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HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
•
MAY 2012
81
FIGHT TO
THE FINISH
In these four famously
grueling races, the
competition will be the
least of your problems
CYCLEMESSENGER
WORLDCHAMPIONSHIPS
No futuristic spandex here.
Encumberedwithmail tubes
and boxes shoved into nylon
bags—preferably coated in a
layer of bike grease for authen-
ticity—you’ll careen through a
complicated closed course in this
international bikemessenger
competition, held this year in
Chicago.
Aug. 3–5
MONGOL DERBY
You’ll need to channel your
inner barbarian (or at least a bit
of madness) to complete this
insane horse race covering 621
miles of the starkMongolian
steppe. Riders stop only to
change steeds—just as the war-
riors andmessengers of Khan’s
empire did.
Aug. 7–20
MOLOKA’I HOE
The hula dancers and crowds
cheering you to the finishwill
seema deliriousmirage after the
merciless waters of the Kaiwi
Channel, which separates Oahu
fromMolokai, do their best to
force your team’s vessel aground
in the world’s premier outrigger
canoe race.
Oct. 7
2013 POLARCHALLENGE
Hiking, climbing and skiing
across theNorth Pole’s seas of ice
and frozen tundrawhile staving
off fellowcompetitors and polar
bears sound like fun (see above)?
If so, now’s the time to put in an
application for this extreme test
of endurance—and start stocking
up on the Chap-Stick.
April 12, 2013
—FELICIACAMPBELL AND
HANNAH SERENAGOLDSTEIN
One of the appeals of Patagonia
is the immensity of its pristine,
uncaringwilderness, which
canmake planning a trip there
plenty intimidating. The new
SingularPatagonia
hotel aims
to ease that anxietywith excur-
sions to the region’s farthest
corners arrangedby skill level,
aswell as a spa forwhen you
return satisfied, but sore.
Hiking, biking and rafting are
great, but if you expect to arrive
at your five-star hotel on the
back of an elephant, youwould
do best to contact
Butterfield
&Robinson
. Its Indochina
BespokeGrand Journey can
include long-distance biking,
cruisingVietnam’s Perfume
River and, yes, riding an
elephant. To your hotel.
Indiana Jones had tohike far
and endure poisondart attacks
when exploring ancient tem-
ples, but that’s only because
he couldn’t stay right next door
at a luxury resort.
Mayaland
Hotel
, locatedon the grounds of
Mexico’sChichen Itza, was built
by the headof the expedition
that reconstructed the temple.
—JACQUELINEDETWILER
SINGLE-TRACKMIND
Bombing down an ancient
trail on Taiwan
The Neng Gao, a centuries-
old trail that transects a
12,000-foot-high rocky spine
on the island of Taiwan, is full
of surprises: massive landslides
that occasionally wipe out entire
sections of trail; the native
Taiya, who still hunt boar in the
forest. Also: Overcooking
a corner on a mountain
bike could mean a fatal
fall. But at a post-ride
dinner in a small village
restaurant high in the
mountains, the risks
of Neng Gao fade
quickly from
memory. It’s
the summit I’ll
remember—
a green, grassy
saddle caressed
by plenty of
wind and radiant
sunshine—and
the sensation
of whipping
down a ribbon
of trail past
waterfalls,
hemlock
spruce and fog.
—JOE LINDSEY
4
5
6
Days before, we hadwandered past our
intended campsite into the aptly named
Bear Draw, where, right on cue, three griz-
zlies appeared. At the sound of my voice,
though, theymade for the opposite side of
the valley—clearly choosing to avoid us.
This beast was different. He sniffed the
air. Checked the angles. I he ed our can
of bear spray. I had never used anything
like it, save for a childhood incident in
which I “accidentally” maced a buddy in
the face.
I knew I should check the breeze—
spraying upwindwould blind us, too—but
when I tried to spit, my mouth was dry.
Thiswas bad.My girlfriend’s father already
thought shewould die inAlaska. I couldn’t
let him be right.
“OK, babe. Let’s back away,” I said.
“Slowly.”
We took a few clumsy steps backward.
The wolf cocked his head, but did not
follow.
“C’mon, babe. Take the shot.”
“I hate you,” she said. Nevertheless, she
snapped a picture from so close it could
have been taken in a zoo.
We continued our slow retreat (to
where, we didn’t know). The wolf stalked
us from the tall spruces that bordered the
riverbed. Finally, a er 30 sweaty minutes,
he vanished for the last time, probably as
bored as we were terrified.
“You know, I think I could have taken
him,” I said. “He wasn’t that big.”
She gaveme that patented ParkAvenue
eye-roll. Both blades were still up and
ready.
—Joshua Saul