Exploration

July/August 2012

In this age of GPS, Google Maps and smartphones, true exploration may seem impossible. Here’s where cavers, canoeists and thinkers come in. This month, we follow a dedicated community of cavers as they map newly discovered passages in B.C., a canoeist scouting out new trails and a pedestrian who finds wilderness in his urban environment.

Also in this issue:

• FROM THE ARCHIVES: How canoeing went from transportation to recreation

• ONE-ON-ONE: A Q&A with the engineers behind a prize-winning canoe made of concrete

• VIDEOS: The science of how people move

Caves

Subterranean trailblazers Caving: The ultimate underground sport
By Bruce Kirkby with photography by Francois-Xavier De Ruydts

PLUS: Canada’s amazing caves

Urban geography

How far would you walk? The urban landscape from a pedestrian perspective
By Chris Turner with mobile art by MissPixels

PLUS: A Q&A with mobile artist Miss Pixels; an inside look at labs that study how we walk

Canoeing

Path of the paddle Inspired by age-old travelways, a new canoe route knits together the Trans Canada Trail
Story and photography by Hap Wilson

PLUS: Meet the engineers who built a canoe out of concrete