Growing up in Bellevue, Ohio, just south of Lake Erie, Brian Kaiser heard stories about locals who went ice sailing, gliding their boats across the frozen Great Lakes during winter鈥檚 most frigid months. In January he got a chance to learn more about this obscure sport at the North American championship, in which DN iceboats鈥攁 class of vessels conceived in the U.S. that feature a minimal hull and a perpendicular crosspiece with attached skates, or 鈥渞unners鈥濃�攔aced across Black Lake, in Michigan. He donned crampons to tread the eight-inch-thick ice and taped a hand warmer to his camera after it began to freeze amid the zero-degree conditions. 鈥淭his sport is a labor of love,鈥� Kaiser says. 鈥淭he weather is incredibly fickle, and some have to travel hundreds of miles in the dead of winter to get to the lake.鈥� Ice sailing requires two key elements: strong winds to help propel the 12-foot boat, and a lake surface solid enough to support its 150-pound weight, plus the pilot. While this year鈥檚 competition went off without a hitch, ice sailing鈥檚 long-term future is uncertain. Climate change is causing milder winters in the region and has drastically decreased the lakes鈥� ice cover. While shooting these photos, Kaiser was as interested in spotlighting this unique pastime as he was sharing what may eventually be lost to the environmental crisis.

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All travelers planning to enter the Mount Everest region are now required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, local officials . The new requirement comes after a disastrous spring, when dozens of trekkers on the mountain fell ill with the virus and several expeditions were canceled.

In an August 23 statement, officials said that only fully inoculated travelers will be allowed to enter the Khumbu region of Nepal, where Everest is located. Then, later in the statement, they conceded that unvaccinated people could in fact enter, as long as they provide a negative COVID-19 test. It鈥檚 unclear how this will be enforced, and unvaccinated travelers may have trouble finding tests.

鈥淕etting a PCR test in the Khumbu is likely to prove very challenging,鈥� 国产吃瓜黑料 contributor Kraig Becker wrote on . Plus, he explains, it doesn鈥檛 guarantee safety: travelers could be tested in the window between their exposure and contracting the virus, meaning they鈥檇 get negative results and fall ill several days later.

Over the course of the pandemic, Nepal鈥檚 government has employed an uneven defense against COVID. It initially tried to downplay the impact of COVID-19 on Everest, even denying the on the mountain. But it also implemented various travel restrictions, including requiring a negative test upon arrival in the country, a quarantine period, and a second negative test. However, as 国产吃瓜黑料 reported in April, these rules seemed to be solely self-enforced.

国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Everest contributor, Alan Arnette, who runs a summit coaching service in the Khumbu region, worries that the new requirements will suffer the same fate. Anecdotally, he says officials appear to be taking the COVID testing seriously, but he hasn鈥檛 heard of anyone having to quarantine because of a positive test. He also hasn鈥檛 seen the vaccine requirement enforced in the two weeks since the announcement.

Coronavirus cases in Nepal surged over the last month, as in many parts of the world, due to the Delta variant. So far, Nepal has seen a total of , with 17 percent of the total population being fully vaccinated. Local officials claim that 98 percent of residents in the Khumbu region over the age of 18 have been fully inoculated.

Guiding companies have developed their own safety protocols. Many outfitters, including U.S.-based outfitters Alpenglow Expeditions and International Mountain Guides and Austria-based Furtenbach 国产吃瓜黑料s, require staff and clientele to be vaccinated. IMG also canceled its fall season due to the Delta surge.

Lukas Furtenbach, founder of Furtenbach 国产吃瓜黑料s, expressed concern about how the regional vaccine requirement will be enforced, but he sees it as a step in the right direction, particularly for the regional economy. 鈥淓very requirement or safety protocol that is implemented is good and important since it will help the tourism industry,鈥� he says.

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In nearly every interview, skateboarder Mariah Duran is asked about what it鈥檚 like to be a woman in a male-dominated sport. It’s easy to understand why: about of all skaters are male, and the sport has grappled with sexism over the years as female skaters for equal pay and fair sponsorship opportunities.

Yet almost every time she gets the question, Duran essentially says the same thing: she doesn鈥檛 think much about being a woman on a skateboard. And why would she? She鈥檚 just a skater working toward her goals. 鈥淚t is kind of crazy how there is a pressure for women to try to break the gender barrier,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 really like, we鈥檙e breaking our own barriers, and we just so happen to be women.鈥�

As a two-time national champion and the United States鈥� in street skating鈥攁 style where skaters perform tricks on urban obstacles like stairs, handrails, and park benches鈥攈er hard work has paid off. Now the 24-year-old is headed to the Summer Olympics, where this month, for the first time ever, skaters from 26 countries will have the chance to compete, joining a handful of other newly debuting sports, including climbing, karate, and surfing. Duran is best known for executing a听, a difficult move she鈥檚 excited to show off in Tokyo.

It鈥檚 been a long path to get to the Olympic stage. Raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Duran got her first board when she was ten years old. She fell in love with it almost immediately and grew up skating with her two brothers, Elijah and Zeke. There was always a new trick to master, and the process of trying and failing felt limitless. Although she played several other sports, including baseball, softball, and basketball, she decided to focus solely on skating during her senior year of high school. Her mom was initially hesitant for her daughter to go all in with skating, but it soon became a family affair as Duran and her brothers began heading to competitions around the globe. 鈥淚 had a good relationship with my brothers before we started skating, and this has just helped it grow so much,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e travel together, and we trust one another.鈥�

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In May听2018, Claire Nelson was hiking on the Lost Palms Oasis Trail in California鈥檚听Joshua Tree National Park听when she got lost and fell 25 feet while trying to scramble over a boulder field. Her pelvis shattered, leaving her unable to move. With no cell signal to call for help, the听36-year-old waited听for听four days before听rescue crews found听and airlifted her out. Her story quickly made 听and became one of the park鈥檚 most publicized rescues in recent history.

In a new memoir, , Nelson gives readers an intimate look at the near-death experience and how it reshaped her life.听In recent years, fatalities and injuries听have become all too common in Joshua Tree, where an 听has听dangerously coincided听with limited search and rescue resources. In April, another hiker while climbing a boulder there and had to be airlifted to a nearby trauma center, and the park鈥檚 search and rescue team estimates it could spend 12,000 hours this year on trainings and active cases鈥攁 significant jump from the听3,589 hours it听spent on both in 2019.听Yet Nelson鈥檚 story stands out for its seemingly miraculous ending; it isn鈥檛 often that a person survives four days alone in the desert heat with minimal food and water听and a severe injury to boot.

Originally from New Zealand, Nelson moved to London in her early twenties to work as a freelance writer before becoming an editor at a food and travel magazine. After 13 years in the city, she needed a change, so听she decided to move to Canada to start fresh. Soon after arriving, Nelson traveled to Joshua Tree to house-sit for some friends, eager to find solace and meaning in the outdoors. That鈥檚 when she set out on the day hike that went horribly wrong.

After falling into a hidden canyon far off the trail, Nelson prepared to die. She had less than five liters of water with her, so she began to drink her own urine, nibble at her lip balm听for sustenance, and record videos on her camera for her family and friends to watch after her body was found. She hadn鈥檛 told anyone about her hiking plans before leaving, and there was little hope that anyone would discover听her.

The lack of water quickly grew unbearable. 鈥淒ehydration is a god-awful business,鈥� Nelson writes. 鈥淚t starts in the mouth, the initial pang of craving quite subtle and easy to ignore, but the signals get more insistent. Over time your tongue becomes increasingly dry and scratchy, thickening like a woollen mitten, sticking against the sides of your mouth, like Velcro鈥� From there you feel it in your head; a slowly increasing pressure throbs inside your skull, as if your brain is shrinking in on itself, withering like a piece of dried fruit.鈥� She started fantasizing about Diet Coke, among other refreshments, willing them to be real.

Despite her dire situation, Nelson got crafty. In an effort to more easily capture her urine and keep herself clean (a near impossibility since she could barely control her bladder), she used tweezers to cut off her underwear. To protect herself from the unrelenting sun, she covered her body with the belongings she brought in her daypack: a park map, a bandana, and a spare T-shirt. She tried to stay cool by dragging her body into the sparsely available shade, though this caused excruciating pain in her pelvis. On the second day, she fashioned a sort of umbrella with a grocery bag held up with a stick.

The book would be complete as a survival narrative, but Nelson is听also attempting to tell a personal story in the vein of听Cheryl Strayed鈥檚 : she intersperses her account of the accident with descriptions of the experiences that led her to Joshua Tree, including her struggle with depression in London and formative moments as a child in New Zealand. Though Nelson鈥檚 writing about her time in the desert is vivid and unique, these background sections sometimes feel stagnant.听She frequently brings up her tendency to push people away and her inability to ask for help because she 鈥渉ated feeling weak鈥� and was 鈥渆mbarrassed to have a weakness,鈥� using language that can听occasionally feel repetitive. This structure, however, allows readers to understand how the fall was听a moment of reckoning for Nelson:听her prolonged isolation helped her come to terms with her insecurities and loneliness听and understand that it鈥檚 OK听to need support from others. Nelson is hardly the first person to have had these kinds of revelations after a near-death experience, but the universality of the struggles she faces in her personal life is听part of听what makes her story engaging for a wide audience, whether readers have spent a lot of time in the backcountry or not.

On the fourth day, Nelson was drifting in and out of consciousness when she heard the sound of a helicopter. She screamed and waved her makeshift umbrella as the helicopter flew overhead, in the hope that the rescuers inside would see her. Then, finally, a voice yelled out, 鈥淐LAIRE, WE SEE YOU鈥� WE鈥橰E GOING TO COME AND GET YOU.鈥� Reading this, you can鈥檛 help but feel emotional; rescuers later said they didn鈥檛 expect to find Nelson alive.

After taking time to slow down and focus on her health, Nelson found herself back in Joshua Tree the next year with friends, on the same trail. 鈥淚 thought of those bleakest moments when I believed I would never again do something like this, never again be back in the land of the living,鈥� she writes. 鈥淏ut hiking in the desert with friends鈥� It was the most discomforting and wonderful and humbling feeling.鈥�

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In December, the driver of a box truck plowed into a group of cyclists听riding along U.S. Highway 95 south of Las Vegas. Five people died in the crash, and it was later discovered听that the driver had听methamphetamine in his system. At 国产吃瓜黑料, we were horrified by the tragedy,听which was covered in and news, but we also knew it was part of a troubling trend: record numbers of听cyclists (and听thousands听of听pedestrians)听on our nation鈥檚听roads are being killed by drivers often without any media attention beyond a brief听local news story. In 2018, in crashes with drivers, the deadliest year for people on bikes since 1990. In 2019, while the total number of deaths , cities like New York recorded their highest number of cyclist fatalities ever.

Last January, in response to those disturbing numbers,听we launched the听#2020CyclingDeaths project, which aimed to track every person on a bike killed by a driver in the U.S. over the course of the year.听In the end, we recorded 697 cyclist deaths.听Since we were only able to count deaths reported by local media, the actual total is likely significantly听higher.听The five victims of the Nevada crash were numbers听662听through 666听in our database.

In late December, we partnered with the nonprofit , founded by Trisalyn Nelson, a professor in geographic information science at the University of California at听Santa Barbara. BikeMaps.org has been collecting crowdsourced information about cyclist crashes, near misses, traffic hazards (like potholes and road construction), and bike thefts in the U.S. and Canada since 2014. Its听team helped us analyze the data we collected and synthesize the information. While the overall number of cyclists deaths in 2020 appears to be lower than the past couple of years, likely because of the spring lockdowns in response to the pandemic, there is no sign that our streets are getting safer. Here鈥檚 what we found.

Number of Cyclists Killed by Drivers听in 2020: 697

The vast majority were men.

Percentage of Deaths That Were Hit-and-Runs

In more than a quarter of the crashes we recorded, the driver fled the scene.

Where the Deaths Happened

We found that fatal crashes were occurring all听over the country. We recorded deaths in 47听states and nearly every major metropolitan area.

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In the early hours of June 11, Ezra Smith听was sleeping in a tent a short ways from the Beehive Basin Trailhead in Big Sky, Montana. Smith, a 20-year-old junior at听the University of Colorado Boulder, was camping with a friend, but they soon realized they weren鈥檛 alone.听

Here鈥檚 her story, as told to 国产吃瓜黑料.

Around 3 A.M., I woke up to my friend Leah screaming. I was confused. Just six hours earlier, we鈥檇 settled into our sleeping bags inside our tent. I鈥檇 been sleeping soundly, but even before I could get my bearings, I realized what she was yelling about鈥攖he top听of our tent had fully collapsed onto our legs, and we were being crushed by something.

I鈥檝e spent the past couple summers in Montana cross-country听ski training with the CU听Boulder ski team. The winter season starts in November, but we begin training in May. Each morning听the team drives from Bozeman to Big Sky, where we ski during the day before returning to Bozeman in the evenings. The night before our first day in Big Sky, though, my teammate Leah and I wanted to do something different. Instead of driving out with the team the next day, we thought a night camping at Beehive Basin听would be fun.

The drive was short鈥攋ust an hour鈥攚ith a few stops along the way to pick up some gear, a canister of bear spray included. We parked off the Beehive Basin Trailhead and walked about 500 feet to set up our tent along a pine tree鈥搘ooded ridge. By 9 P.M., after eating some tofu stir-fry for dinner, changing into clean clothes to sleep in, and stuffing away听leftover food inside the Subaru, we were ready to sleep. I usually bring a snack inside the tent with me, but tonight I didn鈥檛.听I鈥檇 recently heard stories about bear attacks and sightings in .

Before tucking in, we thought about听how exactly we should sleep鈥攁 decision all campers have to make once they realize they set up the tent on an incline鈥攁nd ultimately decided it would be better to have our feet facing downslope. We zipped in and chatted about our plans for the next day before drifting off.

When I heard the animal鈥檚 heavy breathing, I knew immediately that it was a bear. There was so much听pressure growing in my left leg, like nothing I鈥檇 ever felt before, but I figured it was from the bear鈥檚 weight. At that moment, all I could think about was grabbing the bear spray. But it was useless to us now, located at the bottom of the tent鈥攗nder the bear. I don鈥檛 know how long Leah and I screamed, but we must have disturbed the bear enough. The animal climbed off our tent and was gone. We never saw it.

Leah and I sat in our tent听crying and shaking. I didn鈥檛 know much about bears, but I was worried it would come back to fight if it felt provoked, so I began searching for the bear spray. We didn鈥檛 want to be caught dashing uphill to the car if the bear was hanging around outside听the tent. After听an hour, we decided to move to the car. No bear in sight, we ran. Upon making it to the car, we headed to the trailhead鈥擫eah driving, me in the passenger seat鈥攖o wait for our teammates.

As we drove down the mountain, I was reminded of my leg, which hurt when I ran from the tent to the car, though I was still too worked up to think about much pain. Pulling off my pants, I gasped. My entire left leg was swollen, and on my thigh were four perfectly placed punctures. But oddly enough, my pants weren鈥檛 ripped at all. I assumed the bear must have stepped on me. A couple hours later, my coach and teammates arrived, and my coach had the same suspicion: I was stepped on. We figured that, if I felt up to it, I might as well ski. So I did, for three and a half hours. I felt all right, though by the end of my cross-country runs, I was in severe pain as my leg continued to swell.

We drove to a hospital in Bozeman, where I was sure the doctor would tell me what I already knew: that I鈥檇 been stepped on by a bear. My doctor couldn鈥檛 be certain, so he conferred with a wildlife specialist from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The specialist, on the other hand, was confident: these were bite marks, likely from an adult bear, though it was hard to know whether听it was a grizzly or black bear. The wildlife specialist estimated that the bite wasn鈥檛听aggressive, and that the bear probably听got caught up in our tent while sniffing around it. 鈥淚nitial details of the incident indicate the bear鈥檚 behavior was likely investigative, not predatory, and that the bite was defensive,鈥� the FWP later said in a . If it were a real bite, they told me, my leg would have been completely ruined.

I was given some antibiotics and instructed to wrap and ice my leg. Though the muscle and tissue in my thigh quickly turned squishy with damage, and I wasn鈥檛 able to do physical activity for a week, less than a month later I was back out skiing. The FWP patrolled the area where Leah and I camped听but unfortunately wasn鈥檛 able to track the bear. It rained that week, so they couldn鈥檛 find the bear鈥檚 tracks, which was a bummer.

A couple things stand out to me as I look back on the experience. The summer before, I was warned repeatedly to buy bear spray before going to Montana, but I didn鈥檛.听Even though we didn鈥檛 end up using the spray this year, the reminders to buy the stuff felt like a foreboding of what was to come. I also shudder to think about what would have happened if Leah and I had slept with our heads at the other end of the tent, which听we considered. Leah could have suffocated, and I might have been bitten on my face.

Two months later, I鈥檓 now back in Boulder for my third year of college. Though we鈥檙e not sure there will be a regular ski season due to the pandemic, I鈥檓 still training, grateful to have recovered so quickly听except for a couple lasting marks on my leg. I was lucky听but still feel traumatized by the experience. I don鈥檛 plan to camp again anytime soon鈥攊f I do, it鈥檒l be in the desert. I know bear attacks are rare, but the fear of waking up at 3 A.M.听to another one at my mountain campsite may keep me away for just a while longer.

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Across the country, camping and RV rentals are soaring as Americans heed the words of COVID-19 health experts: it鈥檚 safer to be outdoors than indoors. Rather than use your campground as a base camp, why not treat it as destination in and of itself?听These sites offer plenty of adventure right from your tent and breathtaking views to enjoy during your downtime. Be sure to听check individual websites for COVID-19 guidelines or restrictions before you head out.听

West

Cape Lookout State Park Campground, Oregon听

Located 80 miles from Portland, this听park has ten miles of hiking trails and more than 170 beachfront 听(from $21) along a two-mile peninsula. Hike the 2.6-mile trail to the tip of the cape for views of migrating whales in fall.

Southwest

Mogollon Campground, Arizona

The Mogollon Rim is a 200-mile-long听limestone and granite cliff located two hours northeast of Phoenix. After hiking along the 4.2-mile 听or kayaking on secluded , pitch your tent or park your RV at the 听(from $18). A short walk will take you to the rim鈥檚 edge for sunset views over .

Midwest

Old Man鈥檚 Cave Campground, Ohio

Two hours east of Cincinnati, is teeming with impressive forest听and waterfalls. This 听(from $23) offers the easiest access to picturesque Old Man鈥檚 Cave via the two-mile Rim Trail. Mountain bikers will enjoy the park鈥檚 shady trails.

Northeast

Hither Hills State Park Campground, New York

While you might not expect such an expanse of wildnerness right next to the Hamptons, Hither Hills has 190听听(from $7) tucked away in bluffs that border the Atlantic Ocean, a 40-acre freshwater lake, and lush woodlands. Wake up to waves crashing along the shoreline, then explore the dunes at Napeague Harbor, take a hike through Russian olive and pine trees, and surf or kayak in the ocean.

Southeast

DeSoto State Park Campground, Alabama听

Located 100 miles northeast of Birmingham, this park is situated听on 2,392-foot Lookout Mountain, which is coated with vibrant foliage every fall. Its 3,502 acres include听94 听(from $15),听half a dozen waterfalls, and nearby听Little River Canyon, which has some of the toughest rock climbing in the state.

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When Emily B. Martin was a kid, she had lots of dream jobs, including听writer,听illustrator, and听National Park Service听ranger. But all three at once? She never imagined she鈥檇 hit that jackpot. Today, however, that鈥檚 exactly what she鈥檚 doing,听using her experiences as a park ranger听as inspiration for听popular adventure-fantasy novels.

Martin鈥檚 latest book, ,听is an engrossing story听that takes place in a听troubled world full of dramatic landscapes. It听covers hefty themes like conservation, human trafficking, and gender equality, and its settings听are inspired by environments听Martin knows well.听鈥淚 first conceived of Sunshield when I was working in Yellowstone as a ranger,鈥� she says. 鈥淟ike many of my stories, it was really the natural setting that fueled the story.鈥澨�

It is the first title听in a duology that Martin is calling听The Outlaw Road, set in the fantastical Eastern World that听she created听and听explored听. Martin illustrated the maps of the Eastern World that are included in the beginning of the book, helping readers better visualize听the land听as she does: the dusty deserts and canyons of the country of Alcoro were inspired by her time working at , located in the听Sangre de Cristo Mountains of听New Mexico, while听the lush scenery of Moquoia, another Eastern World nation,听is meant to invoke听the maple, cedar, and redwood forests of the Pacific Northwest.听

Sunshield is听noticeably absent of vehicles and technology and seems听to take place sometime during the 19th century. It听follows three protagonists听as they fight to end a slave-labor system that powers听factories and mining quarries, tears families apart, and physically abuses and exploits bonded workers. The main characters鈥� lives intersect to reveal how an individual鈥檚 choices influence the people and landscape around them鈥攁 cornerstone of conservation philosophy that Martin wove听into the plot. First, there鈥檚听Lark (also known as the Sunshield Bandit), a Robin Hood鈥搇ike outlaw who rescues bonded workers by holding up the stagecoaches transporting them. Then we have听Veran,听a sometimes-insecure diplomat hoping to dismantle the labor system. Finally,听Tamsin is a prisoner captured for speaking the truth about the system鈥檚 corruption, a narrative that becomes听the focal point of the book鈥檚 climatic rescue mission.听

Martin听tackles subjects like human-rights abuses听and socioeconomic inequality in a compelling way.听The bonded workers Lark rescues, for听instance, have all experienced emotional and physical traumas, which are听discussed听frankly. Many characters have dark skin鈥攁 far cry from fantasy literature of the past, which听reflected predominantly white men. There鈥檚 also听feminist bent to the story, one found in听Martin鈥檚听books more generally.听鈥淎s a park ranger, I work with women who are firefighters, cops, and bear researchers,鈥� Martin says. 鈥淪trong female characters are the least fantastical part of these stories.鈥� The result is a听believable鈥攁nd better yet, relatable鈥攕et of female characters.

The book also contains subplots听about topics听like ecological interconnectedness and species loss.听At one point in the story, hundreds of thousands of birds begin听to die听outside Moquoia鈥檚 glass palace after flying into its transparent, man-made walls; simultaneously, people start to get sick with a deadly flu caused by mosquito bites. Martin raises questions about the overall ecology behind those听events in her fantasy world: Could the influx of mosquitoes be related to the dying birds? Are the birds鈥� deaths preventable?听

Martin, who now spends her summers working as a ranger in Yellowstone and Great Smoky Mountains听National Parks, knew a thing or two about the American landscape and how to get people to care about it even before she was an author. She has a master鈥檚 degree in parks management, and her听graduate studies focused on assessing how ranger programs could more effectively encourage visitors to support preserved areas.听鈥淭he more we start to see the impact we have, we can鈥檛 get away from it,鈥� she says.

Martin hopes her stories will start a larger conversation听about听social issues听and the environmental catastrophes that she sees in her听ranger work.听鈥淭he power of fiction is introducing these issues in such a way that you see it played out on the page, but you鈥檙e removed from it,鈥� she says. 鈥淎wareness can start in a fantasy or fiction novel.鈥�

It鈥檚 this attitude鈥攖hat together we can change the turbulent state of our world鈥攖hat Martin relays to readers in Sunshield, using the plot to show how individual actions can make a big difference. Even if that ethos feels fantastically optimistic during these听grim times, it鈥檚 a step in the right direction.

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When returned to the skies in January, the newly revived brand didn鈥檛 know听that a global pandemic would soon halt nearly all air travel around the world. Yet while COVID-19 has grounded most flights from major airlines, Eastern has found a way to keep busy, working in partnership with the State Department to help bring听stranded U.S. citizens听home from听Central and South America.听

For those who remember, the name Eastern Air Lines (formerly spelled as such) sparks听memories of the golden age of air travel. A prominent player for most of the 20th century, the Miami-based airline听hit its peak in the 1950s before bankruptcy grounded its fleet in 1991. An initial听, in 2015, was short-lived, but in听January, Eastern returned with a flight from Guayaquil, Ecuador, to New York City, along with a whole new for the 21st century. The airline planned to introduce its next flight, from New York City听to Georgetown, Guyana, in mid-March, and another route to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, later this year.听

Then the pandemic hit, and Eastern had to re-strategize. As airports around the world began to close, thousands of American tourists became . The State Department reached out to Eastern to help get citizens home from Guyana after the airline successfully flew听charters听to return medical students based in Grenada and Panama City to the U.S. in early March.听The airline then started听a repatriation flight from Georgetown to Miami听on March 13. This came just as the State Department launched a on March 19, ordering a plan for听government-funded charter flights听to听be听conducted by commercial airlines. Repatriated passengers would听be expected to听eventually 听upon their return.

Eastern saw an opportunity. Unlike that are repatriation flights and determining fares based on an agreement听with听the federal听government, Eastern听sets its听own fares and only works with the听government to determine how many passengers to expect on each flight. Its repatriation flights cost up to $2,000 one-way, which CEO Steve Harfst听says is because the airline flies the planes from the U.S. empty, so passengers are essentially paying for a round-trip ticket. The cost is relatively comparable to听other airlines, with examples that include a $1,000 United from Lima, Peru, to Houston, and nearly $1,500 from Marrakech, Morocco, to any of ten听U.S. cities via various airlines, according to .听

Since Eastern鈥檚听inaugural flight, it has returned听17,013 passengers听on 102 flights from 15 countries across Central and South America, including Peru, Argentina, and Nicaragua. It has听also flown 3,412 non-American travelers from the U.S. to their home countries.听On average, repatriation flights have been 68 percent full, and the airline hasn鈥檛 turned a significant profit. 鈥淥n some of the flights, we鈥檝e lost money. Some of the flights, we haven鈥檛. On average听we鈥檙e probably just barely above breakeven,鈥� Harfst says. 鈥淲e make a commitment to fly the flight, so we鈥檙e somewhat taking a risk and believing that the U.S. embassy is being real with the numbers [of passengers] that they expect. But if 30 people showed up, we鈥檇 still fly the plane.鈥澨�

Coming from a fledgling airline with fewer than 200 employees, this initiative is surprising. Before the pandemic, Eastern was banking on business from a specific demographic: adventurous millennials. Calling itself the 鈥渆xplorer brand,鈥� it hoped that a combination of budget fares to underserved adventure locales, a liberal baggage policy (one bag of up to 70 pounds free of charge), and smart marketing would win over a generation that prides itself on spending money on experiences, not stuff. Eastern鈥檚 2018 internal study deemed Guayaquil, Georgetown, and Cabo San Lucas up-and-coming South American adventure destinations.

But some weren鈥檛 so convinced that the approach of tapping into such a specific market would work. 鈥淚t could be tough to sustain a business with such a narrow focus,鈥� says Lori Ranson, a senior analyst at the Sydney-based . She points to Air France鈥檚 attempt in 2017 to target younger travelers with its now defunct subsidiary,听,听through things like budget fares, colorful seats, and casual flight-attendant attire.听However, Harfst says these are 鈥渁irline frills鈥澨齮hat don鈥檛 add value to a traveler鈥檚 experience, adding that Eastern wants to provide 鈥渉assle-free service鈥澨齠or its passengers.

In February, before the pandemic hit, Harfst told 国产吃瓜黑料 that he anticipated Eastern鈥檚 flights would be 50 to 70 percent less expensive than other airlines, citing cost-cutting measures like operating wide-body aircraft that allow for more seating and luggage. (JetBlue does not have wide-body aircraft, though other airlines, like American and United, do.) The company also owns its fleet. (According to a 2018 听by the Centre for Aviation, half of the world鈥檚 commercial planes are leased.)听Ranson noted that the company鈥檚 spending costs would need to be 鈥渨ell below its competitors鈥� in order to meet its proposed fares.听But over the course of February and early March, Eastern鈥檚 fares were comparable with its听competition.听

When we contacted Harfst听again this month and asked if those听cheaper fares would still be possible following the pandemic, Harfst says he didn鈥檛 know, though he expects all airline fares to increase after a complete return to travel. While there may be initial deals to attract fliers back, airlines will eventually have to make up for lost revenue. 鈥淭he costs [of flying] don鈥檛 change,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚听fair to assume that, regardless of what does happen, fares are going to be more expensive.鈥澨�

As for the future, Harfst believes that Eastern could come out ahead of other airlines post-pandemic. As a small business, it received support from the CARES Act, but Harfst says its low-cost structure makes the company more resilient. He notes that as a startup company with fewer鈥攁nd newer鈥攅mployees, it doesn鈥檛 have to cover the higher compensation of tenured members (though he adds that Eastern pays its employees a competitive wage). In addition to lower labor costs and the fact that it owns its own planes, Harfst says听the shrinking travel industry will result in more underserved markets, allowing for Eastern to pursue its original business model. 鈥淲e think that there鈥檒l be domestic opportunities that will be open to us, as routes and markets are either abandoned or left with less capacity,鈥� he says, citing the airline鈥檚听recent application for a domestic nonstop flight from New York to San Diego. 鈥淭here are still people all around the world who will need to or want to travel that now won鈥檛听have that opportunity鈥攐r if they do, it鈥檚 a two- or three-stop flight. Those small markets are still very attractive to a company like Eastern.鈥�

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In late March,听the United Nations published the , a comprehensive look at what makes the most contented countries work so well. For the seventh year in a row, the Nordic nations of Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden dominated the top ten. While rankings are based on several factors, including political rights and economic equality, these countries have a few key metrics in common: low corruption rates, universal public services, and great access to the outdoors.听

For many of these countries, not only is nature within easy reach, but it鈥檚 an important part of their cultures. For the Scandinavian nations that take up six of the top-ten听spots, the term friluftsliv, which literally translates to 鈥渙pen-air living,鈥� denotes 鈥渁 philosophical lifestyle based on experiences of the freedom in nature and the spiritual connectedness with the landscape,鈥� according to听鈥�,鈥� an article in The Canadian Journal of Environmental Education.听

Sweden, which ranked seventh on the list, that nearly one-third of all residents participate in outdoor recreation at least once a week and, in a country that strives for economic equality, nearly 50 percent of the population has . Denmark, ranked second, has for children to encourage learning in the outdoors at a young age, and one found that children from greener neighborhoods were less likely to develop mental illness. The country is also home to the world鈥檚 most bike-friendly city, Copenhagen (though it鈥檚 not alone: many of the happiest countries have ). And Finland, which topped the list, boasts听188,000 inland lakes and forests that cover 75 percent of the country.

Finland, Norway, and Sweden also have 鈥渇reedom to roam鈥� policies, or which allow residents and visitors alike听to hike or camp nearly anywhere, including on private land. It鈥檚 also part of the region鈥檚 approach to work-life balance: many businesses in Scandinavian countries encourage employees to go outside each day, even that set aside time in the workday for fresh air. The most important part of their outdoor philosophy, though, is how they embrace the cold, dark winter months, as is expressed in the popular saying听of Norwegian origin that鈥檚 now used throughout the region:听鈥淭here鈥檚 no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.鈥� Parents in Scandinavia are known to let their听听in freezing temperatures to help them sleep better and听longer, Finns embrace harsh conditions with their sauna culture, and when the Danes and Swedes aren鈥檛 skiing, sledding, or to tobogganing, they鈥檙e practicing hygge, which loosely translates to being cozy.

The other countries that rounded out the top ten鈥擲witzerland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Austria, and Luxembourg鈥攁re also well-known adventure hubs. With its iconic snowcapped peaks, Switzerland is one of Europe鈥檚 most popular ski and hiking destinations. New Zealand has a system of ten Great Walks that allow even relatively inexperienced backcountry hikers to experience some of the country鈥檚 most beautiful landscapes for days and weeks at a time. The Netherlands is an established听haven for cyclists, with residents making of their daily trips via bike.听

The UN鈥檚 Sustainable Development Solutions Network bases its annual report on six categories: GDP per capita, life expectancy, social support, trust and corruption, perceived freedom to make life decisions, and generosity. The rankings are largely based on findings from the , a yearly survey conducted in more than 160 nations that evaluates respondents鈥� perceived quality of life .听

By comparison, the U.S ranks 18th in terms of overall happiness, a move up from 19th in 2019. While this can be seen as a good sign, the fluctuation among the top 20 happiest countries is marginal. The U.S. has never cracked the top ten, perhaps in part because Americans are spending less time outdoors. According to an Outdoor Foundation study released in January, nearly half the U.S. population doesn鈥檛 participate in outdoor recreation, with only 18 percent of people getting out for physical activity at least once a week. In addition, Americans took one billion fewer trips outside in 2018 than they did in 2008.听

Beyond their appreciation for the outdoors, additional aspects of the top-ten听societies likely contributed to their residents鈥� well-being. Most have universal health care systems, offer free college education, have substantial听, and are among some of the wealthiest countries in the world. By comparison, the unhappiest countries include Afghanistan, Yemen, and Palestine, which have continuously been racked with wars and conflict in recent history.听

It to think about what the future will look like, as social-distancing guidelines cause feelings of isolation and听cabin fever,听and . But if you鈥檙e looking for ways to increase your own well-being and set in motion a more outdoors-based lifestyle once this is all over, start now by following these rules for getting outside safely.

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