One Step Beyond

Turtles! Volcanoes! Caiman! Monkeys! Museums! Fumaroles! Scuba Diving! Swimming Holes! And Sunsets!

Paula is back as co-host for the first time since the Season 1 finale as she and Tony discuss their recent travel to Costa Rica, not only from an environmental and cultural perspective, but also from their uniquely different personal perspectives. Paula had not traveled outside the USA in 35 years, whereas Tony spent almost a whole year backpacking round the globe only back in 2016. Similarly, Tony is something of an (ageing) adrenalin hound who went scuba diving and running the volcanos, while Paula had reasons to want to take it just a little less hectic.

Some of the topics discussed in this episode:

• All the great reasons to visit Costa Rica in the first place: is just 0.04% of the earth's land surface but contains 5% of its species; 33% of it is protected land; Atlantic and Pacific Coasts both readily accessible; no standing Army.
• How much advance planning should go into a foreign trip and how much should be left to finalize "on the ground".
• Choosing to travel by public transport with occasional taxi/Uber/Didi rather than being like most North Americans and renting a car.
• Opting to stay primarily in Air BnBs.
• Advantages of traveling in the rainy season
• Choosing to avoid the main tourist destinations of Arenal Volcano and Manuel Antonio National Park, going instead for:
• San José: not the world's loveliest capital city but a veritable gold mine of museums
• Traveling to Tortuguero on the northern Caribbean coast and what to do when you miss your connecting bus
• The 6am canoe trip into the waters of the Tortuguero National Park and the multiple fauna and flora seen on that trip
• The turtles of Tortuguero: the cosmic experience of watching green sea turtles lay their eggs and return to the ocean, all while (Tony and Paula were) stumbling round the beach at night holding hands with strangers. (More on sea turtles here)
• Alajuela, Costa Rica's second biggest city, and its hero Juan Santamaria, who helped achieve victory over William Walker's pro-slavery Filibusteros in 1856, and for whom the local museum (a former army barracks) and nearby international airport is named.
• The cloud forest of Poás Volcano
• The beautiful "white city" of Liberia, the capital of Guanacaste in the north-west.
• The vast and vastly under-visited Rincón de la Vieja National Park outside of Liberia, with its active volcano and multiple hiking trails. These include Las Pailas which has close-ups of fumaroles and hot springs, and the steep exposed hike to the Hidden Waterfall, which Tony was the only one to take that day.
• How Costa Rica is using geothermal energy from its (six) active volcanos to supply 15% of the country's energy.
• The charming and peaceful Playa Hermosa
• Scuba diving from nearby Playa Coco
• Food and drink
• The national expression of "Pura Vida"
• Conclusions

Music in this episode: "A Word That Doesn't Rhyme" by The Dear Boys

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On this Episode, I go for a "bush wack'" hike up Rusk Mountain in the Catskills to disengage from the American elections. Guiding me on the climb through the snow is Ken Posner, whose minimalist approach to outdoor activities takes inspiration from the Greek vagabond-philosopher Diogenes. Ken frequently sets off on marathons, hikes, climbs and other adventures without food, water, navigational tools of any kind, and often – as on his 24-hour ‘Diogenes Challenge’ through nine Catskills peaks this last summer – without shoes.

On our climb, Ken has me lead us up the trail-less, heavily wooded mountain to find the canister at its true summit, using only the knowledge I came with and my instincts. Along the way we discuss the drawbacks of relying on technology, the dangers of the modern athletic diet, the various ‘stressers’ we can healthily put ourselves under to improve our overall well-being, and such people as Wim Hof, John Muir, Henry Thoreau. And Ken enlightens me as to why Diogenes was the founder of both Cynicism and Stoicism.

Ken has some major accomplishments to his own name. In 2013, he achieved what was then the Fastest Known Time (9 days) for Running The Long Path through New York, and wrote a book of that name about the experience. The following year, he set a still-standing FKT for the Badwater Double, a 146-mile, near 15,000-ft climb from the lowest point in the Continental US to the highest point, at the top of Mount Whitney – and back again, covering the 292 miles in under 4 days.

This episode is intended to encourage all of us to leave not only our worries behind when we get outdoors, but to leave technology behind as far as possible, and return to our natural state - one that, as ever, is capable of much more than we typically credit.

You can find Ken Posner at https://thelongbrownpath.com

His blog post on Diogenes:

https://thelongbrownpath.com/tag/diogenes-of-sinope/

His blog post on the Diogenes Challenge:

https://thelongbrownpath.com/2020/06/21/the-diogenes-challenge/

His account of running the Badwater Double and lessons learned:

https://marathonandbeyond.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/18.6_EditorsChoice.pdf

One of his blog posts on barefoot running & hiking, with comments towards the end on "natural running" and the risks of overreliance on technology:

https://thelongbrownpath.com/2020/01/25/5000-miles-barefoot/

His book Running The Long Path:

https://www.amazon.com/Running-Long-Path-Discovery-Excelsior-ebook/dp/B01M01B96Y

Ken also recommends:

Best book for beginners on barefoot running - Barefoot Running Step by Step by Ken Bob Saxton:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00504TLYC/

Waterlogged by Tim Noakes -- great research on the myths of dehydration and the risk of overhydration:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0081U6WWG/

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Hey you... Join author, journalist, broadcaster and music-lover Tony Fletcher, on this new podcast about positively engaging with the world outside our door.

EPISODE 5:

In December 2019, 52-year old high school teacher Paula Lucas could barely walk up her building’s stairs, due to breathlessness, heart palpitations and other health concerns from being severely overweight. Concerned that she might drop dead in front of her students, she turned vegan before the year was out, and in March, embarked on the From Couch to 5k Program, running for the first time since she was herself at high school. I talk to her about her journey.

You can view Paula Lucas’s video diaries, Paula’s Plant Based Pilgrimage, on YouTube:

Following up on the mini-series ‘From Kingston to Kilimanjaro,’ I also talk to Henry Stedman, author of ‘Kilimanjaro: The Trekking Guide to Africa’s Highest Mountain,’ and a tour operator in his own right. He discusses how the coronavirus has put an end to almost all mountain climbs, and what his company and others are doing to ensure the welfare of the mountain’s guides and porters. You can find Henry at ClimbMountKilimanjaro.com. The Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project is at kiliporters.org

Plus, I find solace hiking in the Catskill Mountains, question what it means to “step outside your comfort zone” in the quest for racial justice and equity, and point listeners to other podcasts that delve deeper into some of these issues. It’s a magazine show, after all.

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Hey you... Join me, Tony Fletcher, on this new podcast about positively engaging with the world outside our door (once we can get back to it!).

EPISODE 1:

In August 2019, I set off from Kingston, New York, with four friends and a Tanzanian-born guide, to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. At 19,341 ft, or 5895 meters above sea level, Kilimanjaro is the highest point in Africa, and the tallest free-standing mountain in the world. About 50,000 people a year attempt the summit; not all of them make it. The intense demands on the body in ever-thinning air cause many people to give up before they can reach the peak.

I’m a writer and broadcaster by trade, so I brought my recording devices along with me for the journey up the mountain. Over the course of this four-part mini-series, the first episodes of the new podcast One Step Beyond, it’s my hope that you’ll be able to experience a little bit of what it’s like to go on an adventure like this, and that by the time we are all done, you’ll be ready to embark on one of your own.

E-mail the show with questions or comments.

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Join author, runner, broadcaster, and traveler Tony Fletcher on this new show about positively engaging with the world outside our door (once we can get back to it!).

Whether it’s to hike a local trail or climb a distant mountain, travel to a new country or explore culture close to home, run a first 5k or tackle an ultra-marathon, One Step Beyond encourages you to take a step outside your comfort zone and enrich your life. With interviews, features and field recordings.

Questions or comments? E-mail [email protected]

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