Letter From the Editor

“ROSE-LIPT MAIDENS, LIGHTFOOT LADS.”

Those are the words spoken by Meryl Streep’s character at the end of Out of Africa. They are lines from the poem “With Rue My Heart Is Laden” by A. E. Housman, which is about the fleeting exuberance of life. In the movie, the utterance is offered up as a toast before Streep boards a train to leave the continent for the last time. If you’ve never seen the film, check it out. It was shot on location in Kenya and the vistas aren’t just stunning, they take viewers back to a romanticized way of life that can scarcely be imagined now.

Alternatively, you can go to

Africa and experience its natural beauty for yourself. The title of our feature “To Big Tuskers and Great Adventure” is itself a toast, given by the writer in memory of his uncle, celebrated photographer Peter Beard, who first took him to Kenya when he was 16 and only 200,000 people lived in Nairobi. Beard passed away in early 2020 and so this trip was a memorial of sorts. But unlike many safaris these days, there were no Land Rovers or luxury tents with plunge pools to welcome back sightseers at the end of each day—this trek was undertaken on foot, with all the gear hauled only by camels.

The problem with walking across a game reserve, of course, is the high likelihood of being mauled to death by a lion. Not the worst way to go, especially if you were able to put up a fight atop a distant hill with that fiery Serengeti sun glowing behind you. But still.

“To Walk The Earth” on p. 60 offers much safer options to stretch one’s legs. The Camino de Santiago is the best-known of the five recommended pilgrimages, which starts in France and ends

484 miles later at a cathedral in Spain. Such well-trodden paths also await in Jordan, Japan, Tibet and Peru. Beyond being wonderful for the body and mind, these fabled walks are also virtual time machines. In fact, philosophically speaking, no time will have passed between you and the thousands of seekers who came before and saw the same mountains, breathed the same air and marched toward the same destination.

Sure, getting two solid weeks off from work could be a challenge and these trips take lots of planning, but that’s what Scotch and friends are for. Cheers to that!