"I WANT THIS MOVIE TO GRIP PEOPLE IN THE HEART"

Eleven years after the publication of Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild, Sean Penn brings the unforgettable tragedy of Chris McCandless to theaters with conviction and obsession. CHRISTOPHER KEYES goes on location in California.

THE ALPHA GEEK
Eric Jackson, patriarch of the most whitewater-besotted clan in the land, spanked kids half his age to become the world freestyle-kayaking champ—over and over again. KATIE ARNOLD gets schooled on maximizing points, nerding out on hydraulics, and raising a happy family.

DESTINATIONS SPECIAL
MODEL NATION
The girl from Ipanema may tantalize and superbabe Gisele may tease, but Brazil herself jumps in your lap. And it's not just beautiful people and beaches she offers. As STEVE CHAPPLE will tell you, there's adventure galore in this huge, geographically diverse nation.

SWIM. BIKE. RUN. SHOOT. KILL.
Son, do you thrive on conquering whatever obstacles lie in your path, be they men or mountains, halfpipes or hundred-mile runs? Then the Navy SEALs want you. It seems the usual rabble of bruisers just can't hack a little black-ops boot camp. BY TIM SOHN

FIRESTARTER
Imprisoned arsonist Chelsea Gerlach, formerly of the Earth Liberation Front, tells the inside story of the rise and fall of the self-sabotaging ELF—and what part she played in its inevitable takedown. An exclusive interview with McKENZIE FUNK.

»  FIRST LOOK: Rugby. It's not just for the rest of the world anymore.

DISPATCHES
»  EPIC: Climber Chris Sharma's annus mirabilis of unbolted conquests.
»  THE BIG IDEA: So I drive a big, gas-sucking truck. What about it?
»  TECHNOLOGY: Yes, it appears to be a 175-mile-an-hour biofuel bike.
»  THE OUTSIDE INTERVIEW: Lucha libre wrestler El Hijo del Santo, defender of Mexico's sea turtles.
»  DRAWING BOARD: From weather-imaging drones to ultralight heat shelters to extremely clingy gels, the newest firefighting tools.
»  PLUS: The evolution of the skate shoe; Grand Teton National Park gets an add-on; Jerry Falwell Jr.

MEDIA
»  FILM: Leonardo DiCaprio's The 11th Hour takes the earth's pulse and scares us green all over again.
»  BOOKS: Denis Johnson nails it again with his lush Vietnam War novel Tree of Smoke. PLUS: New books from Paul Theroux and Peter Heller; Kerouac's On the Road turns 50.

BODYWORK
»  THE MOVE: Learn how to hold your breath a lot longer (safely) from Tanya Streeter.
»  FITNESS QUIZ: Are you (a) fit as a fiddle or (b) reminiscent of a bass violin? You're about to find out.
»  THE PULSE: High-intensity training, fish oil, and mind over speed.
»  THE LAB RAT climbs Everest on Viagra—and almost resists jokes about vertical gain.

OUT OF BOUNDS  
Five idyllic Italian towns, the beckoning Mediterranean, e voi. Somnambulistic buddy in tow, ERIC HANSEN botches a no-brainer assignment but good.

THE HOT LIST
»  2007 URBAN SURVIVAL GUIDE: Your coast-to-coast road map to the best adventures to be had on one tank of gas. PLUS: Bay Area all-stars in this year's smartest duds; gear made for the metropolis; and four very fine urban assault vehicles.