We’d been looking for a deal on a trip to Costa Rica for three years and finally found one with Vacation Express. Zach’s sister Julie and her husband Doug went with us. It was a week at an all-inclusive resort called Giardini di Papagayo, near Playa Panama, in Guanacaste province in the Pacific northwest of the country. We flew directly into Liberia from Atlanta on Saturday. The resort was only a half hour bus ride from the airport. The resort was in a beautiful setting overlooking the Bay of Papagayo. All the units were on the cliffs overlooking the ocean and the restaurant, bar, pool, and other activities were down the hill by the beach. It was a long walk up and down the hill but there were shuttles running all day and night taking guests that didn’t want to walk up and down. No one will be surprised that we always walked up and down the hill. Since this is off-season the resort was not crowded and since it was all-inclusive there was always plenty of good food to eat and beer and margaritas to drink. We also had the use of another resort which was a two mile walk down the beach. The beach was clean, wide (except at high tide), and sparsely used.
On Monday we did our touristy tour which included; the bus ride, a canopy tour on 10 zip lines up to 400 ft long, a 1500 foot water slide (yes, 1500 feet), that was more survival than fun, lunch, a horseback ride, a trail hike to a scenic waterfall, a trip to hot springs, and another horseback ride to end the day. Doug and Cathy were a little apprehensive about the zip lines, but after the first one they were enjoying the ride over the dry forest (as opposed to rain forests which are on the Caribbean side of the country). The dry forests still have lots of trees, vegetation, animals, and birds. We were moving so fast on the zip lines we didn’t see much of the forest below. The horseback ride took us up and down what we thought were some steep hills. We found out several days later on another ride what steep really meant.
The hot springs were natural. The time there included a trip to a rock house sauna to open the pores. Then we were painted head to toe in volcanic mud that is supposed to be good for slowing skin aging. The mud dried in the sun and is washed off. The “treatment” is finished by spending time in three hot springs each one progressively cooler to close the pores.
Tuesday we went on a three hour ATV ride through dry river beds, forest trails, and roads in the savannah, and back into the hills for a view of the bay from two different locations. We saw lots of birds (but no monkeys), farm animals, sugar cane fields, and mango orchards. We went through a small impoverished town but every house had electricity and running water. There was also a school in the town and every town in Costa Rica has a school. In fact, Costa Rica has the third highest literacy rate in the world.
That afternoon we took a cab to Playa Coco, the closest town of any size. There wasn’t all that much to see, but Cathy and Julie checked out all the interesting stuff to buy in the shops. It was dark by the time we returned to the resort. In that part of the world at this time of the year darkness comes early. The sun starts to set before 6 pm and it’s dark in a hurry. We’ve never seen the sun set so quickly. That meant if we wanted to do and see things we started our day early, usually between 5-6 am. In the evenings it was dinner and some cards. Since we were getting up earlier, we were also going to sleep earlier. Although we had a television in our room we never turned it on.
On Wednesday we went snorkeling. We took a sail boat out of the bay into the ocean. As we left the bay we passed a rock formation called monkey head since that is what it looks like. Our first stop was a cave along the beach that we walked into as the tide was rushing in from two directions. We didn’t go in very far as the water current was quite powerful and we weren’t sure we could get back out. Then we snorkeled for two hours. There are no coral reefs in that area but the water was clear and we saw an amazing number and variety of fish. The fish we in all sizes, shapes, and colors. It was the best snorkeling we had ever done.
The next day we rented a car and went to Rincon de la Vieja, one of the six active volcanoes in Costa Rica. After exiting the main road the ride to the volcano took an hour on rough dirt roads that were very good by Costa Rican road standards. During the drive up, we thought the rental car would rattle into pieces and this was one of the better roads. This area was very interesting and looked like Jurassic Park. It was an eight hour trip to the top of the volcano and down but we didn’t do the climb due to the rainy weather higher up. We followed trails that took us by huge ficus trees almost as big as California redwoods. We passed through a large area that was covered with bubbling mud, steamy sulfur water ponds, and fumaroles all about 250 degrees. We were able to get surprisingly close to them. On one trail we ventured down we ran into a colony of spider monkeys numbering about 30. Since spider monkeys are travelers it was by luck they were at the same place in the forest that we were. The monkeys were just as interested in watching us as we were in watching them. We spent a delightful hour watching their antics.
Friday Julie and Doug went on a boat trip down a river to view wildlife and we went for a horseback ride. We road the horses along the beach and then into the forest looking for Howler Monkeys. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the area and led us along some very narrow and difficult trails. We saw a mountain lion in a tree which we found out later was a very rare sight. We found the monkeys too, but only after we went up and down some extremely steep hills that we though looked impossible for the horses, but they made it. We also saw some nice views of the ocean from atop those steep hills.
The next day we reluctantly returned to Atlanta. It was a very interesting and enjoyable trip with a stay at a very nice resort. Costa Rica is definitely worth a return trip.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Arizona Adventure 2004
We left for our Arizona trip the Sunday morning after the Blue Ridge Mountain Adventure Race V. Julie and Doug flew in from Charlotte to join us. We stayed at the Camelback Resort in Scottsdale, a suburb of Phoenix. It’s called the Camelback Resort because it sits at the base of the Camelback Mountain which we climbed several times during our stay. The resort and the 2-bedroom unit were very nice. That afternoon we went to the main tourist shopping and eating area in Scottsdale and were surprised to find most everything closed on a Sunday afternoon. We lost count of the number of restaurants that were closed before we found one open for lunch. After lunch we went for a hike up Camelback Mountain which turned into more of a climb due to the steepness of the slope.
Monday we ventured south toward the Tucson area. Our first stop was the Casa Grande Ruins outside Coolidge. Built more than a thousand years ago and occupied for several hundred years by the Hohokam people; the main building was the most intact of all the dwellings. The really had small doorways. From there it was onto the Saguaro National Park named after the Saguaro Cactus which grows in abundance in that area. Lucky for us the cacti were blooming at that time. We also did a short walk to a viewpoint over the desert which had some pictographs on the rocks drawn by the Hohokam. Our next stop was San Xavier Mission outside Tucson. It is one of the most beautiful and best preserved of all the Spanish missions built in the Southwest. Our last stop was at Colossal Cave, which is a rare dry cave. This means that the stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and etc. are no longer forming. In this particular cave it had been dry for over 1000 years. On our way back we stopped in Tucson for dinner and found there main tourist area closed. They must have known we were coming. Eventually we found El Charro for dinner.
The next day was a stay in the area day. We hiked up the backside of Camelback Mountain which is more difficult than the other side and requires a lot of bouldering. Spent some time at the pool and then played a disc golf course in the desert. The baskets blended in with the terrain so well that the only way we could find them was the little red flags attached to the tops.
Wednesday was the day Julie wanted to go to the Sedona area, so off we went. Our first stop was the very well preserved Montezuma Castle built by the Sinagua people and then to the Tuzigott Ruins also built by the Sinagua, which were more extensive but not as complete as Montezuma Castle. Then we went to
Cathedral Rock at Red Rocks for some hiking that included going to the healing vortex in Oak Creek at the base of Cathedral Rock. Then we drove through Sedona into Oak Creek Canyon to Slide Rock State Park for some more hiking. Although we brought swim suits we decided the water was too cold to give slide rock a try. That night we ate dinner at a nice brew house in Sedona.
Although we had a couple days left at the time share we decided to go to the northern part of the state since it too far to drive back to Scottsdale.
Our first stop Tonto Natural Bridge gave us the opportunity to hike on some very steep trails, go under the bridge, and eat lunch with a heard of Javelina. From there we went to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. Both geological marvels as many of the sights were. While there a storm arose with winds in excess of 60 miles per hour that made it difficult for us to walk around. We spent the night in Flagstaff so we could head up to the Grand Canyon the next day.
We started the day early on Friday with a visit to Walnut Canyon, more Sinagua ruins, this time built in the wall of the canyon. From there we went to Sunset Crater Volcano, walked in a crater and in a lava flow field. Very cool! It was also a cold, cloudy day and it snowed a little at the volcano. The weather had us wishing we were back in Phoenix. We entered Grand Canyon National Park from the desert side. Our first stop to see the canyon was at the desert view. We not only saw the canyon but also the Painted Desert that we saw closer up the two days before.
Saturday we were determined to hike the Grand Canyon down Bright Angel Trail to the Colorado River and back. Julie and Doug did the same trail but didn’t go as far. It’s about an 18 mile trip from the rim to the river to the rim, nine miles down and nine miles back up with a 5000 foot elevation change. There are warning sign everywhere saying, “Do not attempt to hike down to the river and back in one day”. We did it in five and a half hours. Our next time there we plan to go South Rim to River to North Rim and back again nonstop, a trip of about 45 miles with 24,000 feet of elevation change.
Then it was off to Las Vegas via Hoover Dam. There are two things going on a Hoover Dam, one is that Lake Meade is 40 feet below normal, not as bad as Lake Powell which is 80 feet below normal, and the other is major construction in the area as a bridge is being built across the canyon above the dam. Quite an engineering feat, just like the dam was.
We spent two days in Vegas. Our first night there we went out on the Strip which is always crowded and interesting. We saw grandson Mike and took him bowling at a 60 lane alley, went to some of the free shows at the casinos the best being Freemont Experience and the Bellagio water show and Conservancy. We really liked the Bellagio, Venetian, and Paris casinos. Actually they are much more than casinos. Each one is a city in itself with hotels shops, dining, shows and of course gambling. We spent a total of less than $20 on that. We were really disappointed when we went to Star Trek at the Hilton and the Borg Invasion 4D broke while we were waiting in line to get in to see it. We got a refund and maybe we’ll try to see it next time.
The next day was a stay in the area day. We hiked up the backside of Camelback Mountain which is more difficult than the other side and requires a lot of bouldering. Spent some time at the pool and then played a disc golf course in the desert. The baskets blended in with the terrain so well that the only way we could find them was the little red flags attached to the tops.
Wednesday was the day Julie wanted to go to the Sedona area, so off we went. Our first stop was the very well preserved Montezuma Castle built by the Sinagua people and then to the Tuzigott Ruins also built by the Sinagua, which were more extensive but not as complete as Montezuma Castle. Then we went to
Cathedral Rock at Red Rocks for some hiking that included going to the healing vortex in Oak Creek at the base of Cathedral Rock. Then we drove through Sedona into Oak Creek Canyon to Slide Rock State Park for some more hiking. Although we brought swim suits we decided the water was too cold to give slide rock a try. That night we ate dinner at a nice brew house in Sedona.
Although we had a couple days left at the time share we decided to go to the northern part of the state since it too far to drive back to Scottsdale.
Our first stop Tonto Natural Bridge gave us the opportunity to hike on some very steep trails, go under the bridge, and eat lunch with a heard of Javelina. From there we went to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. Both geological marvels as many of the sights were. While there a storm arose with winds in excess of 60 miles per hour that made it difficult for us to walk around. We spent the night in Flagstaff so we could head up to the Grand Canyon the next day.
We started the day early on Friday with a visit to Walnut Canyon, more Sinagua ruins, this time built in the wall of the canyon. From there we went to Sunset Crater Volcano, walked in a crater and in a lava flow field. Very cool! It was also a cold, cloudy day and it snowed a little at the volcano. The weather had us wishing we were back in Phoenix. We entered Grand Canyon National Park from the desert side. Our first stop to see the canyon was at the desert view. We not only saw the canyon but also the Painted Desert that we saw closer up the two days before.
Then it was off to Las Vegas via Hoover Dam. There are two things going on a Hoover Dam, one is that Lake Meade is 40 feet below normal, not as bad as Lake Powell which is 80 feet below normal, and the other is major construction in the area as a bridge is being built across the canyon above the dam. Quite an engineering feat, just like the dam was.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Blue Ridge Mountain Adventure Race 2003
We were expecting the BRMAR IV to be the same course as last year and anticipated an 8 hour completion time. Surprise! Some changes to the course made it longer than the previous three races. Racing together was our usual 50-Somethings team; Vernon, Cathy, and Zach. This race Mike Dillon was our support person. As usual we were the oldest of the 86 teams competing in the race, which was the largest field ever. The combined mileage for the kayaking, mountain biking, and trail running was over 35 mountainous miles and there were four special events and a river crossing. Race day weather was perfect.
The race started as always at the Shackelford Bridge with a 2.5 mile run over one side of a mountain and down the other side. This year instead of going to the kayaks we did another 4-mile run on the steepest terrain we would experience all day. That added an extra hour to our time. For the kayaking the water was as cold as usual and much higher than usual due to recent rains, so the white water was bigger and faster than usual. We did well on the first section of the kayaking, arriving with no problems at the river crossing and our first special event, the12-foot wall. Although the river was only two feet deep at the crossing, the current was extremely powerful making the crossing over and back very difficult. Before crossing back over we had to retrieve our team number that was suspended about 12 feet in the air. Once we returned to the other side we zipped over the wall in less than a minute.
The second leg of the kayaking which included the Aska Rapids was longer than the previous year. Unlike the previous year we had no problems with the rapids and managed to stay in the kayak throughout the entire section unlike most teams which went swimming. We did experience some frustration when we became stuck on rocks several times. The entire kayaking took about two hours. At the end we had to carry the kayak uphill for a quarter mile to Turkey Farm. Our feet and lower legs were numb from being in the cold water for so long we could barely move up the hill. After dropping off the kayak we completed our second special event in less than 10 seconds and went to the transition to change to dry clothes. Then it was off on the bikes.
Both biking legs were 6-7 miles long mostly on narrow single-track trails with very long and difficult climbs with a few downhills mixed in. We made it through both bike sections without a crash for the first time but not Vernon. He crashed and got a flat at the same time. We were hoping to complete the bike section in about two and a half hours, but with the crash and flat it took us closer to three hours.
At the end of the bike we faced the next special event, the wire traverse. Although many teams had problems with this event, we were easily able to cross with our “treasure” in less than a minute. Our treasure was a gallon can filled with concrete). We transitioned to our last leg, the 11+ mile run. We were maintaining a very fast pace and Vernon was experiencing some difficulties so we left him at Weaver Creek, the half way point and completed the last section in less than a hour and a half passing five teams in the process. We were flying. At the finish line we had to get the two of us over slippery mountain. Like all the special events that day we zipped over and down.
We crossed the finish line in 10 hours and 50 seconds in 59th place out of 86 teams!
The second leg of the kayaking which included the Aska Rapids was longer than the previous year. Unlike the previous year we had no problems with the rapids and managed to stay in the kayak throughout the entire section unlike most teams which went swimming. We did experience some frustration when we became stuck on rocks several times. The entire kayaking took about two hours. At the end we had to carry the kayak uphill for a quarter mile to Turkey Farm. Our feet and lower legs were numb from being in the cold water for so long we could barely move up the hill. After dropping off the kayak we completed our second special event in less than 10 seconds and went to the transition to change to dry clothes. Then it was off on the bikes.
At the end of the bike we faced the next special event, the wire traverse. Although many teams had problems with this event, we were easily able to cross with our “treasure” in less than a minute. Our treasure was a gallon can filled with concrete). We transitioned to our last leg, the 11+ mile run. We were maintaining a very fast pace and Vernon was experiencing some difficulties so we left him at Weaver Creek, the half way point and completed the last section in less than a hour and a half passing five teams in the process. We were flying. At the finish line we had to get the two of us over slippery mountain. Like all the special events that day we zipped over and down.
BRMAR 2001
We finished last year’s race with four objectives for this year; have fun, don't get injured, finish, and don't get lost. We felt quite prepared and confident going into this year’s race. In fact, our team name "In Omnia Paratis" means "ready for all things." We had a new team member, Jon Barker, with his wife Diane as our support person. We had been working out with Jon on a regular basis and on race day we had a good weather forecast. What we didn’t realize was that the course has been changed to make it longer and more challenging. It was still the same river and mountains as last year, but this year there was more river and more mountains. The combined mileage for the kayaking, mountain biking, and trail running and other special events were officially 33 miles but the actual distance was over 35 miles. Officially, it was 8 miles of kayaking, 12 miles of mountain biking 11 miles of running, and 5 mystery events. We thought the nicer weather would work to our advantage but as the day progressed and temperatures moved above 80, it became challenging just to stay hydrated. Like last year the race was limited to 75 teams and ours was the second oldest.
The race started the same as last year with a 2.5 mile run over one side of a mountain and down the other side. Jon and Zach ran ahead to secure the equipment for the 3-person kayak. When Cathy arrived we started down the river. After two miles of kayaking we had to land and complete the first special event, the 12-foot wall. The three of us had to climb over in less than 3 minutes. Our execution was perfect. Zach went up first, pushed up by Jon and Cathy. Cathy came second pushed by Jon and pulled by Zach. Jon came up last pulled up by Zach.
Then, it was back to the kayak and down the river. The water was lower than last year, so there were more problems with rocks and boulders. We got stuck quite a few times and many times Jon and Zach had to exit the kayak to move us off the rocks. In fact, Jon was exiting the raft head first on a regular basis. These, however, were not intentional. We made it through the Aska rapids but later in the kayaking hit another set of rapids and flipped. After seven miles of kayaking our arms were getting a bit tired. At this point we hit our next special event. We dropped Jon off and he had to trail run for the last mile, then swim across the river and meet us as we exited the river. Unfortunately at this point the river became wider and deeper and made it more difficult to paddle since we didn’t have the current helping anymore. It was a long last mile of kayaking.
Jon was waiting as we exited the river. Then we had to carry the kayak up a hill a quarter of a mile and complete the third special event, orienteering. We were given a compass, a distance, and an azimuth and had to retrieve an object within two minutes. What we forgot is the tendency of left-handed people to drift left and all three of us are left-handed. We drifted left and were a little slow retrieving the object. As a result we were assessed 5 penalty minutes.
Diane met us at the transition point for a change to dry footwear and some fluid and food before we started biking. After transitioning as quickly as possible, we started off on our bikes for the first segment of the biking. The first leg was 6.5 miles and the second part was 5.5 miles, mostly on narrow single-track trails. The mountain biking was tough. We were walking up the mountains pushing our bikes and riding down braking all the time to keep from going too fast and crashing. Unfortunately, as careful as we were, Cathy crashed on a rocky downhill. After some anxious moments she said she was ok, although she did have quite a few cuts and bruises on her left arm and leg. She’s tough and determined and was able to continue. The biking took us three hours and that was as fast as we could possibly complete it with so much of the time walking the bikes up mountains.
We were then faced with the next special event, the inclined wall that was oiled up to make it difficult to ascend. Zach laid out on the wall with Jon and Cathy pushing until he was able to grab the top. Then Cathy, pushed up by Jon grabbed on Zach’s legs and pulled herself part way up using Zach as a ladder. Jon grabbed Cathy legs and pulled up until he could grab Zach’s legs. Then Cathy laddered up Zach, followed closely by Jon, and Cathy and Jon pulled up Zach. Our execution on the incline was described as the best of the day.
After this Diane met us with fluids and food for our transition to the 11+ mile run. As with the biking we walked up the mountains and ran the flats and downhills. This was the part of the race where we got lost last year and were determined not to repeat that event. It was a long hot run and like the biking took us about three hours, but we didn’t get lost. We passed at least a half a dozen teams during this segment.
As we reached the finish line we had to complete the last special event, the railroad tie carry. At this point the tie felt much heavier than usual. Our objective was to carry the tie 25 yards, move it over a bar that was about six feet above the ground without losing contact with the tie and without knocking the bar off, and then return the tie to where we picked it up. We knocked the bar off and were assessed another 5-minute penalty.
We crossed the finish line in a respectable 8 hours and 38 minutes and with the 10-minutes of penalties our official time was 8 hours, 48 minutes, and 18 seconds. 40th place! 62 of the 75 teams that started the race finished. Next year we’ll try to go under 8 hours.
The race started the same as last year with a 2.5 mile run over one side of a mountain and down the other side. Jon and Zach ran ahead to secure the equipment for the 3-person kayak. When Cathy arrived we started down the river. After two miles of kayaking we had to land and complete the first special event, the 12-foot wall. The three of us had to climb over in less than 3 minutes. Our execution was perfect. Zach went up first, pushed up by Jon and Cathy. Cathy came second pushed by Jon and pulled by Zach. Jon came up last pulled up by Zach.
Diane met us at the transition point for a change to dry footwear and some fluid and food before we started biking. After transitioning as quickly as possible, we started off on our bikes for the first segment of the biking. The first leg was 6.5 miles and the second part was 5.5 miles, mostly on narrow single-track trails. The mountain biking was tough. We were walking up the mountains pushing our bikes and riding down braking all the time to keep from going too fast and crashing. Unfortunately, as careful as we were, Cathy crashed on a rocky downhill. After some anxious moments she said she was ok, although she did have quite a few cuts and bruises on her left arm and leg. She’s tough and determined and was able to continue. The biking took us three hours and that was as fast as we could possibly complete it with so much of the time walking the bikes up mountains.
We were then faced with the next special event, the inclined wall that was oiled up to make it difficult to ascend. Zach laid out on the wall with Jon and Cathy pushing until he was able to grab the top. Then Cathy, pushed up by Jon grabbed on Zach’s legs and pulled herself part way up using Zach as a ladder. Jon grabbed Cathy legs and pulled up until he could grab Zach’s legs. Then Cathy laddered up Zach, followed closely by Jon, and Cathy and Jon pulled up Zach. Our execution on the incline was described as the best of the day.
After this Diane met us with fluids and food for our transition to the 11+ mile run. As with the biking we walked up the mountains and ran the flats and downhills. This was the part of the race where we got lost last year and were determined not to repeat that event. It was a long hot run and like the biking took us about three hours, but we didn’t get lost. We passed at least a half a dozen teams during this segment.
As we reached the finish line we had to complete the last special event, the railroad tie carry. At this point the tie felt much heavier than usual. Our objective was to carry the tie 25 yards, move it over a bar that was about six feet above the ground without losing contact with the tie and without knocking the bar off, and then return the tie to where we picked it up. We knocked the bar off and were assessed another 5-minute penalty.
We crossed the finish line in a respectable 8 hours and 38 minutes and with the 10-minutes of penalties our official time was 8 hours, 48 minutes, and 18 seconds. 40th place! 62 of the 75 teams that started the race finished. Next year we’ll try to go under 8 hours.
BRMAR 2002
Our third edition of this race was also our first adventure race of this year. We had our usual teammates, Jon Barker and his wife Di as our support person. Kristin was racing with her sister Katy and Mike Greenwood, both adventure racing for the first time. Our goal this year was to complete the race in less than eight hours, which would be 50 minutes faster than last year. We had been training hard and had our new Cannondale bikes. The course was similar to 2000 with more running and less kayaking, which was a definite advantage for us. The course was also tougher than the two previous years. The combined mileage for the kayaking, mountain biking, and trail running was over 35 miles. There were also four mystery events. Race day weather was warm but overcast skies helped keep things from getting too hot. We were the oldest of the 76 teams competing.
The race started the same as the last two years at the Shackelford Bridge with a 2.5 mile run over one side of a mountain and down the other side to the kayaking. We did much better with the kayak than the previous year and had no problem arriving at our first mystery event, the12-foot wall. We have this challenge pegged and completed it in less than two minutes and returned to our kayak.
The second leg of the kayaking was going well until we arrived at the Aska Rapids. We thought the team in front of us was going to make the run. However, they got stuck on a rock which forced us to change our angle of approach. We didn’t hit the rapid clean and got turned a little left, just was enough to almost flip the kayak and send Jon, who was in front sailing into the river. At the end of the kayaking we had our first river swim followed by a three mile trail run over a small mountain. At the end of that run was another river swim followed by mystery event number two involving tires and a railroad tie. Then it was transition to the bikes.
After transitioning as quickly as possible, we started off on our new, lighter, faster bikes for the first segment of the biking. Both biking legs were 6-7 miles long mostly on narrow single-track trails. Although it was the same very hilly course as previous years, the mountain biking was not as tough due to our new bikes and our winter bike training. We walked up the mountains considerably less than the previous year. It was Zach’s turn to crash on the bike this year, which he did. The crash broke his seat which we repaired with duct tape.
At the end of the bike we faced the next special event, the cargo net climb. Only one of us had to climb which Jon did in true Spiderman fashion. We transitioned to our last leg, the 11+ mile run. Cathy had injured her hip in February and had essentially not run for six weeks prior to the race so the run was particularly difficult for her, but she is tough and can always be counted on to push on and finish. It was a long hot run (we lost our cloud cover) but we finished in good time.
As we reached the finish line we had to complete the last special event, slippery mountain. Instead of Crisco they used liquid soap and our usual technique did not get us over the top and we received a five minute penalty.
We crossed the finish line in 7 hours and 55 minutes and with the 5-minute penalty our official time was 8 hours, and 38 seconds. 38th place! We finished 50 minutes faster than last year’s race and three places lower. The competition is improving. As usual Di did a great job on support.
Kristin, Katy, and Mike finished in 10 hours and 27 minutes. They had a problem early in the first bike leg when Katie crashed on a gravel road and cut her arm badly as well as extensively bruised her left side. The medics suggested she drop out but she wanted to finish and did. After the race it took 35 stitches to close the cut on her arm. Quite an effort!
After transitioning as quickly as possible, we started off on our new, lighter, faster bikes for the first segment of the biking. Both biking legs were 6-7 miles long mostly on narrow single-track trails. Although it was the same very hilly course as previous years, the mountain biking was not as tough due to our new bikes and our winter bike training. We walked up the mountains considerably less than the previous year. It was Zach’s turn to crash on the bike this year, which he did. The crash broke his seat which we repaired with duct tape.
At the end of the bike we faced the next special event, the cargo net climb. Only one of us had to climb which Jon did in true Spiderman fashion. We transitioned to our last leg, the 11+ mile run. Cathy had injured her hip in February and had essentially not run for six weeks prior to the race so the run was particularly difficult for her, but she is tough and can always be counted on to push on and finish. It was a long hot run (we lost our cloud cover) but we finished in good time.
As we reached the finish line we had to complete the last special event, slippery mountain. Instead of Crisco they used liquid soap and our usual technique did not get us over the top and we received a five minute penalty.
We crossed the finish line in 7 hours and 55 minutes and with the 5-minute penalty our official time was 8 hours, and 38 seconds. 38th place! We finished 50 minutes faster than last year’s race and three places lower. The competition is improving. As usual Di did a great job on support.
Kristin, Katy, and Mike finished in 10 hours and 27 minutes. They had a problem early in the first bike leg when Katie crashed on a gravel road and cut her arm badly as well as extensively bruised her left side. The medics suggested she drop out but she wanted to finish and did. After the race it took 35 stitches to close the cut on her arm. Quite an effort!
BRMAR 2004
This year’s BRMAR V (yes, we have been adventure racing for 5 years) was going to be a new course but we still anticipated about an 8 hour completion time. We wanted to finish ASAP and return home since we were leaving for 10 days in Arizona and Nevada early the next morning. Racing with us was Greg, our teammate from Raging Russell. At the pre-race meeting the night before the race, we were officially recognized as the oldest team of the more than 80 team in the race, 159 years.
The first change to the race was that the course wouldn’t be announced until the start of the race. The announced combined mileage for the kayaking, mountain biking, and trail running was the usual 30-35 mountainous miles and there were three special events and a river crossing. New this year to the race was navigation. Race day weather was perfect.
The race started as always at the Shackelford Bridge, this time with a twist. We had to solve a riddle to find our maps. Once we found the maps behind a wall we had to plot the coordinates which took about 20 minutes. The first leg was running about eight miles with the checkpoints mostly along the Benton MacKaye Trail. We had no problem finding the checkpoints and in about two hours arrived at the river to begin the paddling leg in the dreaded “funyak”. We don’t know why they are called “funyaks” because it is never fun paddling them down the cold Toccoa River with three people in a boat meant for two.
The paddling section always has a mid-course checkpoint where we have to climb the12-foot wall. Before attacking the wall we had to retrieve our team number that was suspended about 12 feet in the air on the other side of the river. Although the river was only two feet deep at the crossing, the current was extremely powerful making the crossing over and back very difficult. Once we returned to the other side we zipped over the wall in less than 30 seconds, our fastest tine ever.
Then it was back in the boats and on to the Aska Rapids. We had no problems with the rapids and managed to stay in the boat throughout the entire section unlike many teams that went swimming. At the end of the paddle we had to carry the “funyak” about a half mile and then had a two mile run to Turkey Farm where we transitioned to our bikes.
The biking leg was longer this year and new for the course. The very mountainous 20-mike bike included a combination of single track, forest service road and paved roads. There were six checkpoints we had to find along the way. Finding the checkpoints was the easy part; the hard part was all of the long and difficult climbs. We made pretty good time and arrived at the last transition well before the cutoff. There was one special event, then a 3-mile run to the finish line. At the finish line was the spectator favorite “slippery mountain” where we received a 5-minute penalty when Zach’s hand hit the side on the slide down.
Our official finish time was 8 hours and 14 minutes and we came in 30th out of 83 teams! We were also the 2nd master’s team to cross the finish line. It was our best finish ever in this race.
The race started as always at the Shackelford Bridge, this time with a twist. We had to solve a riddle to find our maps. Once we found the maps behind a wall we had to plot the coordinates which took about 20 minutes. The first leg was running about eight miles with the checkpoints mostly along the Benton MacKaye Trail. We had no problem finding the checkpoints and in about two hours arrived at the river to begin the paddling leg in the dreaded “funyak”. We don’t know why they are called “funyaks” because it is never fun paddling them down the cold Toccoa River with three people in a boat meant for two.
The paddling section always has a mid-course checkpoint where we have to climb the12-foot wall. Before attacking the wall we had to retrieve our team number that was suspended about 12 feet in the air on the other side of the river. Although the river was only two feet deep at the crossing, the current was extremely powerful making the crossing over and back very difficult. Once we returned to the other side we zipped over the wall in less than 30 seconds, our fastest tine ever.
BRMAR 2005
Our team was a little younger in total age than usual this race, since our son-in-law, Jeremy was racing with us in his first AR. He has been one of our support crew members for the past three years, so he was familiar with everything in AR. Our support crew for this race was Mark and Casey, two friends who volunteer with us at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception homeless shelter. Mark is also the husband of Zach’s bother, Paul’s boss, Lori, and Casey is Lori’s brother, Got that! Mark and Lori own a cabin in the Blue Ridge area and they graciously invited us to spend the night before the race at the cabin. Mark and Casey are getting ready to race in their first AR this summer.
The weather for the race was absolutely perfect, unlike the race the week before which had six inches of snow and had to be stopped half-way through because of weather conditions. We had decided not to race in that one and were we glad we made that decision. The race started at the train depot in downtown Blue Ridge at 7:30am. All the teams boarded the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway for a 45 minute ride south to a drop off point. It was a nice ride in comfortable cars except for the teams in the last car which was open air. Burr! Were they cold!
After the short ride we exited the cars, had to solve a riddle and then it was a short run to the bikes for first leg of the race; an eight-mile bike on paved and dirt road from Cherry Log to Stanley Gap. Unlike most races we were not given the maps at the start of this one instead we received maps, directions, and CP coordinates that would take us only to the next Transition Area, so we had to plot and navigate on the run. At Stanley Gap we started a five-mile orienteering section with six checkpoints. We had to plot the coordinates on the map before taking off on the run but something was amiss. The coordinates were not matching up to map locations, so we headed out without exact checkpoint placements. It wasn’t a big problem since we were able to readily find the CPs, which for the most part were fairly close to a trail and as we ran into other teams we knew, we would exchange information on CP placements as well.
At the end of the orienteering loop we were back at Stanley Gap and off on the bikes again for a 10-mile ride to the Shallowford Bridge. This ride was on dirt and paved road with a lot of downhill, unlike the ride up to Stanley Gap, which was mostly uphill. For some reason this race does not allow towing on bikes and is the only race we know with such a rule. Bottom line, if Zach can’t tow Cathy, we move slower up hill. After we crossed the bridge it was a two-mile ride along the Toccoa River to our next stop. The team had to split, so Jeremy volunteered to do the two-mile trail run, one mile up and one mile down, while we pushed the bikes a mile down the road to meet up with him. What we didn’t know is that the race monitors would not let Jeremy go down the hill until he could name our bike brands; since he has been part of our support crew for so long it was a snap for him. Unfortunately, on the way down the hill he hurt his knee, how bad we didn’t know at the time.
After that short challenge it was on the bikes again for a 15-mile ride, mostly uphill on Forest Service roads to the rappel site. Only several miles into the ride we found out how much Jeremy hurt his knee when he was barely able to ride uphill due to the pain. He started walking most of the uphill, which slowed us down considerably; but what can you do; it’s part of the race and we just do the best we can. Unfortunately, his injury was slowing us down at a time Cathy was riding strong without a tow. We actually asked Jeremy several times if he needed to stop, but he wanted to continue, so we did. On the last hill leading up to the rappel site we road ahead of Jeremy to find out if we had missed the cutoff. Fortunately, it had been extended. The other good news was that for the first time that day we saw our support crew and were able to refill our pack bladders. We got into our harnesses and climbed the hill to the line waiting about 30 minutes to rappel. This gave Jeremy time to eat, drink and evaluate his condition. When we got closer to our time to rappel Jeremy climbed the hill to join us. It was a nice 100 foot rappel, definitely worth the wait.
After the rappel we made sure Jeremy was ok to continue and then we took off on an eight-mile orienteering section. The UTMs were off on this part of the course just as they had been off on the rest of the course. There were five CPs on the way to the lake. The first three were right off a trail or road. Then we had to find CP16, which it required bushwhacking to reach it. Since the UTMs were off, we were off and were looking in the wrong place. We looked with several other teams for CP and CP17, which you couldn’t find unless you found 16, but to no avail. Knowing the paddle cutoff was coming we decided to take the two-hour penalty and get the boat in the water.
The paddle section was five-miles long. We are not the greatest canoe paddlers but we passed about half a dozen other teams during the hour and a half paddle. The paddle was pretty straightforward and at the take out we met out support crew and transitioned to the bikes for a six-mile ride to near the finish line. Fortunately, this bike section was not as hilly as the other bike sections and Jeremy had been able to rest his knee while we were paddling, so he was able to get through this section ok. At the top of the hill before the finish line we dropped our bikes and had to run the last couple hundred yards to the finish line. But before we crossed the finish line we had to get over slippery mountain. Waiting at slippery mountain for us was Mark and Casey and Zach’s Uncle Leon and Aunt Faye. We arrived at slippery mountain about 7:30pm.
Zach had told Leon and Faye we would be finishing around 4 pm based on our finish times from previous years, so they had been waiting since 3 pm for us. We’re glad they got to see us. Anyway we did manage to slip ourselves over slippery mountain and cross the finish line almost 12 hours after we started. Out of the 87 teams that started the race 48 teams finished. We were the 46th. To top off the night Leon and Faye took us to dinner at the Victorian House. What a nice way to end a race day!
After the short ride we exited the cars, had to solve a riddle and then it was a short run to the bikes for first leg of the race; an eight-mile bike on paved and dirt road from Cherry Log to Stanley Gap. Unlike most races we were not given the maps at the start of this one instead we received maps, directions, and CP coordinates that would take us only to the next Transition Area, so we had to plot and navigate on the run. At Stanley Gap we started a five-mile orienteering section with six checkpoints. We had to plot the coordinates on the map before taking off on the run but something was amiss. The coordinates were not matching up to map locations, so we headed out without exact checkpoint placements. It wasn’t a big problem since we were able to readily find the CPs, which for the most part were fairly close to a trail and as we ran into other teams we knew, we would exchange information on CP placements as well.
At the end of the orienteering loop we were back at Stanley Gap and off on the bikes again for a 10-mile ride to the Shallowford Bridge. This ride was on dirt and paved road with a lot of downhill, unlike the ride up to Stanley Gap, which was mostly uphill. For some reason this race does not allow towing on bikes and is the only race we know with such a rule. Bottom line, if Zach can’t tow Cathy, we move slower up hill. After we crossed the bridge it was a two-mile ride along the Toccoa River to our next stop. The team had to split, so Jeremy volunteered to do the two-mile trail run, one mile up and one mile down, while we pushed the bikes a mile down the road to meet up with him. What we didn’t know is that the race monitors would not let Jeremy go down the hill until he could name our bike brands; since he has been part of our support crew for so long it was a snap for him. Unfortunately, on the way down the hill he hurt his knee, how bad we didn’t know at the time.
After that short challenge it was on the bikes again for a 15-mile ride, mostly uphill on Forest Service roads to the rappel site. Only several miles into the ride we found out how much Jeremy hurt his knee when he was barely able to ride uphill due to the pain. He started walking most of the uphill, which slowed us down considerably; but what can you do; it’s part of the race and we just do the best we can. Unfortunately, his injury was slowing us down at a time Cathy was riding strong without a tow. We actually asked Jeremy several times if he needed to stop, but he wanted to continue, so we did. On the last hill leading up to the rappel site we road ahead of Jeremy to find out if we had missed the cutoff. Fortunately, it had been extended. The other good news was that for the first time that day we saw our support crew and were able to refill our pack bladders. We got into our harnesses and climbed the hill to the line waiting about 30 minutes to rappel. This gave Jeremy time to eat, drink and evaluate his condition. When we got closer to our time to rappel Jeremy climbed the hill to join us. It was a nice 100 foot rappel, definitely worth the wait.
After the rappel we made sure Jeremy was ok to continue and then we took off on an eight-mile orienteering section. The UTMs were off on this part of the course just as they had been off on the rest of the course. There were five CPs on the way to the lake. The first three were right off a trail or road. Then we had to find CP16, which it required bushwhacking to reach it. Since the UTMs were off, we were off and were looking in the wrong place. We looked with several other teams for CP and CP17, which you couldn’t find unless you found 16, but to no avail. Knowing the paddle cutoff was coming we decided to take the two-hour penalty and get the boat in the water.
The paddle section was five-miles long. We are not the greatest canoe paddlers but we passed about half a dozen other teams during the hour and a half paddle. The paddle was pretty straightforward and at the take out we met out support crew and transitioned to the bikes for a six-mile ride to near the finish line. Fortunately, this bike section was not as hilly as the other bike sections and Jeremy had been able to rest his knee while we were paddling, so he was able to get through this section ok. At the top of the hill before the finish line we dropped our bikes and had to run the last couple hundred yards to the finish line. But before we crossed the finish line we had to get over slippery mountain. Waiting at slippery mountain for us was Mark and Casey and Zach’s Uncle Leon and Aunt Faye. We arrived at slippery mountain about 7:30pm.
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