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