journey of a thousand miles begins with a good pair of boots.


Travel to Texas, where ticks cling to your body like a wet T-shirt after a spring rain, where nearly every living thing pricks, pokes and stings. Go east to Alabama, where the steady swirl of pollen makes it impossible not to sneeze. Do it and that hot-for-you gobbler nails a poser and runs.

Trudge up a rocky Colorado rise so steep your calf muscles feel like they’re caught in a vise. You wheeze and wobble. Finally, a shot. Winded, you will yourself to breathe and steady trembling arms.