I鈥檝e tackled sections of the Pacific Crest Trail鈥攂ackpacking, day hiking, and trail running鈥攂ut to think of taking months off to complete all 2,650 miles of this trail, which climbs mountain passes and traverses remote California, Oregon, and Washington, feels overwhelming. A long-distance walk, on the other hand, feels more manageable, like something any of us could pull off, given some time. They mostly involve days and weeks rather than many months, and are at more consistent elevations.

I鈥檓 not talking about a mountainous thru-hike where you plan out food caches and sleep on the ground. I鈥檓 talking about a meandering or purposeful walk that goes on for days, weeks, or maybe months. A big commitment, yes. A physical feat for sure. A mental and emotional pilgrimage of sorts. But not so strenuous that most people couldn鈥檛 do it, building up their mileage.

These long walks, on byways and moderate terrain, are more like scenic tours of spectacular landscapes, or adventurous journeys through cities and forests. They are not so much to be completed as experienced.

And I think they’re the most beautiful in the world.

1. Best Urban Trail

Empire State Trail, New York

It took four years to link up and complete the entire , one of the longest multi-sport pathways in the United States, officially finished in late 2020. The route runs 750 miles across the state of New York, from New York City north to the Canadian border and from Albany west to Buffalo. Three quarters of the trail is on off-road pathways. You can walk on converted rail trails through the Hudson River Valley, stroll beside the historic Erie Canal, or move through wetlands and fields along Adirondack Park and Lake Champlain. Eventually the trail will include a 200-mile greenway across Long Island; construction of the first 25 miles of that section begins this year.

Pick a section of this largely urban route, which is also popular with bicyclists, and walk it one direction, then hop on a train back to where you started鈥擜mtrak stations are located in 20 towns and cities along the way. Find community with others traveling the trail or seek tips on good trailside lodging or camping from .

Don鈥檛 Miss:听 听More than 200 craft breweries dot the Empire State Trail, in an aggregate known as the . Get a brewery passport and pick up stamps at the places along the way to earn rewards like a T-shirt or cooler bag. In the Hudson Valley, spend a night at (from $195), which has cabins, canvas tents, and a cedar sauna just a short walk from the trail.

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2. Best Pilgrimage

El Camino de Santiago, Spain

Each year, over 300,000 people embark upon sections of this legendary pilgrimage, on a network of trails dating back to pre-medieval times and roadways that vary from cobbled to paved. The most popular route is the Camino Frances, a 500-mile pathway that starts in St. Jean Pied de Port, France, and takes travelers about four to five weeks to walk, passing through the Pyrenees mountains and La Rioja wine region, La Meseta arid range, and through eucalyptus forests into Galicia and Santiago itself. The Camino Portugues, heading up the northern coast of Portugal is another top choice, stretching between 140 and 380 miles depending on your starting point, and crossing through fishing villages such as the UNESCO Heritage Listed cities of Lisbon and Porto. No matter which route you choose, all roads听on the Camino lead to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain, where the remains of the Apostle Saint James the Great are allegedly buried.

You can walk the Camino year-round鈥攖he most popular season is mid-summer鈥攂ut aim for spring or fall for mild temperatures and fewer crowds, and be aware that many lodges and albergues close in winter ). offers guided walks on the Camino through Portugal and Spain lasting from a week up to 22 days (from $1,436), or, if you鈥檇 rather go on your own, has self-guided options (from $718).

Don鈥檛 Miss: Once you reach Santiago de Compostela, head to the Pilgrim鈥檚 Office for your official stamp of completion, having received a pilgrim鈥檚 passport from your entry point to be stamped along the way. Bagpipes will be playing nearby as you enter the gates of the holy Santiago de Compostela.听The cathedral has a Pilgrim鈥檚 Mass at noon and 7:30 p.m. daily; go early if you want a seat. On , await the ancient ritual of the swinging brass Botafumeiro, or cauldron, which is filled with incense and coal and so heavy eight men are required to move it.

3. Best Waterfront Route

Stockholm Archipelago Trail, Sweden

Opening in October 2023, the 167-mile connects new and existing pathways across 20 islands in the Stockholm Archipelago, the largest archipelago in Sweden and home to over 30,000 islands. To walk the whole thing, you鈥檒l need to use a series of public ferries and private boat taxis. You can also pick a section and just walk a few islands at a time; each has an average of about nine miles of trails. You鈥檒l travel along gravel roads, forest paths, and beaches, and through remote fishing and farming communities.

Along the way, camp or stay in hotels or B&Bs. offers a seven-day, self-guided journey on the trail (from $1,095) in spring, summer, or fall that includes lodging in locally owned hotels, luggage transfer, and daily routes that max out at about nine miles.

Don鈥檛 Miss: On the island of Tranholmen, a celebrated chef named David Enmark opens up his home to diners every Friday night鈥�. Or visit the island of Furusund, which contains about five miles of trail and is site of a famed 19^th-century summer resort, now a 16-room boutique hotel: the (rooms from $121), which welcomes guests who arrive by boat or on foot.

4. Best for History Buffs

Lycian Way, Turkey

Traversing the rocky Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey, the 472-mile Lycian Way winds through the ancient maritime republic known as Lycia. Mountains rise from the turquoise sea as the route follows old roads, footpaths, and mule trails through long-gone civilizations. You鈥檒l pass by lighthouses, beaches, historic sites like Roman amphitheaters and rock tombs, and lagoons over underwater ruins of sunken cities that can be toured by boat.

Most people take on just a section of the Lycian Way. has five- to 14-day guided tours (from $1,187) that include lodging and luggage transfer, or leads seven-day treks (from $995) with an English-speaking guide. Best to do this historical walk in spring or fall, from February to May or from September to November to avoid the high heat of summer.

Don鈥檛 Miss: 罢耻谤办别测鈥檚 illuminates Lycia鈥檚 ancient capital city of Patara after dusk, making it a magical place to explore by night. Best lodging on the trail: the (from $240), built in 2005 on a hillside, has glass windows, viewing hammocks, and saunas overlooking the Aegean Sea.

5. Best for Conservationists

John Muir Way, Scotland

Not to be confused with California鈥檚 more demanding John Muir Trail, the is a relatively new route (established around 10 years ago) that stretches coast to coast across Muir鈥檚 home country of Scotland. This 134-mile walk begins in the western waterfront town of Helensburgh, where quotes from the famed Scottish-American environmentalist mark a commemorative stone bench. The trek ends around 10 days later in the eastern seaside town of Dunbar, where Muir was born in 1838.

On the way, you鈥檒l walk through the cobbled streets of the capital city of Edinburgh, along the shores of , and by the Falkirk Wheel, a rotating boat lift in central Scotland. has self-guided itineraries (from $1,827) for the entire route, including accommodations.

Don鈥檛 Miss: Stay in (from $417), a restored 16th-century castle听just off the trail 20 miles east of Edinburgh. The trail鈥檚 eastern terminus is at Muir鈥檚 birthplace, a humble three-story home in Dunbar that鈥檚 now a historic and free to visit.

6. Best for Self-Reflection

Shikoku Pilgrimage, Japan

This circular walk across the Japanese island of Shikoku visits 88 temples and sacred sites where the Buddhist saint known as K奴kai is thought to have trained in the 9^th century. The entire route is about 745 miles鈥攎ostly using roads, but also on select mountain trails鈥攁nd takes around six weeks to walk. Or you can choose just a section.

The traditional approach starts at the first temple, Ry艒zenji, in Tokushima prefecture and proceeds clockwise until you reach the last temple, 艑kuboji, in Kagawa prefecture. Many pilgrims dress in traditional attire, including a white cotton robe, scarf, and straw hat, and carrying a walking stick; they also carry pilgrims鈥� books, to be stamped after worshipping at each temple. leads an eight-day tour of the pilgrimage (from $2,303), where you鈥檒l walk up to eight miles daily with an English-speaking guide, staying at guesthouses and temple lodging.

Don鈥檛 Miss: One of the hardest temples to reach is number 21, Tairyuji, or Temple of the Great Dragon. You can ride the tram to reach this mountaintop temple or hike to the site on a steep three-mile trail through limestone rocks and an ancient cedar forest. There you鈥檒l climb a marble staircase leading into the temple gates and visit a bronze statue of K奴kai meditating.

7. Best for Wildlife Spotting

Yuraygir Coastal Walk, Australia

The 42-mile point-to-point leads through the beaches and bluffs of Yuraygir National Park in New South Wales. You鈥檒l start in the village of Angourie and follow the sign-posted track, as trails are called in Australia and New Zealand, south to the red-tinted cliffs of Red Rock. Most people take four to five days to do the whole route. Along the way, you鈥檒l spot turtles and whales, swim in the Pacific Ocean, and walk through coastal headlands and the biodiverse Solitary Islands Marine Park.

Spend your first night on the trail camping at the , which is only accessible on foot. Or if you鈥檇 prefer sleeping in a bed, book a guided walk that includes shuttles to trailside properties like (from $234) or (from $125). leads a guided five-day walk of the trail (prices vary according to group size and season) for private groups from November to April that includes luggage delivery, boat and bus transfers, national-park fees, and accommodations. If you鈥檇 rather go it on your own, you can base out of the family-owned in Wooli, and the owners will arrange for lifts to the trail each day (from $499, including lodging and hiker shuttles).

Don鈥檛 Miss: Stop into the beachfront , about halfway through your route, for a sausage roll or pizza. Spend some time at the and estuary, a breeding site for endangered shorebirds including the pied oystercatcher and beach stone-curlew. The trail along the Station Creek estuary is lined with scribbly gum and corkwood trees, and if you鈥檙e lucky, you鈥檒l spot an Australian crane or coastal emu.

8. Most Adventurous

Te Araroa, New Zealand

New Zealand is known for its stellar tracks, and , also called the Long Pathway, is the country鈥檚 most ambitious trail project yet. It鈥檚 a 1,900-mile journey crossing the length of New Zealand鈥檚 North and South Islands, from Cape Reinga at the north end to Bluff at the southern tip. The trail itself climbs mountain passes, crosses verdant plains, and travels through small cities and remote villages. Roughly 2,000 people walk the whole trail each year, taking between three and six months. Most hikers go north to south, starting around October, which is springtime in New Zealand. If you don鈥檛 have that kind of time, pick a section or a single island; the South Island is considered the more challenging of the two due to its more mountainous terrain.

While this video shows a Te Araroa thru-hike, some choose a section or decide to hike either the North Island or South Island. The South Island is more remote and considered more difficult, the North Island route longer but with more road walking. (Video: 国产吃瓜黑料 TV) 听

Before you go, ($34) to receive the latest maps and a Te Araroa walker-information packet. Buy a (from $110) for access to over 70 Department of Conservation-managed backcountry huts and campsites along Te Araroa. The trail also has 听to help you plan and navigate, and the trail notes for each section give details on the route and where to stay and resupply. Or you can book a guided 12-day trip with (from $8,595) and let the outfit take care of the logistics, including hotel bookings.

Don鈥檛 Miss: On the North Island, you鈥檒l climb the extinct volcano of Mount Pirongia and descend to the valley below, where you鈥檒l walk by the glowworm-studded , which are worth a stop; you can see the illuminating glowworms in their grottos by boat. On the South Island, spend a night at the 12-bunk, first-come, first-served near Wanaka, which has stunning views from the porch overlooking the Motatapu Valley and a nice swimming hole in the adjacent creek.

9. Best Way to Explore Indigenous Cultures

Vancouver Island Trail, Canada

Vancouver Island, British Columbia, is a rugged and densely forested place, and the 500-mile is among the most challenging routes on this list. The trail goes from the capital city of Victoria on the southern end of the island to Cape Scott on the northern tip, crossing rocky beaches and through lush rainforests and territories sacred to First Nations tribes, including the Songhees in the south and the Tlatlasikwala to the north. The trail is broken up into seven distinct sections, from paved pathways through urban areas to logging roads, hiking trails, and rail trails. Each section takes around five to 10 days to walk鈥攐r you can spend two months doing a complete thru-hike. Some sections of the trail are still being completed and not well marked, so plan on some skilled route finding or that鈥檚 better delineated. If you鈥檙e walking the trail northbound, you鈥檒l end in , where the Cape Scott Lighthouse has been shining light for mariners since 1960.听听

Don鈥檛 Miss: Book a cabin or pitch a tent at the First Nations-owned , between the northern towns of Port McNeill and Port Hardy. At the center of Vancouver Island, you鈥檒l walk through Strathcona Provincial Park, British Columbia鈥檚 oldest park, dotted with high-alpine lakes and jagged snow-capped peaks. The , on the outskirts of the park, has eight seasonal campsites and a sauna.

10. Best New Trail

Camino de Costa Rica, Costa Rica

You鈥檒l walk from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean to the beaches of the Pacific Ocean on the 174-mile-long , or the Costa Rican Way, which was inspired by Spain鈥檚 El Camino de Santiago. This relatively new trail鈥攅stablished in 2018 by the nonprofit Asociaci贸n Mar a Mar鈥攖ravels through coffee plantations and rainforests, over the Continental Divide, and among tiny villages that rarely see tourists. Plan on around 16 days to hike the whole thing.

The trip starts on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, in the town of Barra de Parismina, at the base of Tortuguero National Park, known as a nesting ground for leatherback turtles. It ends in Quepos near Manuel Antonio National Park, filled with coral reefs and white-sand beaches. Stay in guesthouses, campsites, and hotels along the way. You will want to hire a guide, as much of the trail is sparsely marked. leads guided hikes ranging from eight to 16 days (from $1,675) that include meals and stays at local homes and guesthouses.

Don鈥檛 Miss: In the Orosi Valley, stay at the (from $59), which has private casitas and rooms close to the trail. In the town of Orosi, you can visit Iglesia de San Jos茅 Orosi, the oldest church in Costa Rica, dating back to 1743, and its Religious Art Museum, and the .

11. Best Paved Trail

Paul Bunyan State Trail, Minnesota

Most popular with cyclists, the Paul Bunyan State Trail is still a great long walk for those who want a paved, accessible pathway. The route begins at in Brainerd and ends 115 miles later at in Bemidji, home to a famous giant statue of Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox, Babe. This is the longest continuously paved rail-trail in the country, moderate in grade throughout as it follows the former Burlington Northern Railroad, abandoned in 1983. You can camp at and Lake , or stay in hotels in the various trail towns along the way.

Don鈥檛 Miss: You鈥檒l walk through the town of Hackensack, where every September chainsaw carvers turn hunks of wood into art in the annual Chainsaw Event. The (from $89) in the town of Nisswa has rooms and lakefront cottages steps from the trail on Lower Cullen Lake. In Pequot Lakes, stop into the trailside for a scoop of ice cream.

12. Best for Foodies

Cinque Terra, Italy

Cinque Terre or 鈥淔ive Lands鈥� refers to five coastal towns鈥擬onterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore鈥攐ver the the Ligurian Sea, all linked by about 75 miles of hiking trails. The most popular route is the Sentiero Azzurro, known as the Blue Trail, which is less than 10 miles and can be done in a day. You can start in Monterosso or Riomaggiore and work your way in either direction, passing through lemon groves and walking staircases directly down to the sea.

For a more expanded tour, consider five- or eight-day self-guided hiking trips in Cinque Terre, where you鈥檒l stay in curated hotels, dine on pizza and gelato from locals鈥� favorite spots, and ride trains to reach new trails each day. If you鈥檙e hiking on your own, be sure to check the for updates on closures (landslides have closed sections of the trail), and grab a (from $7 a day) for access to the two paid hiking trails鈥攆rom Monterosso to Vernazza and from Vernazza to Corniglia鈥攁nd for use of the bus lines within Cinque Terre National Park.

Don鈥檛 Miss: Climb the stairs to Doria Castle, a medieval fortress near the village of Vernazza, to see the remains of one of the oldest surviving towers on the Liguria coast. The five-room guesthouse (from $208) in the Unesco World Heritage Site of Vernazza makes for a good midway stop on your hike.

13. Most Accessible

Cotswold Way, England

The is a quintessentially English experience, where you鈥檒l walk from the historic market town of Chipping Campden, once a busy center for traders, to the steps of the Late Medieval church of Bath Abbey, crossing through farmlands, country parks, and beech woodlands. Stop and admire fields full of sculptures or study English Civil War sites. This well-marked 102-mile trail can be traveled in either direction, taking between seven and 10 days. has both guided and self-guided walks (from $1,154) ranging from between seven and 12 nights, where you鈥檒l sleep in limestone cottages and guesthouses.

Don鈥檛 Miss: Climb the hill to the Broadway Tower, an 18th century tower within a 200-acre estate of parkland offering expansive views across the valley; enjoy afternoon tea at the Tower Barn Caf茅 afterward. The trail also passes by , home to some 30 species of endangered butterflies, and , a historic garden filled with seasonal flowers and a lavish mix of Classical, Gothic, and other architecture.

Megan Michelson is an 国产吃瓜黑料 contributing editor and avid traveler who once lived in England for a year and went on a lot of long rambles through the countryside. She recently wrote about trips that may help you live longer and her favorite new backcountry hut in Colorado.

The post The 13 Most Magical Long Walks In the World appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Back in the 1980s, my left-leaning dad used to joke at the dinner table that if a certain right-leaning President were re-elected, we would be moving to Sweden. In his mind, the country of his forebears was an egalitarian society of hale and hearty outdoor people who lived among nature and cared deeply about the welfare of others. My dad had never actually been to Sweden, but all of his grandparents (and my mom鈥檚) emigrated from the old country and we lived in Minnesota where, every year my grandma almost lit my hair on fire by topping it with a crown of candles for December鈥檚 St. Lucia celebration. I also graduated from a Lutheran college named after a Swedish king and spent my summers at our lake cottage sweating in our wood-burning sauna. It鈥檚 surprising then that I was 28 years old by the time I was finally able to visit the actual country.

The expectations were high on my first visit in 1998. What I found in Sweden was a fascinating mix of familiar and exotic. A land of freshwater lakes lined with rocky shorelines sprouting tall pines, Sweden鈥檚 interior was reminiscent of northern Minnesota. But everything else felt elevated. Stockholm鈥檚 Arlanda airport was so quiet, lacking blaring TV screens and rushing crowds, that I could hear the overhead fans circulating. The city itself was a sophisticated mix of ancient fortresses and modern architecture inhabited by fit and beautiful people. In Gothenburg, on the west coast, my cousin Ulrika鈥檚 husband Roger was the first person I met who spent most of his free time running around in the woods (26 percent of the city is forested) with a compass, which is orienteering, one of the most popular sports in Sweden. In the village of my great-grandfather鈥檚 birthplace, I took fika, the ritual coffee break, with my relatives, while ribbons from midsummer festival May pole flapped in the breeze.

What struck me most about Sweden was how seamlessly everyone integrated the outdoors into their lives.听 Since my first visit, I鈥檝e returned to Sweden a handful of times to dogsled across the Arctic, hike in , , and dance to live music at an 鈥淥utdoor Village鈥� on the Gulf of Bothnia with a few hundred mostly Swedes.

But it wasn鈥檛 until a couple of years ago when I spent a month in Sweden recovering from emergency eye surgery that I finally put my finger on how Swedes and Americans differ when it comes to their relationship with the outdoors. During my healing sabbatical, I wasn鈥檛 allowed to hike, run, ride a bike, lift anything over ten pounds, or sleep on my left side. The mandates were maddeningly restrictive, especially after coming off a summer of chasing Strava medals.

But I could walk. Out the front door of my rental cottage were miles of pastoral country roads lined with beautifully maintained homes whose owners always seemed to be burning brush, painting doorways in pastel shades of blue, or otherwise improving their properties. Beyond the pines and houses, one road led to N盲sbokrok nature reserve, a solitary, wind-swept peninsula that juts into the Kattegat Strait between the North and Baltic Seas. One chilly September morning, I passed a rugged-looking maintenance worker in a fluorescent vest taking a lone fika at a picnic table by the sea. It hit me then: Swedes place a premium on being in the outdoors, whereas Americans place a premium on conquering the outdoors.

As Jerry Engstr枚m, the founder of FriluftsByn and the former marketing director of 贵箩盲濒濒谤盲惫别苍 outdoor clothing and gear company told me at the time, 鈥淭he U.S. way of [experiencing the] outdoors has roots in the explorers setting off west to find new lands and conquer nature. In Sweden, nature is more of a home, part of everyday life.鈥�

Sweden had its share of conquerors, too, like the Vikings, of course. More recently there鈥檚 Charlotte Kalla, the country鈥檚 most successful-ever Nordic skier, who was the first Swedish woman to win both an individual Olympic gold and World Championship Gold medal. Or Armand Duplantis, a world-record-holding pole vaulter. His father is American, but Duplantis competes for Sweden, where the 24-year-old is revered as a demigod. It鈥檚 not that Sweden doesn鈥檛 foster competition鈥攈igh school-age students have the choice to apply to boarding schools where the primary focus is to develop elite athletes. The difference, however, is that from birth Swedes are taught to foster a relationship with the outdoors that goes beyond competing in it. Even the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency defines 鈥渙utdoor life鈥� on its website as: 鈥淏eing outdoors in natural and cultural landscapes for well-being and nature experiences without the expectation of competition.鈥�

That definition reminds me a lot of the way I grew up in northern Minnesota. My parents鈥� need to be outside was embedded in their DNA. They had naturally lived by two Scandinavian principles: 鈥淔riluftsliv,鈥� (a term that originated with Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen when Norway was part of the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway), which literally means 鈥淔ree-Air-Life;鈥� and 鈥渓agom 盲r b盲st鈥� a Swedish parable that means 鈥渆nough is as good as a feast.鈥�

Getting their kids outside was Mom and Dad鈥檚 top priority, oftentimes in the form of chores.听 In the fall we鈥檇 chop, split, and haul wood, and in the winter and into spring, we鈥檇 shovel snow. If there were no chores we鈥檇 cross-country ski, all five kids waddling behind our dad chasing the ever-dangling carrot of the rare breakfast out at our favorite caf茅. In the summer we鈥檇 swim or fish for walleye or roam free, playing in the woods. Every night we鈥檇 clean up by sweating in our wood-fired sauna and jumping in the lake.听 The end result: happy kids, sound sleep, and, finally, a little privacy for my parents.

Sweden鈥檚 Outdoor History: Why Access to Nature Has Mattered for Centuries

It鈥檚 no accident that Sweden, a country of only ten million has produced people like Greta Thunberg, Time magazine鈥檚 youngest-ever Person of the Year; companies like Icebug, an outdoor shoe manufacturer trying to re-envision its oil and chemical-intensive industry; 贵箩盲濒濒谤盲惫别苍, Sweden鈥檚 precursor to Patagonia; and even Ikea, whose CEO Jesper Brodin, pledged to take the world鈥檚 largest furniture retailer climate positive by 2030. His most recent step in 2023 was to replace fossil-fuel-derived glues with bio-based adhesives in products. In total, Sweden has 26 national authorities that work toward achieving environmental goals and eight more that monitor and evaluate those goals.

Swedes have had a robust relationship to nature since the days of the Vikings, who were sailing off to what is now Greenland around 980 A.D., half-millennia before Columbus reached The New World. In the centuries since, Carl Linnaeus, the 18th century botanist, zoologist, and physician formalized the modern system of naming organisms. He also laid the foundation for Sweden鈥檚 modern conservation ethos. In 1892,听Frilufsfr盲mjandet, the Swedish Outdoor Association, was founded in order to promote and protect Swedes鈥� constitutional Allemansr盲tten, or 鈥渞ight of public access,鈥� which allows anyone to walk on any land, public or private, as long as the land is left the way it was before they arrived and nothing is destroyed. Today the Swedish Outdoor Association has 316 local clubs and 7,000 guides that offer adventures from hiking to biking to skiing to paddling to skating for all ages. And there鈥檚 still plenty of room to roam. Ninety-seven percent of the country is uninhabited and the 173,860-square-mile nation (slightly larger than California albeit with 28 million fewer people) has 30 national parks and 5,400 nature reserves.

It seems as if every major event in Swedish history resulted in prioritizing Swedes鈥� relationship with the outdoors. In 1905 when Norway dissolved its union with Sweden, the Swedes realized they had a long, mountainous border to defend against their former allies, who were legendarily good skiers. As a result, the government began programs that taught their populous to ski. And in 1938, after a period of rapid industrialization, the government legislated a mandatory two weeks of summer vacation for everyone, which expanded to three weeks in 1958, which expanded to 25 days in 1977. (Time will tell how听Sweden鈥檚 newly minted NATO membership signed on March 7 will affect the country’s neutrality, a central part of their citizens鈥� DNA for eons鈥攖here has been no major conflict on Swedish soil since Napoleonic times.)

鈥淧eople needed something to do with all this spare time, and hiking, fishing and camping became common,鈥� says Cajsa R盲nnar of the Swedish Outdoor Association. 鈥淪weden was not a rich country at this time and most people had little or no money to spare, so traveling was out of the question for most. Being outside was a lot of fun at low or no cost.鈥�

To outfit all of these outdoor-loving folks, a Swedish Army paratrooper 脜ke Nordin started experimenting on his mother鈥檚 sewing machine in 脰rnsk枚ldsvik, an industrial city of pulp and paper mills on the Gulf of Bothnia.听 He made packs from heavy cotton canvas and attached them to a wooden frame. In 1950, he created 贵箩盲濒濒谤盲惫别苍, whose ethos has been simplicity, sustainability, durability, and functionality for more than 70 years. Today everyone from Swedish schoolkids to Malaysian fashionistas commute with their K氓nken backpack.

In 1968 it was Sweden that first suggested to the United Nations Economic and Social Council the possibility of having a UN conference that focuses on human interaction with the environment. The first conference, held in 1972 in Stockholm, focused on 鈥渟timulating and providing guidelines for action by national government and international organizations facing environmental issues.鈥�

In 1989 Karl-Henrik Robert, a renowned Swedish cancer scientist founded 鈥淭he Natural Step,鈥� a framework that lays out the conditions required for a sustainable society. Robert received permission from the king of Sweden to circulate his framework to households, schools, businesses, media, and organizations. His template was a way for Sweden鈥攆rom individuals to corporations鈥攖o plan for strategic, sustainable development, which is the model still used by companies like Icebug. In a , Roberts explains his system this way: 鈥淵ou cannot plan ahead if you don鈥檛 know what you want for the future.鈥�

In 2017, Sweden announced its plan to become the first ever fossil-free welfare society in the world, reaching net-zero emissions by 2045 at the latest. The country is well on its way. In 2023, it was tied for number one (with neighbor Finland) out of 150 countries assessed on the independent , a tool that assesses a country鈥檚 investment risks and opportunities based on 40 indicators across environment, social welfare, and governance. (The US is ranked 40.) And for the past ten years, Sweden has been among the top ten in the global from Columbia and Yale Universities for exceptionally clean air and water and low emissions.

Stockholm, the capital, is one of Europe鈥檚 climate-smartest cities according to , and Gothenburg鈥�26 percent of which is wooded鈥攈as been named the world鈥檚 most sustainable city for the seventh year in a row by the , thanks to electrified trains, more than 90 percent eco-certified hotels, a clean harbor, and accessibility for walkers and cyclists.

Living Sweden鈥檚 Free-Air Life

After my final eye-doctor appointment four years ago, my cousin Ulrika and I celebrated with a walk through the forest surrounding , a palatial 18th century estate on the outskirts of Gothenburg. It was full of Saturday joggers, kids orienteering through the woods on their mountain bikes, and multigenerational families out to enjoy the fresh air and eventually end up, as we did, at the Kaffehus och Krog, a restaurant that has a pastry case filled with decadent sweets. In an effort to eat like a Swede, I chose one small chocolate cupcake and it tasted divine while eating at a picnic table under the sun.

The Swedes鈥� saying 鈥�Lagom 盲r b盲st鈥� (in essence: everything in moderation) goes a long way toward explaining their relationship to sustainability and the outdoors. 听As David Ecklund, founder of Icebug explains it: 鈥淵ou have to take responsibility if you make products. First of all, you have to create products that people really need. The next phase is making them so that people wear them as long as possible, so they have to be durable, sustainable, comfortable, and don鈥檛 look dated after a year or two. Then you have to minimize the impact of the product after it鈥檚 finished鈥攈ow much do you have to wash it? How long will it be until it ends up in a landfill?鈥�

To make getting outside easier to do for its employees, Icebug rehabbed an old factory on the outskirts of Gothenburg that is a two-minute walk to the trails. Three times per week, the company closes down for an hour per day of paid time so that employees can take off to the forest to hike, run, or walk together.

鈥淪wedish society is unique in that it all comes back to people getting together and doing things outside. It鈥檚 not necessarily about big adventure, but that feeling that you are a part of nature,鈥� says Ecklund.

That鈥檚 exactly the philosophy Jerry Engstr枚m used when he left his position as marketing manager of 贵箩盲濒濒谤盲惫别苍 to start his new endeavor, FriluftsByn, or 鈥淭he Outdoor Village,鈥� in the heart of a World Heritage site, the H枚ga Kusten, or High Coast, a land of steep granite cliffs and rocky islands that runs 66 miles along the Gulf of Bothnia coast and includes the old-growth spruce forests of Skuleskogen National Park.

The luxurious, yet rustic village, composed of cottages, chic tiny homes, and a tent and RV-camping area, surround a gathering place with multiple fire pits, a stage for live music, and two restaurants, one at the top of a mountain, with outdoor tables topped by flowers. Its dreamy Scandinavian aesthetic is Instagramable from every possible angle.听 The compound sits at the base of a 1,000-foot mountain, where trails link up to the 85-mile-long High Coast Trail; and next to a small lake, perfect for SUPing, saunaing, and swimming. Five minutes away is a sheltered bay in the Gulf of Bothnia, an ideal launch pad for a paddling trip on the 18-mile High Coast Kayaking Trail and Via Ferrata Skuleberget, a climbing area with four routes of varying difficulty up 1,000-foot peak Skuleberget. At the top is a restaurant with 360-degree views of ocean, forests, and sky.

The access to communal outdoor activity at FriluftsByn is unparalleled, but Engstr枚m wants to take outdoor living to the next level, using his compound to, as he says, 鈥渃ontribute to a new 21st century outdoor movement.鈥�

鈥淧laces like this have values that city centers cannot provide,鈥� Engstr枚m explained to me in an email after my trip. But, he adds, 鈥渨e do not intend to share only teaching the names of plants or birds.鈥� Instead, Engstr枚m envisions FriluftsByn to be a place to 鈥渟howcase that nature is a root of creative output that can take the form of architecture festivals, song-writing camps, and other creative opportunities that allow his guests to, as Engstrom says, 鈥渇eel human again.鈥�

I鈥檓 more solitary in my wilderness pursuits and was at first tepid at the thought of hanging out with a few hundred strangers for a long weekend. But I spent four days at FriluftsByn one September a few years ago, kayaking, hiking, dancing to live music, and eating breakfast in the chilly outdoors around a campfire talking with whoever came my way. And while, like every introvert, I needed to duck for cover into my sheepskin-rug-strewn tiny home at around ten every night,听 I spent most days energized by the positive energy of all the Swedes, most of them wearing multi-hued 贵箩盲濒濒谤盲惫别苍 hiking pants, who were having the time of their lives building fires from wood shavings, goofing around on paddleboards down at the lake, and taking off at sunset for hikes to the moonlit summit of Skuleberget. FriluftByn鈥檚 simple, clean, elegant digs surrounding a communal gathering area with healthy food and ample beer, were facilitating something larger than a mere camping experience or outdoor music festival. It was more akin to a spiritual gathering.

The Joy and Ease of Public Access in Sweden

After my three-week recovery, the weekend before I flew home, my cousin Ulrika, her husband Roger, and I set out on a day-long adventure that they had planned for the three of us. It was a simple outdoor epic, but it didn鈥檛 take me long to realize that I couldn鈥檛 have replicated it at home because the right of public access doesn鈥檛 exist in the U.S. and, had we tried it there, we would have inevitably run into private property or a fence or a salivating guard dog.

From their house in a bucolic bedroom community on the sea that sits roughly halfway between Gothenburg and Varberg on Sweden鈥檚 west coast, Roger drove ten miles through town and parked the Volvo at the public lot next to a beach.听 Then the three of us started walking on the sand north and west toward their home. The morning was sunny and cool. We passed sleek glass houses and classic red Swedish cottages, unified by their Swedish flags flapping in the breeze. We kept walking along the sea, passing one neighborhood after another, all of which had a community sauna, some with smoke puffing out of the chimney, and a marina, where locals moored their wooden cruisers or sailboats. The farther north we walked, the wilder the terrain became. At Nasbokrok nature reserve, the beaches got rockier鈥攁 good point to regroup and stop for fika, with hot coffee from a thermos and thin and lacy sugar cookies Ulrika had made from scratch. After the sugar infusion we resumed our quest, jumping across large boulders and crevasses, laughing and route-finding our way back home, caught up in the simple joy of being outside together.

Almost five years have passed since that trip to Sweden. I still get queasy when I think about how close I came to losing my eyesight. But the gift I received during that month was even greater than a restored left eye. I was also given renewed vision for how I want to live.

国产吃瓜黑料 contributing editor Stephanie Pearson has been to more countries than we can count and loves a good Sven-and-Ole joke.

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Eight hours into an incredible show of jaw-dropping northern lights, the fatigue started to hit. What began as a calm evening鈥攎e and the resident sheepdogs of the admiring the last sunset of my solo trip through south Greenland鈥攈ad morphed into an all-night aurora borealis bonanza that kept me on my feet, my eyes on the sky.

I raced around the property grounds working my two tripods, hoping to photograph every shifting iteration of the intensifying lights: violet, lime, and cobalt ribbons reflecting off the fjord waters, an explosion of green tie-dye above the adjacent farm, and an eerie red glow enveloping the mountains I鈥檇 just hiked. By the time I finally looked at my phone, it was 4:30 A.M.鈥擨 was exhausted, but it was worth it.

For years I鈥檝e chased auroras around the world, from Norway to Michigan, and have 50-plus successful sky-swirl nights beneath my belt鈥攊ncluding a string of seven kaleidoscopic nights of auroras in Greenland before my Ilungujuuk stay. Yet this particular night in September 2023 was different. The colorful pillars danced and pulsed, then flickered overhead like lightning, electrifying the heavens from dusk to dawn. It was the most surreal display I鈥檝e ever seen.

But in 2024, experts predict the northern lights will get even wilder.

Get Ready for a Spike in Auroral Activity

Auroras are generated when storms on the sun鈥檚 surface blast particle-packed winds through the solar system. Although earth鈥檚 magnetic field protects us from most solar winds, some particles sneak through, and as they slam into our atmosphere, they create the crayon box of colors I saw in Greenland. Each hue is caused by a different interaction with gases鈥攇reen (the most common) from oxygen, blues and purples from nitrogen, and red (rarely seen) from less concentrated oxygen at higher altitudes. During strong displays, the lights can mix like paint, creating pink, yellow, and orange pillars.

Last year鈥檚 auroral colors were a mere preview of what鈥檚 to come. Over the next ten months, the intensity and frequency of solar storms are expected to peak鈥攁 period that happens roughly every 11 years known as solar maximum. According to the , between now and October, Solar Cycle 25 (which began in 2019 and will run until 2030) could produce the strongest and most dazzling aurora displays we鈥檝e seen in decades.

That means there鈥檚 no time like the present to make your bucket-list aurora trip a reality. I鈥檝e compiled some of the best and most geographically diverse spots to see brilliant displays of both the northern and southern lights, along with details on how to chase them, where to stay, and unique tours that take in the lights. All of these destinations lie within, or just outside, the auroral oval鈥攁 doughnut-shape ring above the geomagnetic north and south poles where more activity happens. Which is exactly what you want.

The Best Places to See the Northern Lights

South Greenland

Located within the auroral oval, south Greenland sees little to no light pollution, and its saw-toothed peaks and iceberg-filled fjords make for incredible silhouettes against the glow. The best time to view the lights dancing here is from late August to April (though the spectacle technically still happens outside of those months, you won鈥檛 see them in the summer due to the midnight sun in Greenland, and the rest of the Arctic). Fly into Narsarsuaq Airport via Reykjav铆k, Iceland, or Copenhagen, Denmark, then head to the region鈥檚 largest town, Qaqortoq (population 3,000) for a guided chase with , run by two Inuit sisters. I recommend hiking the blaze-marked paths and gravel roads up into the mountains, home to among herds of sheep, before heading back to your base at a property, like Illunnguujuk (from $53), to enjoy the Lite Brite nightscapes.

Lofoten Islands, Norway

The ice-carved fjords and jagged peaks of Norway鈥檚 Lofoten Islands are also smack-dab within the auroral oval. The archipelago is a popular summer destination for hiking, climbing, and fishing, but the spectacular auroras happen, thankfully, in the off-season months after the crowds have gone home. For a particularly unique Lofoten experience, go aurora-hunting via horseback on a sandy (or snow-dusted) beach with outfitter , sail beneath the spectacle with , or book a night in one of the historic fishing cottages (from $154) to watch the green lights sashay over the sea鈥攕omething that the cottages boast is possible more than 180 days a year.

Northwest Territories, Canada

Weather permitting, you can watch the northern lights in the Northwest Territories up to 240 nights annually, according to this northern province鈥檚 tourism board. With tundra and spruce and birch forests, as well as Canada鈥檚 largest reindeer herd, this destination provides quite the backdrop. See the show by dogsled with , an Indigenous-run and family-owned business based in Yellowknife. Or head to nearby for an evening tour complete with cultural storytelling and a stay in a cozy lakeside tepee (hotel packages available from $527 for two nights). For even more of a treat, travel above the Arctic Circle to Inuvik for a , replete with reindeer-watching, snowmobiling, and aurora hunting ($4,395).

Iceland

I tell many first-time aurora hunters to try Iceland. It鈥檚 easily reached, very navigable, daytime adventures abound, and, thanks to minimal light pollution, you can spot the streaks just about everywhere鈥擨鈥檝e seen them above waterfalls, beaches, and even over the capital city of Reykjav铆k. But my favorite Iceland aurora perch is a hot spring. You鈥檒l find naturally heated pools (known as hot pots), all over the country. I like the (from $283), a collection of cabins with a central soaking pool on the Snaefellsnes peninsula, home to Kirkjufell, a small mountain shaped like a sorcerer鈥檚 hat that makes for a听. Aurora chasing at (from $110) in the untamed Westfjords is another one of my favorites. You can soak beneath the aurora swirls or enjoy the lights among its resident horses.

Fairbanks, Alaska

For U.S.-based aurora hunting, it鈥檚 tough to top the boreal forest surrounding Fairbanks, which promises impressive northern-lights odds. Explore Fairbanks says that anyone who hunts for the spectacle for at least three nights during the August-to-April aurora season has a 90 percent chance of success. The local offers a dinner and dogsled experience that takes in the nightly auroras, or drive two hours south to mush in Denali鈥檚 shadow with . For a snowshoe adventure beneath the lights, the Fairbanks outfitter offers trips听along six miles of trails north of town. And an hour east of Fairbanks, aurora hunting from the is a popular pick鈥攜ou can soak from a geothermal pool while the colorful lights riot above (from $180).

Abisko National Park, Swedish Lapland

A unique weather phenomenon makes Abisko National Park one of the world鈥檚 top aurora-hunting locales. While the northern lights are active throughout the auroral oval most nights, weather鈥攑articularly cloud cover鈥攄etermines if chasers will see them or not. That鈥檚 where Abisko鈥檚 鈥渂lue hole鈥� comes into play: according to the , a stretch of sky above the park stays clear regardless of the surrounding conditions, something attributed to wind direction and altitude. You can make the most of this meteorological marvel at the park鈥檚 , a viewing center set at 3,000 feet elevation and accessed via a 1.2-mile-long chairlift. Come for the lights, but stay for the station鈥檚 , where glass ceilings let you enjoy a taste of Lapland without missing the night-sky entertainment. The best time for lights chasing in this area is mid-November to mid-March.

Northern Minnesota

While many of the best northern lights destinations sit within the auroral oval, you don鈥檛 have to travel to the ends of the earth鈥攐r even out of the contiguous U.S.鈥攖o see them. In fact, you can enjoy them from many听national parks. The auroral oval鈥檚 path tilts particularly in favor of Great Lakes escapes like northern Minnesota, but to see the aurora this far south, you鈥檒l need a strong solar storm, minimal light pollution, and a clear view to the northern horizon (like a lake) because the distance will make the lights appear closer to the horizon. I suggest scouting from the lake-abundant Voyageurs National Park or the wilds of Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness鈥攂oth were recognized by DarkSky International as outstanding dark-sky spaces. To keep tabs on aurora activity and get involved with locals in the know, join the Facebook group , whose members share updates on the northern lights regularly.

The Best Places to See the Southern Lights

Stewart Island, New Zealand

The aurora borealis gets all the buzz, but the Southern Hemisphere鈥檚 aurora australis鈥攂etter known as the southern lights鈥攁re worth chasing, too. For that, head to Stewart Island, which earned DarkSky International鈥檚 Dark Sky Sanctuary status in 2019. More than 85 percent of the island, located 16 miles south of the South Island and accessed via an hourlong ferry, is a national park, with 170 miles of hiking trails, including the Rakiura Track, one of New Zealand鈥檚 Great Walks, making this one of the more adventurous ways to enjoy the lights. Like Minnesota, Stewart Island isn鈥檛 usually in the auroral oval, which means you鈥檒l need a strong solar storm to see any activity here. Unlike Minnesota, you鈥檒l have to look southward to spot them.

Tasmania, Australia

Tasmania听is another hub for aurora australis hunters. Margaret Sonnemann, author of The Aurora Chaser鈥檚 Handbook, says this island state is better positioned for sightings than just about anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere outside of Antarctica (which is nearly unreachable for tourists during aurora season). Its rugged peaks, ancient rainforests, and sandy shores only add to the auroral awe. Since Tasmania, like Stewart Island, doesn鈥檛 experience the midnight sun, the aurora is visible year-round鈥攑ending the weather, of course. Popular sky-watching spots include Goat Bluff lookout and Carlton Beach, or book a stay at (from $93), a lakeside base for rainforest bushwalks by day and celestial gazing at night. You can also have an awesome experience at Taroona Beach, admiring two twilight marvels鈥攁uroras and bioluminescence鈥攄uring the warm summer months.

Journalist and photographer Stephanie Vermillion covers adventure travel and all things astrotourism, from eclipse chasing and meteor showers to her personal obsession: auroras. She hopes to check off another astro-bucket-list topper鈥攕eeing the southern lights鈥攄uring a trip to New Zealand鈥檚 South Island this year.听

Want more of 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 award-winning travel coverage? .

The post Watch This Year鈥檚 Northern Lights Here. They鈥檒l Be the Most Dazzling in Decades. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Would you marry somebody the first day you met? Or get to know them for a while before committing?

Probably the latter. The same principle applies when committing to outdoor gear. Under the shiny lights of REI, amid all the new and eagerly marketed merchandise, everything looks ideal. But making a purchase under those conditions is like proposing based on somebody’s Tinder profile: impetuous, likely irrational, and overly optimistic, given your needs and expectations. You can鈥檛 know if something is a true fit until you鈥檝e covered tough terrain together.

And outdoor gear is a big commitment, considering that skis can retail for hundreds of dollars and bikes thousands. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the cost of outdoor equipment and supplies before cooling slightly to 9 percent again this year.

Fortunately, brands are cognizant of this. And to better help consumers determine which equipment is worth a long-term relationship, several have designed travel experiences that encourage you to try their equipment over a period of days (or weeks) days before you buy. What鈥檚 new is the specialized nature of the programs, which are looking to meet the needs of niche outdoors people鈥攚omen cyclists, for example, or novice campers, or avid recreationists from specific metro areas. What they are finding is a receptive, captive audience.

You, too, can get down and dirty with gear you鈥檙e considering before making a commitment. Here are our recommendations for some of the best brands offering travel-and-test adventures worth your time and money.

EvoTrip

This fall, recreational mountain biker Annika Delfs, who lives in San Diego and works in the mountain-bike department of an REI there, took part in a travel-and-test getaway to Utah with EvoTrip, a 15-year-old arm of the established retailer. Delfs got into mountain biking during the pandemic, and while she鈥檚 clocked quite a few hours on local trails over the past few years, she was reluctant to spring for a pricey off-road bike without hands-on experience and time to decide which model was right for her style of riding.

鈥淒emoing bikes in a store setting typically isn’t ideal for mountain bikes and mountain-bike gear,鈥� Delfs says. 鈥淚t’s definitely more beneficial to get a true sense of how the bike responds to different rocky or gravel trains, and see how the suspension performs.鈥�

So in September, she flew to Salt Lake City for a ($995), hosted in conjunction with Juliana bicycles and Momentum Mountain Biking, and for two days in nearby Park City she rode two Juliana bikes鈥攖he Furtado and Roubion (another two bikes, the Joplin and Wilder, were also available to participants).

Delfs said that testing the bikes 鈥渁t a bike park specifically, where we had access to jumps, drops, really any type of terrain you can think of for mountain biking,鈥� gave her time to learn about each and understand how they perform. She left with a much clearer idea of what she鈥檚 seeking in her next ride: 鈥淕ood rear suspension and low-hanging suspension.鈥�

The trip price included two nights鈥� accommodation at the year-old Evo Hotel, instruction by pro coaches, two lunches and daily snacks, and of course the demo models. The sold-out event was offered once last year, with available for two offerings in 2024.

At the moment, the Utah bike weekend Delfs attended is the only EvoTrip in which gear demos are included in the package price (though more are in the works). However, its trips aren鈥檛 limited to domestic locales; travel-and-test experiences in Japan, Chile, and the Alps include access to beautiful outdoor areas and iteneraries ideal for demoing skis, snowboards, and mountain bikes, says EvoTrip senior manager Michelle Linton.

For four of its Japanese destinations (Hakuba, Niseko, Furano, and Myoko), a 10 percent discount is offered on equipment rentals, which include skis and snowboards that retail for upward of $450 and as much as $1,000. Clients can choose to test Armada鈥檚 ARV JJ and Armada VJJ, K2鈥檚 Mindbender 106C and Mindbender 99Ti, and V枚lkl鈥檚 Deacon 84 and Revolt 121, as well as Burton鈥檚 Deep Thinker, Capita鈥檚 Birds of a Feather, Gnu鈥檚 B-Nice, Lib Tech鈥檚 Orca and Cold Brew, and Yes鈥檚 420.

Other trips include gear gifts that travelers can take home with them. On its eight-day adventure to the ($3,050, next scheduled for March 3 to 10), participants visit the Capita Snowboards factory, and everyone receives a free custom snowboard, says Linton.

贵箩盲濒濒谤盲惫别苍

In 1979, 贵箩盲濒濒谤盲惫别苍 founder 脜ke Nordin began lending trekking gear to beginners and guiding them through the Swedish wilderness. Thus began the first-ever 贵箩盲濒濒谤盲惫别苍 Week, which has evolved into a multi-country program called . These backpacking trips are offered in six countries: its home country, Denmark, South Korea, Germany, the UK, and the U.S. (Colorado). Chile is slated to join the lineup in 2024.

On Classics trips, backpackers carry their own gear and pitch their own camp, but they follow a clearly marked trail where 贵箩盲濒濒谤盲惫别苍 representatives are stationed along the way to lend a hand and replenish supplies.

The reasonable prices are one of the big appeals: they range from about $200 (Germany) to about $260 (Sweden). Costs cover everything from bus transportation to the nearest town before and after the event to freeze-dried food and snacks, gas for campstoves, toilet paper, and wag bags.

The cost of gear rental is additional but encouraged. For the Sweden trip, for example, you can test its Abisko tents鈥攖he Endurance 2, View 2, Dome 3, and Endurance 4, the least-expensive of which retails for $800鈥攁s well as 65-to-75-liter packs and Primus Lite+ or Primus Lite XL stoves. In 2023, trip-goers paid 100 Euros (about $107) to rent a two-person tent, 50 Euros ($54) for a backpack, and 50 Euros for a campstove and kitchen set.

Incorporating gear rentals into 贵箩盲濒濒谤盲惫别苍 Classics fosters inclusion and sustainability, says Claire Sisun, a global communications specialist for the Swedish brand.

鈥淲e have this gear, and we want you to be able to come out and not have to spend $600 on a tent to do the event,鈥� says Sisun. It鈥檚 more of a philosophy of 鈥淟et’s get you out there鈥� and less of a hard sell to consumers to buy the latest and greatest gear, she continues. 鈥淲e’d rather have somebody borrow a tent, and have multiple people use it hundreds of times, than have someone purchase a tent that they use once and then it sits in their garage.”

TrekTravel

To better cater to the huge world of cycling鈥檚 various fitness and interest levels, TrekTravel created biking trips to cater to four levels of riders: leisure, recreational, active, avid. One of its most popular is a new six-day leisure-level route from ($4,699), though active cyclists may prefer its six-day adventure in the ($4,199). The use of Trek鈥檚 or bikes are included in all packages, or you can upgrade to its Domane+ e-bike (from $399).

Most cyclists on a TrekTravel trip use a Trek bike, says Jake Fergus, the company鈥檚 director of marketing. It saves participants the hassle of shipping their own to and from the destination. Plus, he says, 鈥淚t’s a great way to experience a bike if you don’t want to spend $7,000 on a new ride before you鈥檝e tried it out pretty extensively.鈥�

If the trip proves that the brand鈥檚 bikes are a good fit for you, TrekTravel offers guests a $500 coupon to put toward a future Trek bike purchase.

Orvis 国产吃瓜黑料s

Orvis was founded in 1866 in Vermont as a fly-fishing-equipment company. And today use of fly-fishing gear is included in the cost of 鈥攁 network of schools, outfitters, and lodges鈥攁round the world. Colorado, Vermont, and Alaska are popular domestic getaways, says Scott McEnaney, its director, and is a hot international destination.

鈥淓ach location has gear there and ready to go for guests when they arrive,鈥� McEnaney says. 鈥淭hey’ll have waders, they’ll have boots your size, they’ll have the rods and reels for the type of fishing you’ll be doing that day鈥攚hich could mean multiple rods and reels.鈥�

Any gear that鈥檚 a keeper can be purchased directly at the Orvis 国产吃瓜黑料 Lodge where you鈥檙e staying, or from a retailer once you鈥檙e home.

L.L.Bean

This decades-old Maine company encourages novice campers to embrace the outdoors via its package, designed to let complete beginners get going with no gear investment.

A sustainable campsite for up to six people is set up at the oceanfront Wolfe鈥檚 Neck Center Campground in Freeport, Maine, and kitted out with the some of brand鈥檚 best gear, including its Northern Guide six-person tent, Adults鈥� Mountain Classic Camp sleeping bag, Ridge Runner sleeping pad, Flannel camp pillow, Eureka Ignite Plus campstove, ENO Double Nest hammock, Woodlands screen house, Waterproof Outdoor blanket, Acadia Camp chair, and Trailblazer Snap 300 Combo headlamp. Purchasing this entire setup would run you more than $1,600; instead, you can spend $149 per night and test all of that gear (two-night minimum required), with tips and tricks offered to make it a positive experience.

REI

Guided local outdoor experiences that include gear are offered at in San Francisco, Seattle, and Scottsdale, Arizona. For example, you can try your hand at in San Francisco or explore the deserts via a or ) in Scottsdale.

Want to experiment with gear on a DIY adventure? Each has a unique selection of rentals that include brands like REI Co-op as well as Black Diamond, Coleman, Jetboil MSR, NRS, and Rossignol. You can try everything from camping and rock-climbing equipment to essentials for cycling, paddling, and cross-country skiing.

During warm-weather months, REI sees the biggest interest from customers seeking camping necessities, namely sleeping bags and stoves; in the winter, the most popular rental item is snowshoes, says Ryan Holte, a stores-program specialist. Rental prices vary. Accessories like lanterns or trekking poles typically run for less than $15 per day; larger items, tandem kayaks, can go for $100 a day.

There鈥檚 no limit on how long an item can be rented. And while day-of rentals are offered, it鈥檚 a good idea to reserve gear ahead of time, especially on big outdoor weekends like Labor Day.

knows firsthand that packing scuba equipment in a carry-on is a great way to earn a TSA bag search. The former digital editor of Scuba Diving magazine, she now covers travel and water-related topics as a freelance journalist.

The post Gear-Testing Trips That Let You Try Before You Buy appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Four years ago, during a Zoom work meeting, a colleague who lives in London told me she鈥檇 decided to quit flying on airplanes. She simply couldn鈥檛 stomach the cost to the climate. Due to her decision, she said calmly, she would probably never visit the U.S. again. My heart skipped a beat.

Her choice seemed so extreme. She shared it with me casually in the context of conversation, without a trace of judgment or moralizing. Still, I felt shocked and inexplicably a little defensive鈥攂ut also intrigued. At the time, I traveled by air as often as ten times a year for my work as a journalist and to see family members strewn about the country. I couldn鈥檛 imagine my life without flying.

But my colleague鈥檚 comment lodged in my mind as a beautiful and challenging seed. Over the next few years, it cracked through the concrete of what had been, until then, a completely unexamined belief in my inviolable entitlement to flying. When the pandemic arrived, grounding travelers and shrinking international air travel by 60 percent in 2020, I began to see that significantly reducing air travel鈥攐r even giving it up altogether鈥攚as absolutely possible.

Rare individuals have chosen not to fly for ethical reasons for decades, but in the years leading up to the pandemic, the smattering of outliers coalesced into a movement. It took root most quickly and deeply in Sweden, which in 2017 became the first country in the world to establish a legally binding carbon-neutrality target鈥攁 year before Greta Thunberg began protesting in front of its parliament. In Swedish, the movement became known as flygskam, which translates to 鈥渇light shame,鈥� a term commonly attributed to Swedish singer Staffan Lingberg, who gave up flying in 2017.

The number of people pledging to stop flying grew so much that Swedish air travel declined 5 percent between 2018 and 2019, and the movement strengthened in other parts of Europe as well. In the U.S., the flight-free movement, in the form of groups like Flight Free USA and No Fly Climate Sci, has been slower to spread but is growing. This year, Flight Free USA, for example, is on track to see the largest number of pledges to stop or minimize flying at 436. By comparison, tens of thousands have pledged in Europe over the past four years.

On a collective level, the reasons for minimizing commercial aviation are obvious. In 2018, the industry accounted for of global emissions and has single-handedly contributed to about of observed human-caused climate change to date. If it were a country, it would be the sixth largest polluter in the world. Currently, no aviation technology or mitigation technique exists that could minimize emissions to the extent needed to avert catastrophic warming. (Small and short-distance electric planes are in development; FAA-approved commercial models could be available as early as 2026.)

At the same time, a relatively small group of people, including me, are living large on the backs of the masses. One found that only about 11 percent of the world鈥檚 population flew in 2018. And a startling of the world鈥檚 population causes 50 percent of the emissions from commercial aviation. While emissions depending on the distance traveled, the efficiency of your ground-transportation method, and the number of people in your vehicle, flying is almost always the most carbon-intensive mode of transportation mile for mile. Simply traveling less and traveling shorter distances are surefire ways to minimize emissions.

But individually, giving up flying can be hard. Surrounded by millions of others who aren鈥檛 adjusting their own behaviors, do my choices matter? Is it worth what seems like a huge personal sacrifice, when I am just one lonely person taking a stand?

Not long after my colleague鈥檚 comment, I broached the topic with a close loved one who has solar panels on his house and drives an electric car. I thought we could have a substantive discussion, but his response was simple: 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to stop flying,鈥� he said testily. End of conversation.

This shutdown, as well as my own reluctance, made me even more curious. What did we really think we were losing? On a subconscious level, do those of us who fly believe we have the right to pollute more than others, simply by virtue of being accustomed to it? And able to afford it? I was also moved by my colleague鈥檚 matter-of-fact attitude. Although her choice seemed radical to me at the time, she didn鈥檛 seem perturbed. She wasn鈥檛 standing atop some mountain of haughty saviorism. She even seemed quietly peaceful about it. I wondered about what seemed to be an unseen reward, some hidden gain, about not flying that I couldn鈥檛 understand from the paradigm in which I dwelled.

鈥淎t first, I didn鈥檛 want to be confined like that,鈥� Liz says. Yet as she took in the news of the escalating effects of climate change, an almost debilitating climate-despair grew, and her wanderlust began to feel too big, somehow out of balance with the world as she understood it. She wasn鈥檛 quite sure how it would go to fly so little. Alternative transportation isn鈥檛 as simple in the U.S., where long-distance ground infrastructure lags behind that of Europe. Last year, when Liz came to visit me and other friends in Colorado, she rode the train from her home in Virginia. It took 53 hours. (A comparable trip in Europe, from Madrid to Berlin, would take half the time.)

Recently, I鈥檝e begun talking with others who have renounced flying or drastically minimized their air travel. For each person, the choice sprung from a visceral experience that they couldn鈥檛 ignore. Eric Holthaus, a meteorologist and author of The Future Earth: A Radical Vision for What鈥檚 Possible in the Age of Warming, was boarding a plane at the San Francisco airport in 2013 when, reflecting on the latest dire Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, he had a panic attack. He vowed to make that flight his last.

Daniel Fahey, a Lonely Planet travel writer based in England, saw a graph representing carbon emissions over the past 10,000 years, with an almost vertical line illustrating emissions in the past century, and felt queasy. His last flight was in 2018. Kim Cobb, a climate scientist and director of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, was filled with grief when a coral reef she鈥檇 studied for 18 years almost entirely died off during a monthslong marine-warming event in 2016. Flying home over the Pacific from Korea the next year, staring down at the vast ocean, she thought, Really, Kim? 鈥淚 just remember this pit in my stomach, realizing that I don鈥檛 know how many more times I can do this,鈥� she says of her international flight.

Kim started walking her kids to school every day, biking to and from work in Atlanta and, later, in Providence, Rhode Island, and, between 2017 and 2019, she reduced her plane travel from 150,000 miles per year to zero, transforming her life in the process. Still, sometimes life presents challenges: she chose to fly once, last September, to her brother鈥檚 wedding in Denver because a train trip would have necessitated taking her kids out of their new school for a week.

In 2021, I experienced my own climate gut punch. 国产吃瓜黑料 offered me an opportunity to travel to the Arctic for the winter solstice, a bucket-list trip I鈥檇 dreamed about for nearly a decade that was finally materializing. But to travel so far (7,000 miles round-trip), with so many resulting carbon emissions, and to a place especially sensitive to the ravages of global warming, felt irresponsible and tone-deaf. Yet it was hard to deny a longing that felt much deeper than simply wanting an escape or an adventure. I thought hard about it and ultimately decided to go.

Lodging in an off-grid retreat center 63 miles north of the Arctic Circle in the Brooks Range of Alaska, I watched northern lights tango across the sky, cross-country-skied as polar dawn melted into polar dusk, and immersed myself in the crystalline stillness of a place that slumbers without any direct sunlight for more than a month. Those mountains, tundras, and boreal forests continue to haunt my dreams, and memories of the land鈥檚 beauty and fragility inspire my work.

But during my time there, the temperature shot upward more than 60 degrees over the course of about 24 hours, from minus 35 to a preposterous 28 degrees, an Arctic-winter heat wave that echoed broader temperature shifts and catastrophic changes debilitating the region. The cognitive dissonance of loving a place so much while also contributing directly to its demise was almost physically painful.

Flying home, a subtle tension suffused my body, as if I could feel the misalignment between my choices and my hope and concern for the world. I wanted to forget about it, ignore it, or rationalize my way out. I bought to mitigate my travel for that entire year, but it felt like a cheap apology. (According to one to the European Commission, the vast majority of offset programs don鈥檛 reduce emissions.) I wasn鈥檛 sure my relationship with flying would ever be the same.

Still, voluntarily not flying while friends take holidays in far-flung places feels like nothing but a gaping and pointless loss. And while it takes a certain amount of privilege to be able to fly, it could potentially take an even greater degree of privilege to travel and not fly, given the time and expense involved. Those who have chosen to fly less or not at all say there are trade-offs.

My friend Liz declined an offer to go on a camping trip with a group of her favorite people because it would have necessitated a flight, and she has opted to do a professional training program online instead of in person. For a time, meteorologist Eric Holthaus took long train trips for work, which put a strain on his family life, and he declined his dream job at the Weather Channel because it would have required too much travel. Climate scientist Kim Cobb recognizes that if she hadn鈥檛 already been well established in her career, there would have been profound opportunity costs.

There is also an emotional risk to being an outlier. Liz has found that her choice has sometimes made people so uncomfortable that they鈥檝e ridiculed her or immediately dismissed the idea. Many of Holthaus鈥檚 friends have responded with disbelief. 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing how much travel is baked into middle-class, upper-middle-class culture,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an identity, and I wasn鈥檛 really expecting it to be that hard to break. But with that has come a chance to examine all of that privilege of having traveled and being cultured as a status symbol. It’s not really that uncommon to not fly. It’s just in our bubble that it feels unthinkable.鈥�

Holthaus also, however, delights in the benefits of slow travel, in which people travel more slowly and conscientiously rather than and quickly and superficially. He realized he had both more money and more time to spend outside on his vacations, and they felt more special and intentional. Daniel Fahey, the travel writer who once thought nothing of jetting from London to Beijing for a weekend, has found the challenge and novelty of traveling plane-free invigorating. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e traveling slow, you鈥檙e not numb to everything else,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e more alive to stuff. If I fly across the country and watch a movie for an hour and a half, I鈥檝e been disengaged from my environment.鈥� There鈥檚 also an intrinsic value to feeling aligned with your conscience, he says.

Liz spoke of the ineffable rewards of minimizing flying, how traveling more slowly felt less wrenching on her body and less transactional. Cobb feels more connected to her community and family鈥攁nd she鈥檚 in better shape because she makes time to bike to work now.

I recently learned of a Buddhist teaching that speaks to this debate: a wise person always trades a lesser happiness for a greater happiness. I wondered if flying less could be the greater happiness because it鈥檚 simply a more harmonious and peaceful way of being in the world. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a satisfaction with doing less, with having less, with living in deeper harmony,鈥� Liz explained. 鈥淚 do feel like I鈥檓 respecting the earth more with these choices.鈥�

Tourism can be a great force for destruction but also a force for tremendous social good, for travelers and hosts. I certainly wouldn鈥檛 advise people to stop traveling. I am grateful for innumerable wonderful travel experiences that have entertained, delighted, and expanded my understanding of this planet and its inhabitants, human and otherwise, and deepened my empathy.

But there have also been ways that I have traveled, largely in haste and frequently aboard a plane, that have encouraged a sort of objectification of those places, as if they were products or trophies. When I plop in from out of the sky, my comprehension of a new land and its people is often decontextualized from the living fabric of the earth and my place in it. Could I have even more meaningful and adventurous travel experiences, with greater positive impacts for the places I visited, if I approached travel in a different way? Like opting for longer and more sporadic overland journeys instead of shorter trips with long-haul flights?

Last fall, my husband and I had a couple of flexible weeks and were considering a trip together, possibly to Central America. I looked into flights to Costa Rica and Belize. We could have afforded to go, but something felt empty about it, jet-setting off to a remote beach or rainforest. It felt too easy and on some level unrealistic. We decided not to go abroad and instead each took shorter trips closer to home.

I drove south a few hours from my home in Colorado, to a remote area of New Mexico. A storm arrived and blanketed the desert with snow, and I hiked through the silent sage and junipers as the sun reemerged. An owl swooped out of the dark in front of my car one evening, and an elk herd passed right before me. On my way home, cresting the Continental Divide at dawn, I passed through a forest of ponderosas perfectly encapsulated in a million faceted crystals of frost鈥攊n all of my travels to many dozens of countries, it was among the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

But I also recognized an internal shift. Instead of feeling a sense of harried entitlement that can sometimes come with the busyness of long-haul trips, and the way I have shoehorned them into my very full life, I felt a sense of humility and a deeper appreciation of what the earth was offering me through no apparent merit of my own. Internally, it was undoubtedly trading a lesser happiness for a greater happiness.

I鈥檇 like to say that I鈥檓 vowing to quit flying entirely, but because our closest family members live 15 hours away by car, that may not be realistic. My husband and I already have two obligations that necessitate flying this year. However, it is feasible to reduce our flying to one flight trip per year, and I intend to do that in 2024. It will take some imagination, ingenuity, time, and planning ahead. I recognize that the privileges of having traveled the world previously and having a flexible job and some disposable income make this choice easier than it may be for some. But there are others making this choice, and it occurred to me that minimizing flying, in and of itself, is an adventure. It鈥檚 not about living within some rigid ideal but probing the forward edge of social change.

In the relationship between individual, cultural, and systemic change, you never know exactly how your part will affect the whole. But when I started to think in a real way about limiting my flying, I noticed that my paralysis and resignation around climate change loosened. I began to feel a sense of energy and agency, even hope, however small. People everywhere, in every time, have to step into a future way of being that they can鈥檛 currently imagine. Why not me? Why not you?

Kate Siber is a correspondent for 国产吃瓜黑料 magazine and the author of two children鈥檚 books. Her work has also appeared in Men鈥檚 Journal, The New York Times Magazine, and various National Geographic publications. Her next trip鈥攂y electric car鈥攚ill be to Canyonlands National Park in Utah.

The post Should I Stop Flying? It’s a Difficult Decision to Make. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

I am not a horror fan. When I鈥檓 settled around a campfire and someone asks, 鈥淒o you want to hear a ghost story?鈥� I respond with a hearty, 鈥淣ope!鈥� I am, however, a fan of audio鈥擨 work as a podcast producer鈥攁nd I鈥檓 a sucker for a good gimmick. So when I learned about a horror story that can only be heard in Sweden鈥檚 forests, I was immediately smitten. I hopped a plane to Stockholm shortly after and headed to the woods to scare myself silly.

The mysterious piece of fiction, called Kiln, is written by , Sweden鈥檚 answer to Stephen King. He鈥檚 written over 20 books, including , a vampire novel and his best known work in the U.S. You can鈥檛 pick Kiln up at a bookstore or even a library, however. Instead, it鈥檚 an audio story you stream on your phone that has been geo-locked within Sweden鈥檚 borders, forcing fans to quite literally follow him into the darkness of his country鈥檚 forests. For Halloween weekend, however, it鈥檚 been unlocked and for anyone who wants a taste.

After arriving in Stockholm, I headed to the woods of V盲stmanland, a region about a two hour drive from Stockholm. While you can technically listen to Kiln anywhere in Sweden, you could also watch The Shining on your phone in the yogurt aisle of the grocery store, but you wouldn鈥檛, would you? So I opted to follow recommended listening practices and found a good forest to walk through. Thanks to Sweden鈥檚 freedom-to-roam laws, you can walk in any woods in the country. I opted for one near the, a bed and breakfast in V盲stmanland. I was alone when I walked into the quiet woods, armed with headphones and a link to Lindqvist鈥檚 story. I have been in the woods many times, but it鈥檚 never felt quite so lonely.

Creeping myself out in the forest was exactly what Lindqvist was hoping his story would facilitate. The project began when Visit Sweden, the country鈥檚 tourism board, asked Lindqvist to write a story that would help encourage visitors to leave the urban centers and go into the woods. They created , as well as to visit throughout the country to listen to it.

Tourists in Sweden tend to crowd Stockholm鈥檚 coffee shops or or head to Malm枚 to explore its eclectic restaurants, but the country is covered in trees, and its forests are very much part of Sweden鈥檚 national ethos.

鈥淵ou haven’t really visited Sweden if you don’t see our forests,鈥� says Lindqvist. 鈥淭hey are a part of the Swedish identity.鈥� Tree-filled stretches like V盲stmanland lie right outside of Stockholm, and the lake-filled district of V盲rmlandand Lapland spreads to the northernmost reaches of the continent, waiting for outdoor enthusiasts to explore.

It鈥檚 not only the woods that Swedes love鈥攖he paranormal is built into their lives as well. Fairy tale creatures like trolls, elves, huldra, and N盲cken are as much woodland creatures as moose and bears. 鈥淭he supernatural has always played an active role in Swedish culture,鈥� Lindqvist says. 鈥淚t is more than just a backdrop to the crime stories and Nordic noir movies that have made the country famous.鈥�

When Lindqvist was a child, he had a healthy fear of the woods and those that live in it. 鈥淭he creatures that scared me as a child were big locusts, especially the kind that have a sort of neck. They can slowly tilt their heads and look at you. What are they thinking?鈥� he asks. The forest was a sinister place to him, the perfect setting not for kidnapping or physical harm, but something worse鈥斺�渃easing to exist.鈥�

As I walked through the forest, I began to see why Lindqvist found the woods to be such an unsettling place. The forest in Sweden is not like the wet, piney forests I know in the Pacific Northwest or the crisp deciduous woods of the Northeast. The woods in Vastmanland are moss lined. Every step you take your foot sinks down a few inches like the ground is preparing to envelop you. Worse, each step disappears, the moss springing back up to leave no trace of the path you took. As I trek through the woods, I note the lingonberry and blueberry bushes, taking a rough inventory of foraging options, you know, just in case my trip goes longer than expected.

Before it gets too dark鈥擨鈥檓 truly not brave enough to listen to a ghost story in the dark in unknown woods)鈥擨 find a misplaced boulder to use as a back rest, and settle onto the soft mossy ground. Then I put on my headphones and brace myself.

No spoilers, naturally, but the experience terrifying and wonderful and worth the trip. Kiln follows an unnamed visitor to Sweden (a tourist just like you!) who enters an unidentified patch of woods and emerges haunted by his experiences.

鈥淣ature seems to come alive and lures you to come after it,鈥� Lindqvist told Visit Sweden after being tasked with the story. It鈥檚 a tale that travels with you, or to crib the title of a horror movie I didn鈥檛 watch, it follows. You leave the woods, but the story stays in the back of your mind, even as you follow a path out of the trees, head back to the warmth of a bonfire, and travel home on the plane. The story wants you to come back to the woods. If you dare.

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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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After a lot of thoughtful deliberation, for the first time in my life听I decided to postpone an international trip because of COVID-19. I鈥檝e been traveling problem-free for three decades, but a few of my international trips have gone sideways of late: I was stranded in Chile for three days due to a grounded ferry and subsequent airline strike, forcing a chain reaction of expensive new flight and lodging logistics. Last summer, on a flight home from Bogot谩, Colombia, I was delayed for almost 24 hours due to weather and mechanical issues and had to pay additional expenses for hotels,听meals, and transportation.

But the scariest incident was in Sweden last fall when I almost lost the vision in my left eye.

My eyesight had been disappearing quietly over the course of a week. I had no pain, just a slowly creeping blind spot that was cannibalizing my peripheral vision. I was having fun at a conference and ignoring听the issue until I walked across a busy street in听G枚teborg听and was almost run over by a train. That鈥檚 when I called my sister, a physician in the U.S., who told me听I likely had a detached retina, that I was in danger of losing the vision in my left eye, and that I should get myself to a hospital immediately.

I took her advice. In听the emergency room, a听doctor confirmed my sister鈥檚 suspicions and sent me upstairs to start prepping for surgery, which was now scheduled for early the next morning. During the procedure, the surgeon replaced my eye鈥檚 viscous fluid with hydrogen gas, and afterward, he told me that I wouldn鈥檛 be able to fly for at least three weeks until the gas naturally dissipated. If I did fly, he explained, the gas would expand and destroy my newly reconstructed eye.

I panicked when the doctor told me that I needed immediate surgery. But as far as medical disasters abroad go, I hit the jackpot. I was among friends听in a developed nation, with an excellent hospital where a top-notch surgeon performed a successful operation. Post-op, my cousin, who lives nearby, invited me to stay with her family for five days, spoiled me with home-cooked meals, and found me a quiet and inexpensive cottage rental within walking distance of her house where I could slowly recover.

All went as well as it could for a mishap far from home. But if I hadn鈥檛 bought an insurance policy through 听before I left, I would have been out nearly $13,000. That鈥檚 peanuts compared to how costs often balloon during an emergency abroad. And now as the world shuts down as a result of COVID-19, travelers are scrambling to cancel trips.听

We travel to expand our lives, not to fret about all the bad things that can happen to us while we鈥檙e away. But with the rise of COVID-19, there鈥檚 never been a better time to get savvy about insurance.听

According to the , a Washington, D.C., nonprofit trade group, Americans spent nearly $3.8 billion on travel protection in 2018, an increase of 40.9 percent from 2016. Over the same period, the number of travel-protection plans that were sold increased by 36.5 percent. Since January 21, 2020, according to the travel-insurance-comparison website , there鈥檚 been a 60 percent increase in sold policies that include a 鈥渃ancel for any reason鈥� benefit.

There are many reasons for the additional expenditures on travel insurance. According to the , in 2016, there were 3.8 billion air travelers, a number that is predicted to increase to 7.2 billion by 2035. This increased global movement has contributed to more congested airports and travel delays, in addition to a significant rise in the spread of disease outbreaks, as evidenced by COVID-19. Also, natural disasters have quadrupled in number and magnitude between 1970 and 2017, which has resulted in delayed flights or cancelled trips. (But there is some good news for travelers: according to the Global Terrorism Database, the total number of terrorist attacks worldwide decreased 43 percent between 2014 and 2018, and the total number of deaths by terrorism decreased 48 percent.)

These threats are scary, but the reality is that, before COVID-19, usually most people鈥檚 trips were interrupted for much simpler reasons鈥攂roken bones, appendicitis, sprained ankles. 鈥淭he highest-volume health mishaps are the most boring ones,鈥� says Bill McIntyre, director of communications for , a New Hampshire鈥揵ased travel-membership organization that provides medical, security, evacuation, travel-risk, and crisis-management services. 鈥淭raveler鈥檚 diarrhea is number one by far.鈥� In terms of security risks, says McIntyre, muggings are the most common.听

鈥淵ou may be very young and healthy, and situations can still happen to you,鈥� says Scott Adamski, head of U.S. field sales for AIG Travel. 鈥淭here has always been civil unrest, earthquakes, and fire, but it鈥檚 impacting more people because more people are traveling.鈥�

And if you engage in what insurance companies deem 鈥渆xtreme鈥� activities, the odds of an accident may increase. Alastair Swinton, a 30-year-old mountain guide who works in the European Alps, went on a climbing expedition last September to Mount Koyo Zom, a 22,546-foot technical peak in the Hindu Raj range of Pakistan. Swinton fell about 65 feet into a crevasse, sustaining head and leg injuries. His climbing partner pulled him out and made an SOS call to the organization Global Rescue. The duo鈥檚 communication device died during the evacuation process, but the helicopter still found the climbers a day later.

鈥淚t was very surreal that somebody from Global Rescue knew where I was, knew how to get into contact with me, and knew which hospital I was in,鈥� says Swinton. 鈥淕lobal Rescue is almost like a guardian angel looking over you. They manage to find you when you think you鈥檙e all alone.鈥�

Luckily, I didn鈥檛 need to get pulled out of a crevasse and evacuated in Sweden. While the AIG travel-insurance policy I purchased covered my medical expenses and return flight, it did not cover almost $1,000 in meals, transportation, and Airbnb costs during my three-week recovery period. The response after I submitted听my expenses was: 鈥淯nfortunately, the Trip Delay benefit does not provide coverage [for these items] due to an illness or injury of the insured on this policy.鈥�

After reading the fine print on my policy, I realized that trip delay in travel-insurance parlance refers to delayed travel due to inclement weather or an airline strike. There was no category for living expenses incurred while recovering from surgery. That鈥檚 nothing compared to the experience of a fellow traveler from Minnesota: while in Peru last September, he cycled off a cliff, broke both ankles, and had to be airlifted out, then flew to the U.S. for emergency surgery. Seven months later, he鈥檚 still trying to recoup an estimated $75,000 in out-of-pocket expenses from a different insurance company.

As for COVID-19, it鈥檚 important to know that no travel-insurance policy covers fear-based cancellations, i.e., bailing on a trip because of concern that you will get sick, unless you have bought a rider, a time-sensitive benefit on some plans that allows a traveler to call off听a trip for any reason up to 48 hours prior to the scheduled departure. But like the airlines today, who are changing their cancellation and change fees at this time, some insurance companies are now doing the same.

From viruses to natural disasters, here鈥檚 how to make sure you鈥檙e covered for anything that might come your way while traveling.听

What to Know Before You Buy Travel Insurance

Check your primary health-insurance policy first. Most domestic policies offer some coverage for international emergencies, for things like broken bones, appendicitis, and illnesses and accidents that require immediate medical attention. But it may not be enough to cover your entire bill or to get you home. If you were to go on a trip and contract COVID-19 or be quarantined, some domestic policies would consider that a medical emergency and cover a percentage of the cost of your care and the logistical expenses of being quarantined. But policies vary, and it鈥檚 imperative to talk to an agent at your insurance company to see what鈥檚 covered before traveling. Depending on the state in which you reside, Blue Cross Blue Shield offers international protection through , a supplemental policy that provides up to $1 million in medical and up to $500,000 in evacuation costs for international travel. To be insured with GeoBlue, you don鈥檛 have to have domestic Blue Cross Blue Shield coverage, but you do have to provide proof that you have a primary health-insurance policy.听

Look into what your credit cards cover. Some credit cards come with medical protection plans while traveling abroad. It鈥檚 the exceptional one that offers extensive medical or evacuation coverage. One of the best is the , which offers $20,000 for emergency medical expenses and $100,000 for emergency transportation if you paid for your plane ticket (and other travel expenses, like your hotel) with the card. It鈥檚 important to call a representative at your credit-card company to ask about its policy for COVID-19. Some may cover the cost of your trip if a cancellation is mandatory鈥攆or instance, if it鈥檚 based on a government-enforced travel ban鈥攂ut likely not due to cancelling out of fear of contracting the virus.

Here鈥檚 the deal with insurance offered by airlines when buying a ticket. When booking a flight, many airlines offer travel insurance through a third party, such as AIG Travel or Allianz Travel, for an upcharge of roughly 10听percent of the cost of the flight. This protection generally covers a flight refund if you can鈥檛 travel, reimbursement for lost luggage, and rebooking costs for flight cancellations or missed connections. Given the current COVID-19 situation, many airlines like 听have announced varying policies that waive or suspend change and cancellation fees within a given time period.听Take note that airline insurance is not a health-insurance policy. If you want to cover all your bases, investigate a more comprehensive policy.

Learn听the Difference Between Travel Insurance and Travel Memberships

Travel insurance is an umbrella term that generally covers a carefully calibrated portion of medical expenses, trip cancellations, lost luggage, flight accidents (an accident that occurs while on a licensed commercial flight), evacuation due to natural disasters, and other losses incurred while traveling. The list of companies offering these policies is long: AIG Travel, , ,听, and others. Most of these听offer comprehensive packages that cover all of the above, as well as 脿听la carte coverage options for medical reasons, trip cancellation, and other things. The price of and protection provided by each policy varies and can be based on the age of the traveler, the state in which the traveler lives, the cost and duration of the trip, the destination country, and when the traveler buys the policy in relation to purchasing the trip.听

COVID-19 has opened a massive can of worms, because it became what鈥檚 called in insurance parlance a 鈥溾�� to travelers听as of roughly January 21.听(The known-risk date varies per company.) For those who purchased a policy after January 21, cancellations due to the virus may not be covered. AIG Travel still encourages travelers to file a claim because some policies may provide coverage depending on the exact reason for cancellation. And as the virus spreads,听some companies, like Allianz, are altering their policies to include coverage of COVID-related听medical and cancellation claims.

A rep for IMG, the travel-insurance company听I was using听for my postponed trip, told me when I inquired about costs associated with COVID-19 that they are considering this on a case-by-case basis and evolving global circumstances. 鈥淭here are no inclusions in the policy for quarantines,鈥� the rep said. 鈥淚f you were to get quarantined or sick, you need to pay up front and file a claim for reimbursement.鈥�

These variables are why it鈥檚 so important to read the fine print and ask an insurance agent a lot of questions to find out about any exclusions.

It鈥檚 also important for 国产吃瓜黑料 readers to know that many travel policies do not cover extreme sports, which can include activities like scuba diving, mountain biking, or climbing with ropes. If a travel-insurance company does offer an adventure or extreme-sports rider, the traveler may live in a state in which laws prevent it from being sold. 鈥淪ome travel-insurance coverages may not be offered in specific states,鈥� says Julie Loffredi, the media-relations manager for InsureMyTrip. 鈥淭his may be due to state law or to the travel-insurance company simply not selling that type of plan in that specific state, for whatever reason.鈥�

For my postponed trip to Antarctica that would've听involved rock and ice climbing with ropes, I researched four insurance companies before I found one that offered the coverage I needed. The first didn鈥檛 offer mountaineering coverage, the second didn鈥檛 offer coverage in the polar regions, and the third offered both, but the mountaineering coverage was not available to听Minnesota residents, where I live. I finally found what I needed听through IMG鈥檚 Patriot Platinum International policy. Ripcord Rescue Insurance also specializes in policies for travelers undertaking potentially risky endeavors, like mountain climbing in remote countries. Even if you have an inkling of a plan to rent a mountain bike for a day, you鈥檒l likely want to buy an extreme-sports rider.

Most travel-insurance policies are available up to 24 hours before departure, but it鈥檚 smarter to buy a policy within 14 to 21 days of making a trip purchase or deposit. Be sure to pay extra for the rider, which usually provides reimbursement of 50 to 75 percent of the prepaid, non-refundable trip cost. With the insurance and the rider, you鈥檒l be covered if you need to cancel a trip due to pre-existing conditions, illness (your own or a family member鈥檚), natural disasters, COVID-19, or any other reason you may not want to get on a plane.听

鈥淎 lot of younger travelers say, 鈥業鈥檓 in perfect health, so I don鈥檛 need to worry about preexisting conditions,鈥欌�� says AIG鈥檚 Adamski. But, he adds, if they don鈥檛 buy insurance within the 14-to-21-day window听and their mother gets sick due to a preexisting condition and they have to cancel, they may not get refunded for the cost of the trip.

Travel memberships from companies like Global Rescue and offer medical evacuation and act as a supplement to your medical coverage. Some insurance policies already offer medical-evacuation insurance, but if you鈥檙e听a frequent traveler to remote locations, this additional annual membership may make sense. Global Rescue鈥檚 McIntyre explains it this way: 鈥淲e鈥檙e kind of like AAA for your car. We鈥檒l tow your car to the garage, but we鈥檙e not going to have your carburetor replaced.鈥�

Sign up for a one-time or annual Global Rescue membership听and you鈥檒l receive security, evacuation, and travel-risk and crisis-management services. It听provides a highly trained expert who will walk you through a crisis and who will also arrange to evacuate you from a dangerous or emergency medical situation, but it听won鈥檛 pay the hospital bills. The basic annual travel membership ($329) gives Global Rescue clients medical-evacuation service to the hospital of their choice. For an additional $326, Global Rescue offers a security upgrade that extracts members in danger of bodily harm from war, civil unrest, natural disasters, government-evacuation orders, and other security emergencies.

But it鈥檚 important to read the fine print here, too: Global Rescue evacuation is not available above the 80th parallel north or below the 60th parallel south, which means that if you鈥檙e planning a polar cruise, look elsewhere for evacuation. Also by law the company is prohibited from transporting people with infectious diseases, like COVID-19. If you were to be quarantined because of an infectious disease, the membership provides advisory services (like medical and security referrals) wherever you happen to be.听

What to Do if a Trip Goes Sideways

Even if you think you have the situation under control, immediately call your insurer and tell them what鈥檚 happening. Insurance and travel membership companies have a 24/7 international phone line and a trained medical team on staff who can help you navigate how to quickly get help. At the point of first contact, they will open a file and monitor your progress until you safely reach home. 鈥淭here are a lot of things that go into a medical situation,鈥� says AIG鈥檚 Adamski. 鈥淟et鈥檚 say you are with family or a traveling companion. Do they stay with you? Do they have to change their flight back to the U.S? Do they need cash? How will they get cash?鈥� he says, noting that the most comprehensive policies will cover these costs. 鈥淲e help facilitate all of these things. If customers don鈥檛 call us first, it becomes more challenging to assist if the policyholder has already involved other parties.鈥�

Keep immaculate records of receipts. Without proof of payment, you won鈥檛 get reimbursed, which is why it鈥檚 a good idea to go overboard on documentation and keep track of all expenses as they are accrued, rather than trying to track them down retroactively at home. During my eye mishap in Sweden, I paid for my emergency-room visits and follow-up appointments via credit card. My only proof was the credit-card receipt with the name of the hospital printed on top. That wasn鈥檛 good enough for the insurance company. I still needed documentation from the surgeon and the hospital stating that I was being treated for a detached retina. It took half a dozen phone calls to the hospital in Sweden from the U.S. to find the appropriate person who was able to retroactively get听me the receipt鈥攚hich he had to send via snail mail鈥攁nd delayed reimbursement by a month.

Take a few deep breaths. Having an emergency away from home is never fun, but it does offer a unique glimpse into the inner workings of a foreign culture, not to mention听a hell of a story to tell your friends.

*This story has been updated to reflect the current news.

The post Does Travel Insurance Cover the Coronavirus? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

We left Mora at 2 A.M. with snow falling, headed for the Arctic Circle. Mora was Mora, Sweden, the small town that鈥檚 famous as the end point of the 90-kilometer Vasaloppet, the oldest and largest race in cross-country skiing. I听first completed it back in the 1980s, when I was making a film with National Geographic听about doing, in a single year, all the races in the European series known as . One of the sponsors was , which also sponsored the Swedish marathon team that听dominated the race circuit that year. Out of pity for my sad skiing ability, Karhu asked the team鈥檚 coach, Kjell Kratz, to help me out, and we鈥檝e been close friends ever since. Over the decades, Kjell鈥檚 red house, which is a short walk from the finish line of the Vasaloppet, has become a second home for me.

The week before, I鈥檇 skied the 2019 and a crazy new event, , which involves negotiating听the same course at night, helped along by torches, headlamps, and moonlight. After the race, I听walked back to Kjell鈥檚 house through a sleeping neighborhood, thinking how lucky I鈥檇 been to stumble into this world of skiing, snow, and Scandinavia. It had sustained me in dark times and was always there for me鈥攚aiting, never disappointing. In previous听years after the Vasa, I鈥檇 felt a mix of relief that I鈥檇 made it to the finish听tinged with a melancholy that this signaled the beginning of the end of winter. It made me long for an endless ski season听where the snow was always fresh and the tracks stretched forever beyond the horizon.

A few years ago, I heard about an event in Finland called . The idea seemed irresistibly loony: a 420-kilometer cross-country ski all the way across Finland, from the Russian line to the Swedish line. Border to Border听had been held every March for more than 30 years, run by volunteers, never advertised or commercialized, just one of those wild听challenges that attracts a self-selecting group of ski nuts. I听signed up and was trying to figure out the best way to get there from Mora听when Kjell, who was then 76, announced that he was going, too, and that we would drive.

鈥淭hat鈥檒l take us two days, right?鈥� I said. It was about 750 miles away, and Mora was just south of the Arctic Circle. This was during an old-fashioned Swedish winter that seemed to bring heavy snow every day.

Kjell eyed me with a look of disappointment that I鈥檇 come to know well, like the time I听suggested we might want to stop and sleep when driving from Mora to a race in Italy. 鈥淭wo days?鈥� he said. 鈥淥ut of the question. It is nothing.鈥�

Which is how we ended up leaving Mora in the middle of the night, heading north to Lapland, the region that鈥檚 home to nomadic reindeer herders known in Finland, Sweden, and Norway as the Sami. Kjell is a famously fast driver. One time, near the start of the Vasaloppet, he听dropped me off to stay with a friend. Her husband, a renowned Swedish race-car driver, saw Kjell roaring away, came into the house wide-eyed, and asked, 鈥淲ho was that lunatic?鈥�

Kjell had lined up a job waxing skis at the a few days after the finish of Border to Border, and his Volvo station wagon was packed with exotic waxes of every variety. As we rocketed past a double semi on a blind curve in heavy snow, I fell asleep pondering the flammable qualities of fluoro.

We drove up the eastern coast of Sweden, the sun rising over frozen pieces of the Baltic. We arrived just after dark at a cluster of buildings deep in the woods, buried in snow. The place was called the , and when I听tried to find out more about it online, two nearby attractions听were mentioned: and .

About 30 skiers were there, most on the older side, and they had the lean and perpetually tired look of endurance devotees who鈥檇 probably pushed their bodies too hard. A few very fit-looking younger women鈥擜mericans and Canadians, as it turned out鈥攕tudied posted maps that showed each day鈥檚 route. They described the first day, tomorrow, as an 鈥渆asy warm-up.鈥� It was 42 kilometers, with a long climb.

A sign announced that there would be two dinners served each evening, one around five, after skiing, and another at eight, after the nightly briefing for the next day. At the first dinner, the group ate with the quiet determination of people who understood that eating enough was a key to success.

Later that night, after I鈥檇 taken a sauna鈥�in Finland there鈥檚 always a sauna鈥擨 stepped out and looked at a frozen lake, glistening in the reflected glow of the moonlight. A short dock led to a ladder descending into a hole in the ice. I stood there sweating, the snow falling softly, and knew there was no place in the world I鈥檇 rather be.

The next morning, we bused a short distance to a trailhead near the Russian border, which was beside one of the endless frozen lakes that we would cross during the event. A pair of Germans took off, and I knew that finishing first each day would mean a lot to them. I鈥檇 never done a multi-day ski event before, but I鈥檇 done enough group bike trips to know that there will always be people who act like they鈥檙e wearing a numbered bib. For reasons I didn鈥檛 quite understand but accepted gratefully, I never felt competitive in these situations, perhaps because there had been听other parts of my life in which winning had meant too much.

Kjell had followed the bus in his Volvo; now he studied the snow with the concentration of a bomb maker soldering wires to a detonator. I鈥檇 brought two pairs of skis. One was prepped with wax tape, a magical application that went on like masking tape and delivered shockingly good results in a wide variety of conditions. The other was treated with standard Start hard waxes for cold weather. (Kjell was a Start rep and viewed all other waxes with suspicion.)

Conditions this听morning: ten degrees Fahrenheit, with a projected high of fifteen. 鈥淧erfect skiing weather,鈥� Kjell announced, but I knew he would say that of anything short of rain. He handed me the hard-waxed skis and announced solemnly, 鈥淭hese will work.鈥�

He was right, of course. When you鈥檙e a mediocre skier, there鈥檚 a certain magic to having perfectly waxed skis鈥攊t鈥檚 as if you changed running shoes and suddenly started knocking off miles two minutes faster.

In the Border to Border ski, inevitably, the first five or so kilometers were across a frozen lake. Minnesota is called the Land of 10,000 Lakes and actually has . Finns call听Finland the Land of 1,000 Lakes, and it has听. Somewhere in there are the makings of what passes for a joke in this taciturn country and something very profound about the Finnish people. As the saying goes, the introvert Finn looks at your feet while talking; the extrovert looks at your knees. These are people defined by understatement.

This temperament suits the landscape perfectly. Finland is not known for visual extremes, breathtaking vistas, or high peaks. Mostly it鈥檚 marked by endless expanses of forests, lakes, rivers, rolling hills, small towns, and neat farms. During Border to Border, there was no hint of spring at all.

We started our ski on a track made by volunteers听who used a snowmobile dragging a weighted sled. Around midmorning, we connected with the beautifully groomed trails of the Ruka system.

In the cross-country world, is famous for being a place where elite teams gather to train in the early season. Ruka鈥檚 managers store massive amounts of snow鈥攊ncreasingly a thing in nordic skiing鈥攁nd there鈥檚 always skiable track by the third week of October. For a groupie like me, skiing in the Ruka system was like trotting onto the field at Fenway. With small caf茅s situated along the route and trail signs pointing in every direction, this was the alternative universe I鈥檇 long sought, where skiing was the organizing principle of life, both transportation and sport, and other endeavors, like work, were of far less importance. Life was here. That other stuff was what you did because you really couldn鈥檛 ski all the time.

The Border to Border volunteers had set up lunch on the porch of a trackside caf茅. Kjell was waiting inside. 鈥淭he wax is fantastic,鈥� I told him, sitting at a wooden table. He frowned. 鈥淥f course it is.鈥�

The three women I鈥檇 seen the night before鈥攚ho鈥檇 called today a warm-up鈥攃ame in. I was surprised that I was ahead of them, but Kjell shook his head, smiling, and said,听鈥淭hey were here a half-hour ago and just went back to the bus to get some clothes.鈥� I laughed. The salmon soup was amazing.

That night we stayed in a sprawling spa hotel just off the track. I walked in, still a little dazed from the cold, sweating from a cluster of short, sharp hills in the final kilometers, and for a moment I thought I might have been hallucinating. This was a destination resort, geared to families, complete with a water park. It was warm and slightly moist inside, almost tropical. I stood there, feeling the melting icicles that hung from my sweaty hat, while families walked around in white robes headed to the spa or pool. Kjell approached with a beer in one hand and room keys in the other. 鈥淚 love this place,鈥� he beamed. 鈥淭he wax room is superb. The first dinner is in an hour. Sauna now.鈥�

The Finns consistently rank as in surveys that show the United States far below. After a long and troubled history, they have carefully constructed a society that seems to work better than most, where health care and education are considered a right of citizenship and conspicuous displays of wealth are discouraged. Their ethos of fairness affects every element of society. Even traffic fines are assessed based on income, which is how a Nokia executive ended up paying for听speeding in a 30-mile-per-hour zone. But this benign image of Finland hides a bloody, complicated history of desperate fights to maintain a distinct Finnish identity free of foreign dominance.

I thought about that history the next day听when we skied for hours atop by German-organized slave labor. A Finn I met, who was out for his daily ski, told me: 鈥淲e are skiing on a road of bones.鈥�

, the Finns fought the Russians, first alone and later in an alliance of accommodation with the Germans. Facing a far-superior force, the Finns , maximizing their ability to be comfortable in bitter cold against Russian conscripts who were ill prepared to live and fight in such conditions. They built just behind the front lines and taunted the freezing enemy.

This deeply acculturated embrace of winter was ingrained in the Border to Border ski; every 15 kilometers or so, a few volunteers would be waiting along the track by a fire, resting and snacking. In near zero temperatures and heavy snow, they looked as comfortable as Hawaiians on the beach.

On the second day, we slogged a slow and snowy 53听kilometers. When I first looked at the daily distances in Border to Border, I听figured that 10 kilometers per hour would be a nice pace. But on a day of heavy snow and no need to press hard, I found myself quite happy to poke along at a rate听that started to feel more like walking on skis than skiing. When I finally finished and met Kjell in the lobby of that night鈥檚 hotel, he pointed to my Garmin watch. 鈥淚 think we should get you a calendar, not a watch,鈥� he said. Which, as nordic ski humor goes, wasn鈥檛 bad.

We were staying at one of the sport hotels popular in Scandinavia. A banner in the lobby read,听鈥淓at. Sleep. Train. Repeat.鈥� I鈥檇 stayed in Swedish hotels like this and always found them idyllic. There were small rooms, big buffets, and a听sauna that was always hot.

I鈥檇 feared my body would start breaking down after back-to-back long days听but was pleasantly shocked to feel myself growing stronger and more comfortable with the distance, most likely because of the easy pace, regular feed stops, and absence of outside stress. It was still exhausting, but a world in which the most critical questions of the day were听how to wax and how much to eat is rejuvenating in ways that are difficult to replicate. Most of the third day was spent on groomed trail systems with warming huts at intersections. Every so often, there was a fire pit听where locals would be roasting the inevitable sausages on sticks. The perfect ski life started to seem normal, as if this was听how one was intended to live.

The fourth day was the longest scheduled, at just under 90 kilometers, the total length of the Vasaloppet. At the start of every Vasa, I鈥檇 felt a mix of dread and anxiety about my ability to finish. But this morning, I was relaxed and comfortable. The weather had turned warmer鈥攁round 32 degrees鈥攚ith snow falling, making for the ultimate waxing nightmare. I was on my , using Start wax tape, and after the first five kilometers, I could have sold the product to other skiers for a fortune. Every wax combination seemed to be failing: snow got stuck under skis, which led to much scraping and cursing. I had no problems, and I felt somewhat guilty and baffled, as I had been many times before, about why Start tape wasn鈥檛 used more widely.

I鈥檇 long ago learned from my long-distance cycling hero, the late Bob Breedlove, that the secret to tough days is to not think about the finish听but to consume the course 鈥渓ike the ant eats the elephant, bite by bite.鈥� It was difficult to read my Garmin wrist GPS in the wet snow, so I gave up trying to figure out where I was. Late in the afternoon, I came to one of the feed stations that had been set up inside the traditional, tepee-like structure used by the Sami. As soon as I stepped inside, my goggles fogged, but when I pulled them up, there was Kjell, deep in a heated conversation with one of the volunteers鈥攚ho was the tallest man I鈥檇 seen in Finland. All at once I felt exhausted. It always seemed that way when doing the long stuff. You feel fine when you鈥檙e moving, but once you stop, the hammer falls.

鈥淗ow did you get here?鈥� I asked, the words feeling strange coming out of my frozen mouth. As far as I could tell, we were deep inside a Finnish wilderness. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a road,鈥� he said. I stepped outside. In the near whiteout, I could barely see Kjell鈥檚 Volvo in the falling snow. I鈥檇 never felt so happy in my life.

鈥淓nough?鈥� he asked gently. He was telling me it was OK if I wanted to bail out and head to the hotel. 鈥淓nough,鈥� I said.

In the short ride to another sport hotel, down a beautifully plowed dirt road that seemed to stretch to the Arctic Circle, I experienced a strange feeling of relief. I鈥檝e come in last in events before, but I was not a guy who DNF鈥檇. Today, putting my skis in the car, I felt not a twinge of regret or shame as I watched other skiers cross the road, heads down against the snow, determined to finish the last 20 kilometers. I鈥檇 always told myself I did these crazy endurance events for fun and not to prove anything, but of course听that was just a convenient lie. I always had something to prove, though I couldn鈥檛 have told you precisely what it was. Perhaps now, after decades of skiing, I was stumbling into some hidden secret:听that it鈥檚 OK听to enjoy the sport because, well, it鈥檚 enjoyable.

I devoured both dinners that night and listened to two Canadians and an American laugh about the day. They were dismissive of what they鈥檇 accomplished, in the way of people who are accustomed to making the difficult seem easy. The next day鈥檚 ski was 鈥渙nly鈥� 46 kilometers, they said. A walk in the park.

But it turned out to be the hardest day we had. Most of the route was on a narrow track laid down by a snowmobile and sled. The snowstorm of the day before was followed by a vicious cold wind that obliterated the course anytime there was a break in the trees. I found myself struggling across a wide expanse of what I thought, from the map, was a bog听and wondering if I was even close to being on course.

I had also stupidly skied past the last feed station, eager to be done for the day. So now I was bonking. In the distance, I could just make out a stake with a yellow ribbon, the course marker听used by Border to Border volunteers. The wind was straight in my face, blowing icy snow that bit into my skin, making it hard to look up. My race poles had narrow baskets that went through the drifted snow like spears. I floundered across the bog exhausted, finding it hard to start moving again anytime I stopped. In the Arctic, there鈥檚 a phrase used to describe people who retreat to their tent and don鈥檛 want to come out: 鈥渢ent flu.鈥� I had a bad case.

Ultimately, I was able to see the red houses where the day鈥檚 route ended. There were no hotels along this section of the track. The overnight stop was an old schoolhouse that had been converted to a clubhouse for a local ski team鈥攚ith, of course, a large sauna attached. I bent over to take off my skis and felt dizzy, staggering a bit as I came up. One of the German guys walked听back from the sauna鈥攈e鈥檇 finished long before鈥攁nd put a firm, steadying hand on my shoulder. 鈥淗ard day,鈥� he said. I nodded. 鈥淕o eat.鈥� He motioned toward the ski club.

Inside was a food spread I鈥檇 been dreaming about for the past few hours. Kjell was there with a small group, watching a Norwegian biathlon race on TV. I ate and ate, too tired to talk. I could feel myself falling asleep while eating, which I hadn鈥檛 realized was possible. I finally stood to eat, so I wouldn鈥檛 end up with my face in the food.

The organizers had advised everyone to bring a sleeping bag for the stop at the schoolhouse, and I鈥檇 dutifully brought one. But when Kjell saw this request on the itinerary back in Mora, he was adamant: 鈥淲e don鈥檛 do this,鈥� he said. So I dragged myself out to his car, and we drove back to the hotel where we鈥檇 spent the previous night. At a small store across the street, I bought as much chocolate as I could carry, ate most of it before I got inside the hotel, and feel asleep on my bed, still wearing my ski clothes.

The last day was long听but mostly on beautiful tracks and easy terrain, the sun shinning, no wind, the sort of day that makes听you want to ski forever. There was an end-of-term lightness with the group, a few听impromptu sprints to see who still had some snap鈥擨 didn鈥檛 even try鈥攁nd many hours of quiet skiing. Mostly I skied alone, not wanting to worry about keeping up or holding anyone back, deep in my own thoughts and rhythms. I reached the banner at the end of the course, with that unique听feeling of relief and regret that comes from finishing a challenge that鈥檚 right at the edge of your capabilities. I took off my skis, sweating, a bit unsteady. Two students from the nearby high school brought over hot cider and the now familiar sausage on a stick. They hovered quietly, watching me, and I realized they were wondering if I might fall over. Finally one of them, a tall girl with hair so blond it looked almost white, said softly, 鈥淚t was a good ski, no?鈥�

The tour ends听with a banquet and a night of skits presented by the different nationalities represented during the ski, but Kjell would have none of that. His wax plans for the Birkebeiner had changed, and he wanted to drive back to Mora immediately after the finish. I was too tired to argue, and the thought of being back at Kjell鈥檚 house had its appeal. We stopped at the home of a friend of Kjell鈥檚 a few miles from the finish for coffee. He was a Start wax pro married to a former Finnish national team skier. He lived in the听farmhouse he had been born in, right on the Torne River that separated Finland from Sweden.

When I asked him what happened to his family during the war, he said his mother鈥檚 family had gone over the river into Sweden, and the Germans had used the house as a field hospital. When his family returned, the floor and walls were saturated in blood. They spent weeks cleaning. He talked about it with the matter-of-fact tone that summed up the tough resilience and determination of the Finns. It鈥檚 such a national character trait that they have a word for it: . It was sisu that got you through war and the long Finnish winters.

We made it back to Mora in the early morning. The finish line of the Vasaloppet on the town鈥檚 main street had been dismantled. There was a hint of a warmth in the air. A few cyclists were out before sunrise; winter was ending. But I felt better knowing it was still out there in Lapland, waiting. For a brief moment, I thought about going back and starting over. Then Kjell said, 鈥淚t took us 16 hours to get there. Next year I think we can do it in 12.鈥�

I told him I thought he was right.

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