April 1996
Departments
Dispatches
Whitewater of biblical proportions roars through the Grand Canyon in a $4.5 million Colorado River experiment. An 80-pound teenager's rise to sport-climbing stardom. Slithering through the mud and armed for bear, a motley green militia declares eco-jihad. Can Karen Smyers, fresh from toppling Paula Newby-Fraser, stay on top of the triathlon heap? Coming soon to a museum near you: tents, bikes, ice axes, and other "art" of the great outdoors. Plus: Americans win and an Austrian whines at the World Snowboarding Championships, in-line-skating models take a bite out of crime, alpinist Marc Twight tries to speed-climb the great North Faces of Europe, New York lawmakers get tough on tree killers, and more.

Out There
So what if the would-be surfer has a bad back, bad knees, a ruptured groin, and more than a slight resemblance to a gorilla on a Popsicle stick? After a lifetime of dreaming, our man heads out with a hopeful mantra: All it takes is one wave.
By Randy Wayne White

Destinations
Special Report: The best hike in every state, including the Grand Canyon from rim to rim, California's John Muir Wilderness, the Appalachian Trail through northern Maine, South Dakota's Badlands National Park, Washington's lush Enchanted Valley rainforest, Vermont's legendary Long Trail, and 44 more.

Bodywork
How to gain without the pain: The quickest way to improve your stamina and increase your speed, say elite athletes like six-time Ironman champ Mark Allen, is to slow down your pace and up the mileage. A high-rep, low-weight strength workout that'll help you go long. Four simple ways to improve your running form. Plus: Preseason regimens for the climbing gym, how to treat burns in the backcountry, and a guide to proper post-race refueling.

Review
Lightweight boots that carry the load: ten stalwart hikers that skimp on the poundage but provide stability galore. Three steps to better boot care. Stealth, easy-to-use GPS devices for any budget. Plus: SweetWater's virus-proof Guardian Plus Filter; the BikeE semirecumbant cycle; In Search of the Old Ones, by David Roberts; and more.

Between the Lines

Features
A Good Hair Week in Mongolia
After nearly a century of Soviet domination, the smiling descendants of Genghis Khan--and perhaps the first Americans--would like nothing more than to put you in the saddle. A gallop across the central Asian grassland, with the dread yogurt riders in hot pursuit.
By Tim Cahill

The Boston Marathon at 100
It's a century old and never looked better. A rollicking tribute to America's greatest marathon.

Bomb City, USA
Greetings from Los Alamos, a town founded in the unwavering pursuit of flobal destruction, where a facade of Ozzie and Harriet wholesomeness masks a frighteningly radioactive soul.
By Alex Shonmatoff