Ball Player Takes a Hike

“Without question, the highlight of [Seattle Mariners’ relief pitcher Garrett Olson’s] offseason was the 53.5km trek on one of New Zealand’s Great Walks that opened his eyes to the beauty of nature,” Greg Johns writes for the Major League Baseball site MLB.com. “Olson, (right) 27, and hiking partner Michael Cooper — a former ballplayer and high school buddy — slept in huts along the trail at night and took in the mountain lakes and waterfalls and gorgeous views on the west coast of the South Island during their four-day venture. ‘It’s definitely an area of the world I’d love to get back to some day,’ Olson said.”