Category Archives: 2015

The Force is strong with Brazilian Star Wars fans, as I wrote in an article last week for Fusion. Along with being photogenic, not even Brazil’s worst recession in a nearly a century could thwart their Jedi-like powers to crowdfund a Star Wars … Continue reading →

It’s rainy season in Rio de Janeiro, which means it’s often cloudy, which means that the otherwise incredible vistas from the city’s clifftops and mountains are blocked by a thick white haze of rainclouds, which means that a long and steep hike … Continue reading →

Rio de Janeiro proudly boasts the world’s tallest floating Christmas tree — yes, that’s a thing — which normally looks something like this: But this year, days before the 280-foot metallic tree was scheduled to be lit up in the middle of Rio’s lagoon, an 85-mph wind snapped … Continue reading →

Ye die o’ the heat, ye drown in the muck, and if by some marvel ye manage to get around all o’ that, it’s diarrhea and malaria alinin’ up te kick ye in yer arse. That about sums of life … Continue reading →

The love to run: that is the key to the first sub-two-hour marathon. That guy has to love to run. And then you have to put all the other elements in there: the science, the equipment, the money. So says Norman Higgins, … Continue reading →

I’m standing atop Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park, Maine, pointing toward a small fishing village called Steuben, where my family lived for three chilly years from 1989 to 1992. This is where I attended kindergarten and elementary school through … Continue reading →

It’s an annual event on the southern Connecticut River: tree swallows swarming. I was invited to see it by the local outdoorsman Steve Fagin, who gave me no more details than that it was an “unbelievable spectacle.” “You’ll have to see for yourself,” he told … Continue reading →

I’ve heard people say they want their ashes spread on Mt. Washington. My mother may have thought she’d unwittingly agreed to the same fate when I took her up New England’s tallest peak for her 60th birthday. As we reached … Continue reading →

Cheeeeeeese. It may be the best thing about the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, which is saying something. Because there’s a lot to like. Minas Gerais is also Brazil’s top-producer of premium cachaça and coffee. The state’s rich food is … Continue reading →

This is a rock climber at the Brazilian park Serra do Cipó last weekend: The climber, whose nickname is Magrão (which means “skinny), was singing as he hung from those rocks on July 25. Earphones were plugged into his head, and he’d hum and sing … Continue reading →

The Estrada Real is one of the oldest roads in the Americas, built at the end of the 17th century. It stretches 1,500 km from the coast of Brazil to the interior mining town of Diamantina. A lot of roads … Continue reading →

Brazil loves its soapstone Jesus statues. The most notable is atop Mt. Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro. But I found another this past week atop Pico da Banderia, the third-tallest mountain in Brazil. At 2,892 meters (9,488 feet), Pico da Banderia was once thought to … Continue reading →

  Who needs a guide? Getting lost is part of any hiking adventure! One of Brazil’s most beautiful and well-traveled hiking trails is said to be the Travessia Petrópolis-Teresópolis through Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos in the state of Rio de … Continue reading →

I had hoop dreams as a kid. I wanted to play in the NBA. I wanted to be on a Topps trading card. I had a mini-hoop nailed to my bedroom wall, on which I’d practice dunks and challenge my sisters … Continue reading →

“Narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” So said Jesus, according to the Book of Matthew, Chapter 7. Was Jesus a rock climber? He could have been describing the climb in Rio de Janeiro that ascends … Continue reading →

You could have a world-class modern art museum. Or you could have an amazing art museum spread over a huge outdoor maze of gardens and flowers from around the world, in which case you’d have The Centro de Arte Contemporânea Inhotim. … Continue reading →

“Namaste My Friend Steve!” So says Phil, by email or by phone or in person, whenever he greets me. Melts my cold heart each time. And he said it to me again at 5:30am last Wednesday (April 29) when we … Continue reading →

TWO OF THE TALLEST MOUNTAINS in New England are Vermont’s Mt. Killington and New Hampshire’s Mt. Washington. I went to both this winter with my uncle and his 13-year-old son. To our surprise, climbing Killington (elev. 4,229 feet) would be way tougher than Washington (elev. … Continue reading →

The bet was this, made by the Jamaican guide of my bicycle tour of the Brazilian island of Florianópolis: That I couldn’t traverse the island’s most steep and difficult trail, which normally takes four to five hours roundtrip, plus return by bicycle to … Continue reading →

One of Brazil’s best-kept secrets might be its craft beer. When I lived in Paraná’s capital city Curitiba in September/October 2014, I met a lot of good people, including many craft brewers making some very creative and tasty beers. Among those brewers are Mário … Continue reading →

Yesterday, Americas Quarterly published my story (with lots of good photos!) about Mila Marlina, the tiniest and unlikeliest climber on Aconcagua in December: 4’9” and 82 pounds, the 42-year-old Indonesian mom was skipping her daughter’s birthday and her family’s Christmas to disappear … Continue reading →

The New Yorker yesterday published my story about the mountain runner Kílian Jornet Burgada, who I met in December while he was setting a new speed ascent-descent on Aconcagua, the tallest summit in the Americas. Kílian was previously profiled in The … Continue reading →

When Eva Perón died at age 32, her body was embalmed and put on display. Millions of Argentinians flocked to Buenos Aires to see the corpse, and they still come today to visit its grave in La Recoleta Cemetery. So I went, … Continue reading →