2018. O鈥橞rady, wondering who else might be going for it, strategically waited another six months. He went public on October 18, just a few weeks before both men would be dropped on the ice.

鈥淟ou was a little short with me when I reached out over e-mail,鈥� O鈥橞rady recalls. Rudd no longer wants to talk about it, but Wendy Searle, his expedition manager鈥攚ho will be attempting a South Pole speed record in November鈥攕ays that 鈥淟ou was never going to do anything but his own thing. It was all terribly British.鈥�

The battle between an upstart Yank and a hardened Brit caused an international media storm. Here was a rivalry reminiscent of the classic 1911 race to the South Pole between Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott鈥攖his time chronicled online. O鈥橞rady and Rudd sat next to each other on the small plane that delivered them to their starting points, which were roughly a mile apart. They began their crossings almost at the same moment. O鈥橞rady knew he couldn鈥檛 match the captain鈥檚 experience and that Rudd had a lighter sled, so he decided he had to go longer. If Rudd traveled for 12 hours, O鈥橞rady would go for 13. By day 11, he鈥檇 built up a ten-mile lead.听

In the UK, reporters filed dispatches for the BBC, the Independent, and the Guardian. The New York Times published ten stories, including a study guide for young readers and a slick web page . O鈥橞rady posted a almost every day.

All the hype had many veterans in the polar community raising their bushy eyebrows. As critics pointed out, O鈥橞rady and Rudd were that crossed only the landmass of Antarctica and none of the ice that extends over the surrounding seas. They weren鈥檛 the first to do this. Both Ben Saunders and Henry Worsley had also followed shorter routes, though both included at least some of the ice shelves. O鈥橞rady and Rudd, some argued, were looking for the easier way. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a pretty simple equation: the longer the distance, the harder the trip,鈥� says Eric Larsen, 48, who has led guided expeditions to the polar regions for two decades.

Larsen and others point to Norwegian Borge Ousland, who crossed Antarctica鈥攁nd its ice sheets鈥攁lone and without resupply in 1997. That 1,768-mile sea-to-sea endeavor, which he completed in 65 days, was nearly twice as long as O鈥橞rady鈥檚. But because Ousland had at times used a small sail to scoot himself along when the wind was right, he left the door open for someone to claim a truly unaided trek.

As news of O鈥橞rady鈥檚 victory made its way around the world, ExplorersWeb, an online hub for expedition news that 鈥渕akes sure credit is given where credit is due,鈥� pushed back and noted what many in the media had failed to mention鈥攖hat for the last 300-plus miles of the crossing, O鈥橞rady (and Rudd) the South Pole Overland Traverse. Used to ferry supplies between McMurdo Station and the pole, it鈥檚 routed around crevasses and sometimes graded and marked with flags. In 2013, a British woman named Maria Leijerstam had on a three-wheeled recumbent fat bike.

鈥淓xpeditions aren鈥檛 just about doing the best thing anymore,鈥� Larsen laments. O鈥橞rady largely ignored the criticisms, focusing instead on his messaging to a much wider, mainstream audience. He had barely changed out of the underwear he wore for the entire crossing when he flew to New York to meet with 20 publishers competing for the rights to his memoir, The Impossible First, which will be released in February 2020. He did the TV circuit and later got a hug from Julia Roberts in the NBC Universal greenroom before giving a speech to the broadcaster鈥檚 executive team. He filmed He talked music with Paul Simon. He started charging tens of thousands of dollars for keynote addresses. His message: we all have a reservoir of untapped potential within us, and only our own minds can prevent us from accessing it.听

Matt Sharkey, global sports marketing director at the North Face, says that putting this kind of spin on an extreme adventure triumph is the natural evolution of the 21st-century expedition narrative. The feat or record still matters, but it鈥檚 the backstory that people crave.

鈥淣ow we say to our athletes, Hey look, we don鈥檛 want to pressure you for the fastest known time,鈥� Sharkey says. 鈥淏ut we want to know, what are you struggling with?鈥�

On a rainy May听afternoon in Bend, Oregon, O鈥橞rady is sitting comfortably in a windowless room at the Riverhouse on the Deschutes, a hotel and conference center. He鈥檚 wearing a tight T-shirt stretched across a model鈥檚 torso, dark jeans, and a borrowed Rolex. His dirty-blond hair is closely cropped.

Earlier in the day, during a break in the weather, O鈥橞rady had been outside with Oregon governor Kate Brown, the two of them chatting about vipassana meditation while the governor鈥檚 staff filmed the moment for Brown鈥檚 social-media channels. Soon he鈥檒l head downstairs to deliver a version of his well-practiced keynote address鈥攈e鈥檚 already delivered it some 30 times this year鈥攖o a couple of hundred attendees at an outdoor-recreation conference. Right now, though, O鈥橞rady and Blake Brinker, 35, a former tech entrepreneur turned brand consultant with a Zach Galifianakis beard, are brainstorming approaches to his upcoming commencement address at Pace Academy, a private K-12 school in Atlanta. The bar is set high: Robert Downey Jr. gave the 2015 address after arriving by helicopter.

鈥淔rom a storytelling perspective, the way I鈥檇 like to do this would be…鈥� O鈥橞rady trails off. Brinker jumps in, and they circle around a metaphor about O鈥橞rady being on the ice, alone and afraid, with no traditional path to follow. 鈥淵eah, yeah,鈥� O鈥橞rady says. 鈥淚t feels a little bit like, What鈥檚 your Everest? Not what鈥檚 hers or your mom鈥檚 or what the school thinks or the guidance counselor, but what is your answer to that question?鈥�

This idea鈥攎ustering the courage to set a big goal and then embracing the fear that comes with going for it鈥攊s nothing new on the motivational-speaker tour, but O鈥橞rady has credibility that few can match. He was born on a commune in Olympia, Washington, to natural grocers Tim O鈥機onnor and Eileen Brady, who bestowed a blended surname on both him and his elder sister, Caitlin. A dozen family friends were present for his home birth, which happened on a futon while Bob Marley played on repeat.

The family, poor but comfortable, moved to southeast Portland when O鈥橞rady was nine months old, and early on it became clear that he possessed extraordinary athletic ability. He scored so many goals as a young soccer player that his coaches had to stress 鈥渢he value of the assist,鈥� according to his mom. He won his first state swimming championship at age eight. When he was in high school, Yale recruited him to swim breaststroke. 鈥淚 was so clueless when they called with an offer,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 was like, Yale, where is that?鈥� At one point, he was ranked fifth in the U.S. for his age group in the 200-yard breaststroke, not far behind Michael Phelps.听

In 2008, his life took a dramatic and horrific turn. A little over a year after graduating with a degree in economics, O鈥橞rady was on a tour of Pacific surf breaks. He met up in Thailand with David Boyer, his best friend from childhood, so they could learn to scuba dive on the island of Ko Tao. One evening on the beach, a few local guys came out with a rope soaked in kerosene, lit it, and started twirling it to make a flaming jump rope, a strange but popular pastime at backpacker parties in Thailand.听

Boyer went first, the rope hissing in the tropical air as it circled above him. O鈥橞rady jumped in but mistimed his leap and landed straddling the rope. Flaming kerosene splattered up over his torso and neck; the rope got tangled around his legs and burned them badly. O鈥橞rady collapsed into the sand and freed himself, burning his right hand, then ran to the sea and dove in.

鈥淪alt water on a wound like that is the most excruciating pain you can imagine,鈥� he recalls. 鈥淚 got out and looked down, and the skin on my legs was charred and peeling like a hot dog.鈥�

O鈥橞rady spent three months convalescing, first in a grimy rural clinic, then at a hospital on the more developed island of Ko Samui, where he endured eight surgeries as doctors cut away dead flesh and debrided the deep second-degree burns that had exposed nerves on a quarter of his body. They weren鈥檛 sure he would ever walk normally again, given how scar tissue contracts.

When O鈥橞rady takes the stage during lunchtime at the Riverhouse, he tells his story masterfully. Pacing back and forth in front of a large screen and wearing a lapel mic, he lingers on the key moments that underlie his hero鈥檚 journey. When he describes his accident, the audience is visibly moved. A woman near the front puts her hand over her mouth. A man toward the back squints and looks away from the stage.

O鈥橞rady tells the crowd that the mishap, and his dashed future as an athlete, sent him into depression. His mother, sitting by his hospital bed, told him to set a goal for himself:鈥淟ife鈥檚 not over, Colin. What do you want to do when you get out of here?鈥�

鈥淟ife鈥檚 over, Mom.鈥�

鈥淛ust visualize something.鈥�

He saw himself completing a triathlon.

鈥淭hat wasn鈥檛 something I鈥檇 ever done in my life, but I started training right then,鈥� he tells the audience. A picture of him doing dumbbell presses while bandaged in a Thai hospital bed flashes on the screen. The crowd roars with laughter.听

Months after the accident, back in Portland, he took a step, then five, then ten. He got a job as a commodities trader in Illinois. A year and a half after the accident, he crossed the finish line of the Chicago Triathlon. Four hours later, he checked the amateur results. He鈥檇 won.

At this point, the story of Colin O鈥橞rady takes off in a rocking montage. Imagine it set to any track on Graceland, one of his favorite albums. He quits his job and becomes a professional triathlete, backed by a benefactor who believes in him. He races in 31 events in 25 countries on six continents. He shares hotel rooms with other athletes in Australia and China. Over four years, he has seven top-ten finishes, placing fourth in Zimbabwe. Often he has the love of his life at his side. He鈥檇 met Jenna Besaw in Fiji a couple of months before the rope accident. She was 20, on spring break while studying abroad in Australia. They kept in touch during his recovery, and in 2010 she moved to Portland to live with him. In 2014, O鈥橞rady proposed atop Ecuador鈥檚 third-highest peak, 18,996-foot Cayambe.听

A few days after the conference at the Riverhouse, I meet the couple in Jackson, Wyoming, where they plan to spend half their time. It鈥檚 cool and wet outside, the Tetons hidden in clouds. Besaw, who has long brown hair and an athletic build, opens the door of their modest red townhome, which sits on a quiet street near Snow King, the local ski area. They鈥檙e still moving in, and the couch just arrived. A small painting of O鈥橞rady in Antarctica, a gift from a fan, hangs near the kitchen. Their goofy wheaten terrier, Jack, toddles over to have his haunches scratched.听

Every morning they take Jack for a steep hike up the ski slopes, and today I鈥檓 sweating profusely as I try to keep up. 鈥淭ell him what you鈥檙e training for,鈥� O鈥橞rady says to Jenna as we punch up blotches of late-spring snow. She hesitates. 鈥淚t鈥檚 Everest,鈥� O鈥橞rady says.

Besaw studied international relations but is a naturally talented marketer with a sharp mind for business and communications. In 2012, when Eileen Brady ran an unsuccessful but spirited campaign to become Portland鈥檚 mayor鈥攐ne of her TV ads, called 鈥淧ut a Job on It,鈥� 鈥攕he asked Besaw to be a key member of her staff. In the early days of his triathlon career, O鈥橞rady made Besaw his manager. She quickly realized that his athleticism wasn鈥檛 his only valuable asset. Looking around at races, she noticed that a number of competitors with little chance of reaching the podium had sponsors, usually because something about them appealed to a particular 颅audience. O鈥橞rady, she believed, was a figure who could speak to all kinds of people. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e thinking about this as storytelling,鈥� she says, 鈥渢hen obviously Colin has his incredible comeback.鈥�

Around 2014, just as O鈥橞rady was coming into his prime as a triathlete, the two got the itch to do something more meaningful than just 鈥渉igh-fiving each other at the finish line,鈥� as Besaw puts it. O鈥橞rady sensed that he had a massive reserve of power and wondered how he might tap into it to do something big and fulfilling. 鈥淚鈥檇 always been drawn to the mountains, so that鈥檚 where we looked,鈥� he says.

By 2015, O鈥橞rady was laying the groundwork to break the speed record for the Explorers Grand Slam, a challenge that entails climbing the highest peak on each continent and skiing the last degree to the North and South Poles. Their goal was to use the effort to inspire kids to be more active and pursue their dreams. With $10,000, O鈥橞rady鈥檚 life savings, the couple built a website and launched a nonprofit called Beyond 7/2. Initially, they struggled to attract sponsors. Just a month before O鈥橞rady was scheduled to begin, they had secured only half of the $500,000 the project required.听

鈥淚 kept thinking, We鈥檙e going to find a way,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd sure enough, we ended up in a conversation with Nike, and they were like, We love this.鈥�

At the time, only two people had completed the Explorers Grand Slam in under a year, but O鈥橞rady did it in 139 days, beating the previous record by 53 days. Along the way, he set a new record for the fastest time up the Seven Summits, 131 days, bagging both Everest and Denali in an eight-day stretch in May 2016. Following a suggestion from his cousin, he sent the first-ever Snapchat from the summit of Everest. It became one of the platform鈥檚 most popular posts of the year, with 22 million views. All told, the project racked up half a billion media impressions, while their nonprofit partners brought O鈥橞rady鈥檚 go-bigger message to kids in 29,000 schools.听

O鈥橞rady had proven his ability to reach an enormous audience. He and Besaw wondered, what else can we do?

At the top of Snow King, Besaw reminds O鈥橞rady of the day鈥檚 schedule. He has an 11 A.M. call with Pace, the private school in Atlanta. The executives at a freight-logistics company want to talk about a keynote. He needs to work on his book.

Of all the appointments, O鈥橞rady is most excited about speaking with Ross Bernkrant, a Florida man who won a 30-minute phone call with him at a fundraising auction. The guy beat Stage IV esophageal cancer, heard O鈥橞rady on a podcast, and became inspired to take on his own Everest鈥攈iking laps on a mountain in Vermont totaling 29,029 vertical feet. It took him about 24 hours.听

鈥淜nowing what you know now, do you ever wish you hadn鈥檛 had cancer?鈥� O鈥橞rady asks him.

鈥淣o, man. I think I鈥檓 much happier now because of it, doing what I want to do.鈥�

鈥淚 feel the same way about the fire,鈥� O鈥橞rady says, gazing at his scarred legs. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 wish that on my worst enemy, but there鈥檚 something about coming out the other side, when you look back on it, the strength and perspective it gives you to take advantage of every day.鈥�

After the Explorers Grand Slam, in June 2018, O鈥橞rady climbed to the highest point in all 50 states in just 21 days, breaking the previous record by almost half. Along the way, he and Besaw sought to create what they called a 鈥淔orrest Gump effect鈥� by inviting people to join him for portions of the climbs. (Roughly 1,000 people came out.) The project doubled as training for the Antarctica crossing. For months, O鈥橞rady had been visiting a Portland coach and Navy officer named Mike McCastle, who once did 5,804 pull-ups in 24 hours while wearing a 30-pound weight vest. Under McCastle鈥檚 guidance, O鈥橞rady worked to hone more than just his muscles. He submerged his hands in ice baths and then untied knots and solved Lego puzzles. On his own initiative, he went on ten-day silent-meditation retreats.听

He also set about refining his diet鈥攁 crucial aspect of an extended polar expedition鈥攚ith help from one of his sponsors, a Wisconsin supplement company called Standard Process. O鈥橞rady figured he鈥檇 burn at least 10,000 calories a day on the ice, which meant he鈥檇 have to pull a lot of weight just to keep from starving. 鈥淭he primary thing that goes into the sled is food and fuel,鈥� says Besaw. Add food and you can last longer, but you鈥檒l move slower, and the window to complete an Antarctic expedition is less than 90 days. 鈥淭he margins are extremely tight,鈥� she says.

Before O鈥橞rady had begun his high-points project, the medical staff at Standard Process put him through a battery of tests that revealed a nutrient deficiency and disfunctional digestive system, plus, on the positive side, a resiliency gene that allowed him to recover rapidly from extreme exertion. They put him on a supplement regimen that included, among other things, probiotics, protein powder, and ashwaganda. Still, after O鈥橞rady finished all his climbs he felt desperately fatigued, and new tests showed him to be in an even worse state.

鈥淲e had to sit him down for a very serious conversation,鈥� says John Troup, a vice president for clinical innovation at Standard Process. 鈥淲ith too much inflammation, the underlying systems of the body can become dysfunctional. This is why we believe Worsley died.鈥�

Just weeks later, however, O鈥橞rady cast off on another adventure, a 400-mile trek across Greenland. This time, though, he incorporated oranges into his nutrition, and a slower pace afforded him daily recovery time. Blood work confirmed a major improvement. Standard Process eventually sent him slabs of custom-made 鈥淐olin bars,鈥� a 4,500-calorie plant-based gut bomb that鈥檚 70 percent fat and palatable enough to eat all day every day for nearly two months in Antarctica. (At the end of the crossing, doctors examining him were amazed he鈥檇 lost only 25 pounds.)听

On my last night in Jackson, we go to a brewery to watch O鈥橞rady鈥檚 beloved Portland Trail Blazers lose the NBA Western Conference finals. Afterward he runs through some of the highs and lows of the effort. Bluebird days with no wind that felt like a gift. Storms that left him weeping in his tent. In his greatest moments of doubt, he鈥檇 hold his arms up like a champ and channel the love and support of millions of people rooting for him. 鈥淚鈥檓 sure I looked like a fool,鈥� he says.听

As for what鈥檚 next, he won鈥檛 say, but one assumes it will involve supreme athleticism and human connection. 鈥淚 love the accolades and being out there, but that鈥檚 not what endures,鈥� he tells me. 鈥淲hen you strip it all away, it鈥檚 the fabric of the experience that stands out.鈥�

A few days later I reach out to Rudd, who is busy planning an adventure that he wants to remain secret for now. I ask him what he was going to suggest to O鈥橞rady that day on the ice. He tells me, and I debate whether to share it with O鈥橞rady. In the end, I keep it to myself. Some stories are better that way.

Correspondent Tim Neville () wrote about 颅China鈥檚 ski-resort industry in January/February 2018.

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