Outside Magazine, Oct 2003
Stories
POSTs
It's every boy's dream: launching a do-it-yourself rocket that could not only put an eye out but could drill a hole through King Kong's forehead—and still make it to outer space. Meet Ky Michaelson, the sultan of thrust.
In a world where everything has a rational explanation, nature still has the power to keep her secrets. These true stories of dark doings, loose ends, and unexplained terror keep us up at night, defy all reason, and scare the living daylights out of us.
Fall's new casual boots feature a tried-and-true friend: durable leather. X-Ray 'em, however, and you'll find athletic-shoe cushioning and the sole and support of a hiker. Because you know what they say: real beauty is more than skin-deep.
Escape urban gridlock in West Virginia, where country roads and mountain mamas are only a fraction of the attraction
Winding a thousand miles from India to China, the Burma Road was built to defend China in World War II, but the atomic bomb made it irrelevant and the jungle reclaimed it. Mark Jenkins vowed to do what no one had done for nearly 60 years—travel the entire Burma Road—and discovered the madness of present-day Myanmar.
The author's father traveled the world, shipped out on the last commercial sailing voyage around Cape Horn, and handed down a legacy of adventure. But his risk-taking spirit had a dark side—and its shadow fell across a final winter rendezvous in Aspen.
Eileen and Tom Lonergan went out for a day of scuba diving, and never came back. The story behind the movie Open Water.
Sure, the wilderness is beautiful. But it can also frighten you out of your mind.
F E A T U R E S
UNSOLVED MYSTERIES
THE O FILES
Murder. Shocking disappearances. Haunting riddles. Although we all love to head into the wild in search of inspiration, sometimes what we find are dark enigmas. To explore this eerie side of things, we investigate 13 haunting true-life tales of crime and enduring mystery. By Jason Daley and Tim Sohn
PLUS: Ian Frazier on why it’s only human to get creeped out; Bruce Barcott on Bigfoot, the Mothman, the yeti, and other legendary beasts; and a few gruesome cases that finally got solved.
THE GHOST ROAD
Once an American military supply route snaking through a remote corner of Myanmar, the Burma Road is now just a shadowy jungle path. When the author trespasses this forbidden highway, he discovers a world where more than his own life is at stake.
By Mark Jenkins
MASTER BLASTER
Ky Michaelson, the king of model rocketeers, has a dream: to pack 500 pounds of space-shuttle fuel into a homemade, titanium-tipped rocket and send that streamlined, 17-foot baby 62 miles up into suborbital space.
By Bryant Urstadt
LAST TIME AROUND
Ten months after a vibrantly active father takes his own life, his son looks back on a legacy of risk-taking, a life lived to the fullest, and a heartbreaking struggle to cope with the encroaching end of adventure.
By Peter Stark
D E P A R T M E N T S
DISPATCHES
America’s GRAY WOLVES could be booted off the endangered species list—and soon. Will the revived predator become prey? PLUS: The outdoor industry’s HOTTEST PRODUCT DESIGNER ; CAVE DIVERS map threats to Florida’s main water source; and this month’s RADAR .
THE WILD FILE
Why are apes stronger than humans? How fast must one fly to enjoy a perpetual sunset? Why do squirrels chatter?
By Brad Wetzler
DESTINATIONS
THE EAST’S WILD WEST: Fierce whitewater, hundreds of miles of singletrack, more than 2,000 bolted climbing routes, and nary a crowd in sight. It’s not heaven; it’s WEST VIRGINIA . PLUS: The South Pacific’s UNDERWATER POST OFFICE ; learning to surf on MEXICO’S PACIFIC COAST ; and ASPEN ON THE CHEAP .
OUT THERE
How do you save a pristine CHILEAN RIVER from being dammed? With Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Glenn Close, one scared landlubber, and five days of Class V rapids.
By David Rakoff
REVIEW
Our top picks of the greatest new ADVENTURE TRAVEL GEAR for everything from down-the-road weekend getaways to round-the-world epics. PLUS: OUTSIDE STYLE: Tougher than the rest
BODYWORK
Become the ATHLETE OF THE FUTURE —as sci-fi tech gets real, artificial muscles, brainpower in a pill, and replaceable joints are seeing the light.