Ready or not - Editor's Letter

Natural Health, April, 2004 by Dianne Partie Lange

Have you ever found yourself in the middle of an unanticipated adventure? Maybe you made an impulsive move without considering the consequences. Or perhaps circumstances gave you a push, and suddenly you were on an unmarked path.

I once made that kind of journey. I decided almost overnight to toss all caution into the Pacific Ocean and live out a long-held fantasy of moving to the mountains. I put furniture in storage, shipped boxes of clothing and books to my friend Susan (the only person I knew who actually lived in the mountains), loaded my computer and dog into the car, and set off for parts unknown.

Colleagues in New York were worried that I was depressed and called almost daily to ask if I'd seen any bears. Acquaintances in L.A., who had talked me out of moving to Malibu because it was "too remote," thought the Sierra Nevadas might as well have been the other side of the moon.

Everyone expected my mountain sojourn to last a month, two at most; but it was five years before I returned to Los Angeles, having been irrevocably changed. My midlife adventure introduced me to the healing power of being in nature. I cannot imagine a week going by without at least one hike or a winter passing without quality skiing time. Since my first outing with a group called the Tahoe Trekkers, I've hiked in Patagonia, snowshoed in British Columbia, trekked in Nepal and backpacked my way up Mount Whitney. Now that I feel capable of almost any experience (except white-water rafting, which I did once and found terrifying), vacations are a tougher choice. I love touring cities, but a physical challenge in a foreign land is usually a stronger lure.

My adventure lust got a boost while working on "100 Things You Need to Know About Walking, Running, Hiking and Trekking" on page 64. Working with NATURAL HEALTH'S dynamic trio--fitness director Linda Shelton, research editor Rachel Dowd and stylist Gina Agee--got me back on the treadmill and training for my next outdoor exploit, which I hope will include Cambodia and Vietnam. Inspecting backpacks, hiking boots and trekking poles also prompted a little show-and-tell; witness the photograph of me taken at about 15,000 feet above sea level in the Himalayas.

Of course, there are many different kinds of life-affirming adventures, as you'll see in Your True Nature on page 14. I hope that executive editor David Kalmansohn's encouragement to "Sail Away" inspires you to do something unexpected. If you should take such a step, please let me know what happens. What prompted your action? Who helped and how? What did you gain--or lose--along the way? And what advice would you share with those still on the sidelines? Send your virtual postcards to NATURALHEALTHEditor@weiderpub.com.