Preface
A good book on adventure opens
what this book intends to do.
Adventure in the United States
pioneering， escape， and discovery
mind to new ideas. That s
these days is a
The country
combination of
is blessed with
magnificent geography， good roads and rivers， two oceans， wilder-
ness and wildlife， and a lot of interesting people. For these reasons，
the adventures in this book span the distance between skydiving
and snorkeling with manatees， climbing the 20，000-foot Mount
McKinley and cooking with professional chefs.
It s all out there and it s never been so accessible. High-risk
adventures， such as hang gliding and river rafting， are safer because
of new equipment technology. Instruction is better， because more
and more guides have been around for 20 years or so and know
their business. And competition is so keen， outfitters strive to pro-
duce excellent travel products. Some offer specialty trips， such as
river rafting and classical music; most will help you design the trip
you want， whether it s a guide and gear for a big family get-
together， or a combination rock-climb-and-dinosaur-dig. Ask.
In many activities， such as orienteering or archaeology， you will
not need any prior experience; in others， such as caving and sail-
ing， take instruction if you ve never done it before. It pays to be
honest about your physical limitations: A trick knee might give
you some trouble if you skydive. If you are really tired， don t even
think about hiking down and up the Grand Canyon.
You will be asked to sign a disclaimer form in high-risk adven-
tures. These forms look terrifying because they cover possibilities
you would rather not think about. But they let you know that the
outfitter s primary concern is safety， and they force you to take
responsibility for your own actions. The risk is shared.
If you are a beginner， read a lot before you go， and ask questions
of the guide or outfitter. They will help you take the risk. On the
second or third trip， l~wever， you might have difficulty assessing
your own ability: Where do you fit relative to the others who will
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