Table of Contents
Introduction Christopher Keyes vii
To Hell and Back
Meltdown Wells Tower 2
They Call Me Groover Boy Kevin Fedarko 15
These Pants Saved My Life Natasha Singer 27
57 Feet and Rising W. Hodding Carter 34
Paradise with an Asterisk S. C. Gwynne 49
Overroo'd Paul Kvinta 62
The Bears Who Came to Town and Would Not Go Away Sarah Topol 77
Our Lady of Strays Bob Shocochis 88
No Cannibal Jokes Please Tim Cahill 99
Chernobyl, My Primeval, Teeming, Irradiated Eden Henry Shukman 120
Humble is the Prey David Quammen 133
Extreme Wellness Taffy Brodesser-Akner 149
Let the Games Begin
The Hell On Earth Fitness Plan Nick Heil 162
Hochstgeschwindigkeit! Joshua Foer 173
The Undisputed King of Dogsled Tourism Stephanie Pearson 183
Twin Freaks Nick Paumgarten 191
Open Your Mouth and You're Dead James Nestor 202
Quoosiers Eric Hansen 216
The Beautiful Game Patrick Symmes 228
All the Jittery Horses Will Grant 242
The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup Susan Orlean 251
The World's Toughest Bike Race is Not in France Jon Billman 263
Consumed
The Low-Tech, High-Speed, Retro-Manic Simple Life Florence Williams 276
Because it's there. (Sort Of) McKenzie Funk 286
The Brotherhood of the Very Expensive Pants Steven Rinella 297
Watership Down Down Down Down Down and (ALAS) Down Again Christopher Solomon 307
Reversal of Fortune (Lucky Chance) Elizabeth Well 316
Heart of Dark Chocolate Rowan Jacobsen 326
Rage Against Your Machine Tom Vanderbilt 339
The One That Got Away Ian Frazier 350
The Bighorn Sheep Who was Youtube Famous Michael Kruse 365
Yes, It Is a Lovely Morning. Now Why Don't You Just Go to Hell Sara Corbett 374
Contributors 385