Crazy for Adventure Travel

Hang Around

Insane: Rock Climbing
Growing up in Moscow, Katia Vorotnikova says, she and her climbing club scaled dilapidated buildings. Since moving to New Hampshire 10 years ago, Vorotnikova, 54, climbs each weekend. So what vertical challenge tops her wish list? Oh, nothing too nuts: just climbing Argentina's 22,841-foot-high Aconcagua.

Interested? Check out Exum Mountain Guides to climb in the Tetons or HighXposure Adventures to climb on upstate New York's Shawangunk ridge.

Sane: Mountain Hiking
If you're in good cardio ­ vascular shape, try a "walk-up" mountain like the south slope of Mount Whitney in California; at 14,505 feet, it's the tallest mountain in the continental United States. For novice climbers, the 1.3-mile trail to the peak of Stone Mountain near Atlanta makes a great first summit.

Tame: Scaling the Lowest Heights
Walk to the highest point in our flattest state: Britton Hill, on Florida's Panhandle, has several paved paths that lead to the granite marker atop the 345-foot-tall "peak."

Also of interest: 10 great trips for older skiers.