You’re over 50, you’re outdoors, and it’s Friday
Old people have occult skills for opening bottles of beer. Chalk it up to experience, cunning, and a stubborn insistence on opening that bottle of beer dammit even when there isn’t a reasonable tool at hand. But they are too worldly to use the tricks of younger folk. They don’t use their teeth; they know...
Obesity studies are the empty calories of public debate
There was yet another conference last week where experts confirmed what we all already know. The United States is fat and getting fatter. The conference issued a companion report. There was also a new study out last week. There’s a four-part HBO series, The Weight of the Nation, that premieres tonight. The HBO series has...
Trips your children won’t recommend
Runestone checked in yesterday with a link to Greenland’s official web site (which just won a Webby Award, which is considered the Oscar of the internet). As a travel destination, we had slotted Greenland pretty far down the list, between Somalia and Cancun. Now we’re less sure. We thought of the island as a frozen...
Why aren’t more old people leaving America?
There’s a lot of loose talk about people retiring outside the United States. It’s not as romantic a conversation as one might think, because the underlying premise is that most Americans don’t have the resources they’ll need to retire comfortably in the country they’ve helped to build. Say you have only $1,177 a month to...
North Pole marathoner thinks you could be more active
In a moment, we’ll get to North Pole marathon runner Dr. Andrew Murray. But first, consider this Easter thought: People sometimes talk about sports and competition and fitness like they are all the same thing. They are not. If you draw a Venn diagram of these three notions, you’ll see some overlap, but they are...
Booze: still bamboozling
People who exercise aren’t particularly puritanical. Often, they are the opposite: they can be dedicated (indeed, disciplined) sensualists, hedonists, in it for the endorphins, for the euphoria. So it’s no surprise that they seek the same buzz in other places, including the pub. A study by the University of Miami found that women who exercise...
Good gear: L.L. Bean’s Microlight FS2
In camping gear we like three things above all others: we like durable (because nothing else matters if a pole breaks or a seam rips), and light (less is more), and cheap (because). So we’re very attracted to the new Microlight FS2 backpacking tent from L.L. Bean. We can’t vouch for its durability because...
Nice racks in Amsterdam
Of all the videos you’ve seen of the Netherlands, this one is the least likely to make you dig into your IRA and call KLM. It shows a group of municipal bureaucrats from America touring the Netherlands to learn how that country has promoted bicycling. So, no windmills. Not much focus on the architecture of...
This week, media find old skiers fascinating
We have a new favorite line of the week, from a story in the Edmonton Journal on octogenarian skiers: during the photo shoot for the story, 87-year-old Hanna Andersen “thinks about doing a jump, something she hasn’t done since she was 85….”* Andersen is one of 20 over-80 skiers in Edmonton’s 400-member Rocky Mountain...
Does Alaska hate old people?
We were saddened to hear that 50-year-old polar adventurer Lonnie Dupre has abandoned his attempt to be the first person to climb Denali, solo, in the dark frigid Alaskan winter. He’d used up quite a bit of food and fuel being pinned down in his 4×4 snow cave for a week,...
Twofer attaboy for Arc’teryx
About this time of year most people are willing—nay, eager—to set aside all the holiday joyfulness and release that mean-spirited cynicism that’s been bubbling just under the surface. So if one last…tiny…thin…wafer of good cheer is too much, please forgive us. But didn’t want to close out the season without a nod...
AARP-eligible adventurer currently attempting first winter solo attempt of Denali
It’s probably too soon to be talking about Lonnie Dupre’s epic/insane attempt to be the first person to climb the highest peak in North America…in the winter…by himself. He’s still in the early stages of the ascent, at 12,300 feet, so it’s like talking about a no-hitter in the seventh...
