Lifestyle

I’ve done a handful of long hikes in past years, like the four-day Laugavegur trek in Iceland and a full-day 14er hike on Quandary Peak in Colorado. No matter which pack I use or how I load it up, however, my back seems to ache.

Or my shoulders. Or my neck.

These hotspots don’t necessarily ruin my trek, but even minute pain adds only anguish and annoyance to a hike. Instead of focusing on how to adjust your straps on the go or wishing you had less weight while walking, focus on starting correctly from the beginning.

We spoke with Chris Horton, product line manager for Osprey, about how to properly fit and load a backpack.

Every rock climber starts somewhere. Alex Honnold didn’t start his career free-soloing until he had countless multi-pitch climbs under his belt. Tommy Caldwell didn’t send the Dawn Wall on his first day out at the crag and neither should you. If you have dreams of scaling the big walls in Yosemite Valley or attempting daring first ascents like the pros, you have got to start small. Fortunately, North America has plenty of classic multi-pitch climbs for beginners — worthy locations where you don’t have to sacrifice adventure for accessible climbing and beautiful views.

Rock climbing is an adventurous and varied sport which, fortunately, can be just as exciting for 5.6 leaders as well as 5.12 leaders. Challenging yourself to climb new and diverse styles of rock will make you a more well-rounded and competent climber. If you’re planning on getting out on the rock in 2020, these five classic multi-pitch climbs are all great places to start. The right locations can help keep adventure in the pursuit high, while each suggestion is packed with learning potential to help you practice the necessary skills for when it’s time to tackle those larger vertical objectives and more exposed walls that keep you dreaming.

Stay safe, have fun, and climb on.

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Millions of people visit national parks each year to experience the great outdoors. While hiking and backpacking are natural choices for a lot of adventure-seekers, if you’re ready to try something new, we suggest heading for the water. Check out our top picks for the best national parks to visit for an unforgettable adventure on the water.

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She’s a white weed bitch. She listens to Snoop Dogg half-ironically while zoning out in Whoopi Goldberg’s THC/CBD-infused menstrual soak, and she would never attend Coachella without a glimmering gold Firefly vape in hand (or fanny pack). She got into CBD briefly, when everyone else did, but now has reverted back to the hard stuff. She’s never been punished for smoking pot, unless you count that one time her mom found her stash and grounded her. And he, his pockets lined with capital rich for the investing, is seeking a new opportunity in the burgeoning legal cannabis market, where he recognizes a gold mine when he sees it. She’s going to buy what his money funds, at a California dispensary perhaps, or at whatever retail system Illinois cooks up. No one above the law will bat an eye. But outside this sparkling clean weed bubble are people still stuck below the law, sitting in prison for nonviolent offenses that are no longer illegal. They can’t make money off this new legal market. They can’t even go home. Cannabis, for all its promise in America, has never been the cause of more inequality.

The transfer of money: That’s what it took for Eric Rachmany, front man of the reggae band Rebelution, to start to feel angry about weed. Not angry like that weed bitch’s mom. He’d been smoking the stuff since he was a teen in San Francisco, when listening to the reggae greats showed him that marijuana didn’t send you barreling down the road to destruction. It could, he found, be a spiritual tool to achieve a higher level of consciousness, a stronger connection to the earth, and also a damn good cure for what ailed him. Angry because it was his band’s success that made selling marijuana products under the Rebelution name a possibility at all, which prompted him to face an uncomfortable truth.

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Today, Rachmany and his band are profiting off the legal marijuana industry when not 10 years ago, that would’ve been called drug dealing, and it could’ve landed them in jail. “It makes me angry thinking that there are people locked away for cannabis offenses, nonviolent cannabis offenses,” Rachmany told me this fall. “But instead of just being angry, I think the best way to go about this is to raise funds for these people that need to get out of prison.” Enter Last Prisoner Project, a nonprofit organization founded by Steve DeAngelo, the so-called “father” of the cannabis industry and founder of several cannabis businesses, his brother Andrew DeAngelo, and Dean Raise, aiming to advocate for the freedom of these prisoners. Rachmany eagerly joined its board as an advisor, along with other marijuana-adjacent celebrities like Stephen and Damian Marley, as well as ambassadors like Melissa Etheridge and Willie Nelson, all who have their own cannabis projects.

Last Prisoner Project emerged from a kind of ugliness of the cannabis industry: Depending on which state and which year (as well as what color your skin is, in many cases) you ate an edible, lit a blunt, or hit a bong, doing that exact thing could give you a jail sentence or be a complete nonissue. At this writing, as legalization criss-crosses the country, thousands sit in jail cells for nonviolent marijuana offenses, some even for life sentences, because they bought or sold the stuff, transported it across state lines, or possessed it before legalization.

So, yes, it’s a very uncomfortable reality, but it’s also repairable to an extent. Last Prisoner Project’s goal—to free all of these nonviolent offenders, which is estimated to be at least 40,000 across the U.S. (the exact number is difficult to pin down)—will help cut deep into the system, if successful. And it’ll do it by using resources already embedded in that system, from celebrities to industry leaders to ex-cons to cannabis-using laymen like you, me, cool moms in Colorado, curious dads in Michigan, and that weed bitch in California.

Weed is a booming industry in the United States. It’s attracting Wall Street financiers and celebrity star power. Dispensaries look like Apple stores, while cannabis companies build twee little websites that urge consumers to forget marijuana’s formerly dingy, unlawful vibes. Former House Speaker and anti-weed politician John Boehner became a marijuana pitchman when a potential $20 million paycheck was on the line. In the House, a bill to decriminalize marijuana federally and expunge records of marijuana convictions made it past an important committee vote in late 2019. In more states that have actually legalized recreational weed, many criminal records have been or will be expunged. But before decriminalization started kicking in, American law enforcement was rounding up marijuana growers and users, and historically far more from minority groups, and slapping them with criminal charges.

It’s an unfairness that hit home for DeAngelo one afternoon in a meeting with bankers and brokers as they prepared to expand into California’s new legal market. In a tall office building with beautiful views, he and these other powerful people made their business projections for the next couple of years, talking “literally tons and tons of cannabis being cultivated,” DeAngelo recalls, “and very large amounts of money attached to that.” Not long after, DeAngelo says, he got a call from his buddy Chuck Cox, from a correctional facility in Pennsylvania where Cox was serving a four-year sentence for transporting 14 pounds of cannabis.

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“I was just struck by the disparity of sitting at the table with people, and we were talking about tons of legal cannabis, and nobody at that table had the slightest fear of any kind of legal intervention,” he says. “Meanwhile, my friend Chuck is sitting in prison behind bars for a very, very tiny fraction of the amount of cannabis that we were talking about.”

DeAngelo’s sense of activism had come from his first cannabis, ingested at age 13 to life-changing effect, and the resulting realization that with the way things were, if he wanted cannabis in his future in any sort of way, he’d have to choose to live a criminal life, which he wasn’t too keen on. He has since been arrested a few times, though his jail time wasn’t more than a year of his life—“but I’ve had that experience of hearing that barred door lock behind you and being in that confined space and being taken away from your loved ones,” he says.

DeAngelo was also embedded in the cannabis community early on, where grassroots organizing at the hands of people with little to no entrepreneurial power or privilege was bound to rub off. As such, Last Prisoner Project’s mission statement echoes decades of activism focused on criminal justice, legalization, and racial inequality, and shares goals a handful of other like-minded groups that straddle the business and prisoner-advocacy spheres, like Cage-Free Cannabis and Freedom Grow. In the retail sphere on its own, Seth Rogen’s new cannabis brand Houseplant is partnered with Cannabis Amnesty in Canada, while Think BIG, the cannabis company started by CJ Wallace, The Notorious B.I.G.’s son, supports California’s Prison Arts Project and NORML. The MedMen dispensary chain partnered with Jesse Williams and Spike Jonze last year to put out a commercial drawing attention to racial injustices. So the Green Boom has a philanthropic shadow, but still, the legal industry is just too new, too buzzy for some folks to be well versed on the darker issues.

As we try to catch up, Last Prisoner Project officially launched with DeAngelo, current and former marijuana prisoners, lawyers, CEOs, and celebs at its helm in September with a many-many-pronged approach, but one that mostly wants to ensure the legal weed industry “actually serves the interests of people who have a relationship with this plant,” he says. That is, not just hedge fund investors and wealthy entrepreneurs swooping into to legal states to chase the next wellness trend.

Thing is, some of those people still need to get out of jail. The steps Last Prisoner Project has taken to that end so far include, but are not limited to (and pardon the laundry list): partnering with national criminal defense organizations to create and staff a clemency program to secure pardons for prisoners across the country; getting the medical marijuana company Harvest Health & Recreation to sponsor a reentry program into the cannabis industry for released prisoners; creating a Partners for Freedom program for consumer-facing cannabis companies in which they funnel funds to Last Prisoner Project in exchange for a Last Prisoner Project stamp of approval on their products; and locking down a list of major cannabis company donors and partnering with institutions like High Times.

Last Prisoner Project isn’t the first group to try to get nonviolent offenders free, but it’s probably the most connected, thanks to DeAngelo, with a plan that asks—and so far, successfully—for the support of growers, manufacturers, companies big and small, dispensaries, lawyers, nonprofits, consumers, and more. “I felt it was really, given that position that I had, it was my obligation to do that,” DeAngelo says.

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Celeb advocacy from the likes of Rachmany, Willie and Lukas Nelson, not to mention Jim Belushi, Talib Kweli, Redman, Susan Sarandon, and Doug Benson, is intended to actually help prisoners (many of whom went to jail before celebrity strains of cannabis were even a thing). Damian Marley, the youngest son of Bob Marley and a four-time Grammy-winning reggae artist, is another such celebrity. His family sells cannabis through its company Marley Natural, among other cannabis-related ventures, plus a Marley musical legacy built around the culture of cannabis and the rights of people who smoke it. Business and artistry aside though, he says his criminal justice advocacy is built on the Rasta belief in marijuana as a spiritual sacrament. “I would be involved in it if I was a carpenter,” he says.

As an advisor for Last Prisoner Project with his half-brother and sometimes musical collaborator Stephen, Marley considers it is his responsibility to be a voice on behalf of the prisoners, to talk to journalists like me, so he can educate voters in the U.S. (cannabis consumers or otherwise) on the issue who can then demand action from their representatives.

“I think they’re becoming aware,” he says of the voting public. “I think there’s much more awareness now than there was definitely 10 years ago, but there’s still more work to be done.”

For his part, Rachmany went on tour last month doing 12 acoustic sets of Rebelution’s greatest hits for the biggest fans—“It’s just a big singalong,” he says—with all of the money made going to Last Prisoner Project. “It feels good to give back,” he continues. “And I think that the listeners, the fans, are all very supportive of this venture in getting these prisoners out.”

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There’s a heap of irony in relying on rich people—actors, musicians, business leaders—to fix systematic inequality. But when the alternatives here are pretty much limited to traveling back in time to the ’70s to knee-cap the War on Drugs before it could get going, it’s somewhat hard to see a downside. Justice systems will save money and resources. Celebrities get to spread positive vibes. Cannabis companies get good PR, no doubt about it, but not for free. Marijuana users can pinpoint companies doing good by prisoners with Last Prisoner Project through seals on products, social media, and more, and buy their marijuana accordingly. And fundamentally, former prisoners can have their records expunged, their lives restarted as best they possibly can be after years-long detours through the American legal system. It’s not like politicians alone, at least the ones we’re stuck with, could get that done.

The industry is ready to put money where its guilt is. “It’s a groundswell,” DeAngelo says. “People are realizing that you don’t keep on punishing people for something that’s not a crime anymore.”

Is Last Prisoner Project able to free 40,000, or more? Marley thinks so. As a kid, he never thought he’s see the day that he could walk into a store in California or Jamaica and buy marijuana, after all. “There’s nothing daunting,” he says. “If we reached that far then, would you say that? No, no. Anything is possible. People make the world go around. People make the decisions that got these guys locked up in the first place, so people can make a decision to let them out.”

Correction: The previous version of this article mistakenly identified Willie Nelson and Melissa Etheridge as “advisors.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Hypothermia is a medical emergency that occurs when your body loses heat faster than it can produce heat, causing a dangerously low body temperature.” A normal, healthy body temperature should average around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Hypothermia occurs when your body temperature drops below 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

While most people associate hypothermia with extreme cold environments, hypothermia can occur as a result of rain, wind, or water. Age, medical conditions, dehydration, alcohol use, and strenuous activity can all play a role in hypothermia, so it’s good to be prepared as it can strike during any season.

For many travelers, the idea of escaping to an idyllic island setting is the perfect getaway. It represents the right recipe for rest and relaxation: the warm sun radiating off a white-sand beach tuned to lapping waves that lull weary bodies to sleep, cool drinks in hand. For many adventurers, however, more than a day or two spent horizontal quickly yields to serious cabin fever, even if on a beach. To scratch that restless itch, many will opt for a well-known thrill-seeking destination like New Zealand or the surf-friendly islands of the South Pacific. Or closer still, the Hawaiian islands have always offered an active playground with warm water and world-class hiking, though even some of Hawaii’s most remote reaches have been cataloged and geotagged — begging for a return to the expired ‘three’s a crowd’ mantra.

Europeans are lucky with their close proximity to boundless archipelagos and islands, like Andros in Greece, serving as a heralded hiking destination. Sweden’s coastline shares a similar draw for sailors and kayakers. But just off the coast of Spain, the island of Mallorca is one of the best places to double-dip on plentiful choices for adrenaline junkies and the optional lazy beach day.

Cycling

Though geographically, the Balearic island of Mallorca is a bit higher in latitude than Southern California, it shares a nearly identical Mediterranean climate, where both coastal locations boast over 300 days of sun per year. The clear and typically warm weather, along with endless windy roads, makes Mallorca a mecca for cyclists.

Narrow roads climb from sea level to ragged mountaintops dwarfing the drove of riders of all levels who come here every year. The Cap of Formentor is probably the most well-known route beginning at the northern town of Port de Pollensa and ending at a lighthouse. During the summer months, you’ll have the roads to yourself and won’t have to share them with any motor vehicles; they are banned over the months of July and August. Professional cycling teams also train on Mallorca and frequent the longer hauls like the 68-mile west coast road that climbs a grueling 8,270 feet over the highest point on the island. The route threads together some of the most charming towns, which all cater to the desires of the two-wheel variety. In fact, you can find accommodations and shops all over the island specifically tailored to the needs of the 150,000 riders who visit every year.

Hiking

The limestone mountains, Roman ruins and medieval villages make Mallorca one of the best islands to explore on foot. In fact, you can even spend a day in towns like Deià, which offer steep climbs from the sea to spectacular views in just about every direction. Along the way, the locals are warm, welcoming and willing to point you to the right trails, tapas or a delicious glass of Spanish wine. As it does with cycling, the island of Mallorca offers trails for every level, and you can’t go wrong whatever waypoint you pick — just remember that the more popular trails are packed with tourists in later summer months.

Avoid that chaos on trails to the ruins of the castle of Alaro, or scramble through deep slot canyons in the Torrent de Pareis Gorge. Hikers can also go the distance and hoof it 104 miles along the GR221 Dry Stone route that stitches together eight stages of ancient pathways and unmarked private property that is best trekked under the watchful eye of a guide.

Rock Climbing

Hiking isn’t the only way to get better acquainted with the magic of Mallorca’s terra firma. The island is known as one of Europe’s prime climbing destinations, mainly due to the abundance of natural limestone crags concentrated in relative close proximity to each other.

Right outside of Palma where you’re likely to land, there are over 17 spots to wield a rope and chalk bag with over 660-plus routes. It’s also a magnet for deep-water soloing, a white-knuckle method of climbing that relies on the ocean below to break your fall if your grip slips.

Ocean Paddling

Like many European islands, Mallorca is proud of its seafaring roots. Case in point: the tiny village of Valldemossa, that looks like the setting for a swashbuckling scene straight out of a pirate movie. Sea caves are also abundant, adding to the island’s allure with a number of outfitters offering kayak or standup paddleboard ocean tours to explore the unique formations, plus a number of other remote beaches only accessible from watercraft.

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Colin O’Brady is the kind of guy who makes you to want to throw out your couch. He recovered from a debilitating burn injury by winning a triathlon and summited the 50 High Points in the U.S. in record time — just for kicks. Did we mention the Explorer’s Grand Slam? (That’s climbing the tallest mountain on each continent plus trips to both poles.) You likely know O’Brady as the first human to solo trek 932 miles across Antarctica unsupported in 2018, in what was known as “The Impossible First.”

While most of us would never want to see that frozen continent again, O’Brady decided to revisit it in December. This time, however, it was a team venture. Rounding up a bunch of similarly insane trip-mates, the crew of six rowed from the southern tip of South America to Antarctica, powering a 25-foot custom vessel continuously around the clock as they rotated between rowing shifts and rest in a tiny cabin. The crew — captained by Fiann Paul, a decorated world record-holder in his own right, having rowed all five of Earth’s oceans — completed the harrowing 600-mile journey across the Drake Passage in 12 days. The unsupported world’s first, crossing the passage entirely by human power, was a fiercely demanding voyage that combined physical and mental strength (as well as the ability to get along with five other dudes sitting in your lap for almost two weeks).

Here are five lessons Brady learned from The Impossible Row:

HOW TO ROW:
I’d never rowed before. I only started rowing in August and the Impossible Row was in mid-December. I went out in a single skull with the guidance of a rowing coach in my hometown of Portland, Oregon. He taught me the basic mechanics. I fell out of the rowboat a couple of times. (laughs)

One of the curiosities after coming off my crossing of Antarctica was the ability to grow to whatever we want to be. I think it’s a willingness to put myself into a beginner’s mind, to say, ‘Yeah, I may hold these world records, but it’s kind of fun to start at the very beginning with something and try to acquire the skill as fast as possible.’

THE DRAKE PASSAGE IS A MOODY BITCH:
When you’re in the Atlantic or Pacific, you have dominant trade winds and currents. But with the Drake Passage, all bets are off. There’s no way to know what direction the wind and swell are going to come from, what’s going to kick up where, when and how quickly it will change. There were a couple of times we thought we were hitting our flow, and within a matter of hours, the wind is completely against us with 40-foot swells smashing over the boat.

SAME PAGE:
We would row in 90-minute shifts. A couple of times the storms were so bad that we couldn’t row. We’d have to smash into these cabins, literally on top of each other. When teams are firing on all cylinders, it’s incredible. But we’ve all experienced in school, sports or careers, when a team is not on the same page, it falls apart really quickly.

LANDSICK IS A REAL THING:
We finally arrived in Antarctica after two weeks, so excited to jump onto dry land. And we all basically fell right onto the ground. We’re stumbling around like we all just drank 20 beers. It’s one thing to be seasick but our bodies had adjusted to being on the rowboat. So the six of us are celebrating, all tripping over our own feet.

THE WILDLIFE IS PHENOMENAL:
On my solo crossing, there was no wildlife at all. But in the Drake Passage, particularly when you get close to the Antarctic Peninsula, the wildlife is just thriving. You’re seeing penguins and albatross just a few feet from the boat and that’s awesome. But let me tell you that when a humpback whale breaches 10 feet away from your rowboat that’s only 29 feet long, it’s also pretty terrifying. I was constantly in awe of the wildlife, but also just felt so small.

Check out Brady’s book to learn more about The Impossible First, as well as 29029, Brady’s U.S. event-challenge series designed to inspire endurance athletes to climb the equivalent elevation of Mount Everest.

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