"Are We There Yet?s" 2008 Adventure Race Has Plenty of Room For Improvement
Summary:
Most years, team "Are We There Yet?" attempts a 36 hour adventure race. This year we did the Berryman Adventure in Van Buren, MO. Team members were:
Andrew Michaelis - Austin, TX; George Koburov - Woodridge, IL; Karen Seacor - Cleveland; OH, Mark Michaelis - Spokane Valley, WA
Final status for team Are We There Yet: Withdrawn (we only did a single checkpoint on the bike course.)
Disciplines:
Trail Running: 20 miles
River Canoeing: 31 miles
Mountain Biking: 61 miles (which we didn't do)
More Photos
The Good, The Bad, And the Ugly
Given the distances from the race, we all had significant travel times. Karen had 12 hours (8 on Friday) and I started out on a red eye at 12:40 AM on Friday morning. The result is that all of us to some extent started the race with sleep deprivation (Lame Excuse #1). One way George and I coped was to use Benadryl so as to increase the chance of sleeping on the way to the race. Having never done this, I can say I was glad I did as I think it helped me get some good rest in. George picked Andy and I up from the St. Louis airport, we picked up a bike for Mark at the Alpine Shop, and headed down for the race, George and Andy taking turns driving and sleeping.
During the drive down, I searched for GPS tracking software so that we could record where we went (in contrast to the actual check point location). GPSes are not legal but I have one built into my phone (required gear in this case), so I figured I had one anyway, I just couldn't (and didn't) use it. The program that seemed to be all I needed and at the right cost was Luis Espinosa's TrackMe. Unfortunately, batteries and other technical details caused this not to work for us in this race, but conceptually, this seems like it would be a great way to track where we actually went.
We all arrived at the race site, Big Springs - MO, at around 3 PM. This gave us plenty of time to unpack and setup before the pre-race spaghetti dinner at 5:15 PM. We unpacked, set up a screened-in canopy, completed gear checks and verified bikes were in working order. After dinner we had so little to do we napped for a few min before heading out to the race meeting, a short drive to the landing.
Besides the raffling off of several very nice prizes, Garmin GPSes, Kayak, Soloman trail shoes, etc., the race meeting was short and sweet. We learned that we would be traveling North by bus to race start. The race would begin with 9-15 hours of trail running followed by 6-8 hours of canoeing. We were sure to get wet and there would be a gear check along the way. That was pretty much it.
We headed back to the race headquarters/transition area to take care of any last minute details and then we even attempted a brief (30 min) nap before race start pictures and boarding the bus. We were the first ones on the bus, but five minutes before driving off, we realized bike gloves would be handy for the paddling so Andy and George dashed off to grab some (during the paddle I was glad he did). We left at about 10 PM and arrived at race start, Two Rivers (along the Current River), at about 11:15 PM. We made our best attempt to nap on the way up but none of us really did.
The race began with one team member from each team (Andy in our case) running a quick quarter mile up the road to grab a clue sheet with coordinates. It was around this time that we learned the race would begin with a four to five foot river crossing in what was brisk and chilly water. Nice! The rest of us picked up our maps and tried to orient ourselves to the area as best we could. Andy returned quickly and we began plotting the coordinates. George led the effort. The maps were slightly confusing because one side had longitude lines that were slightly off (from the rest of the map) but this only mattered for the Check Points #1, so we were able to stumble through.
After plotting we ran down to the boat launch and undressed down to our race underwear for the river crossing. I wasn't particularly excited to begin the race this way but the worst of the crossing was sore feet as we walked on the rocks. We linked arms so that we didn't lose anyone and carried our bags above our heads. Overall, it was a fun start and quickly got us into the right attitude for an adventure race. Dressing on the other side we checked our time and began a slow trail jog. A couple times we looked at the possibility of a turn off but it was too soon. While plotting, we had decided to take the first trail and then cut up to Check Point #2, but once on the course, we missed the first turn off so we went up the second - purposely over shooting it so that we could cut back via the more gradual nose of the hill. On the way up we came across an old Jeep trail that led us straight to the check point. We followed the same trail down but, once we hit the dirt road, stayed on that to Check Point #3, rather than taking a short cut and bush whacking across. As we learned at the end of the race, this was not the most efficient, taking the shortest route even with bush whacking is generally the most efficient in this area. (Not our experience in races elsewhere).
Check Point #4 was baffling. There was a trail most of the way there until we had to cut across into the brush along a flat ridge but we missed the cut across entirely. In fact, we thought we were on it but determined later, that we had overshot it entirely and instead we were on a trail further on. This baffled us several times but after several false attempts to relocate, we eventually found a trail which led us all the way around. In the end we had made a full circle along the trails bordering Check Point #4. Once we relocated ourselves, we made an attempt to cut across, up a creek to find Check Point #4. We took a bearing and headed up but ended up wandering around aimlessly for 2 hours before drifting back down to a known point. At this point we gave up and decided to proceed on to the next check point. In hindsight, don't (rarely) skip a checkpoint you are near in favor of one you don't know anything about. The one you are at and know something about, is likely to be easier than any later on ones you haven't spent any time on and know nothing about.
Check Point #5 was our first significant error. We headed out to it along a trail. After removing our shoes and crossing a river and a brisk hike, things didn't quite seem right. We re-plotted the check point and discovered we had misplaced it by more than 10 km. Yikes! We headed back and began searching the hillside for our newly located Check Point #5. On the map it was clearly along a reentrant, geographically a small valley frequently with water funneling into it, possibly starting in a marshy area at the top. (By definition, reentrant is a series of angles pointing inwards.) We split up along the hillside, frequently unable to hear a brisk yell from one person to another. This made it difficult to regroup and strategically attack again. We should always remain within clear ear shot, if not closer. Finally we congregated back at the river and replenished our water supplies (purifying with iodine). We again attacked the check point, this time following a compass bearing or trying to follow the reentrant more closely. Again, we came up empty. Arghhh!!! Another two hours were lost and again, we didn't find the endpoint. We quit our search for a second time and headed up and over in search of Check Point #6.
Check Point #6 was interesting because it required us to switch from our 1 to 24,000 topographical map to a print out of a Ozark Trail topographical map. Unfortunately, we never reconciled the two maps and lazily tried to just come across the trail. The result was that we ended up on a dirt trail at the bottom of a hill with little to no idea where we were. We wandered along the road meeting 4 other two person teams - one of which had been searching for Check Point #6 for three hours without any luck. We commiserated and even attempted a phone call but there was no coverage. We also considered the idea using a iPone GPS but we didn't know how to translate the coordinates to UTM coordinates. As a group, we decided to march back along the road and, if failure continued, to skip the Ozark Trail and instead follow the river. As a team we stayed behind a little longer, reexamining the map. However, we still had no idea where we were so we eventually decided on a similar tactic. Fortunately, one of the two person teams did see the trail logo (on left), obviously an O.T. once you pay attention. Anyway, several yards in was the orienteering flag and we were back on the map.
Check Point #7 was easy to find. We just followed the Ozark Trail which was clearly marked all the way. We briskly walked up the initial part, following behind the other two point teams. At the summit, they took a break 
and we continued, now in a slow jog for most of the remainder of the trail. It was beautiful, the altitude changes relatively minor, and overall, we were in good spirits. Glad to again know our location and motivated to move faster by the teams behind us. After stamping at Check Point #7 we walked past on along the trail, planning to check our next steps away from the check point. This was silly as it turned out we headed in the wrong direction. Check Point #7 wasn't along the trail but rather, across the stream and up to the top of the hill. By this time, George, who didn't have long pants, was pretty cut up from all the bush whacking.
Mark led the navigation along a bearing. Rather than leap-frogging each other to keep the bearing, he used the trees to find the next point. This proved to be fairly accurate but when we reached the top portion of the hill, the brush became extremely dense and we had to begin leap-frogging again. However, the bearing took us away from the ridge and we eventually abandoned it in favor of following the contour lines. Andy found the first summit and then we moved from one high point to the next, following along where the check point led us. Soon after the first high point, we encountered a clearing and a trail and we were able to follow this. We briefly miscounted how many high points we had encountered but after a short while we were back on track and came across the orienteering flag right on the trail.
Next we followed the trail to Check Point #8. We used time to estimate distance and this proved to be accurate for Check Point #9 as well. It was somewhat surprising how far #9 was off the trail and we all wondered how hard it would have been to find the check point in the dark.
Check Point #10 was reasonably straightforward. However, we did run briefly off track by assuming it was along a road that it wasn't. Mark identified there was an issue and we headed up the nose of the next hill to find the next checkpoint. Check Point #10 was accessible via road but this meant a considerable detour so the direct route was selected. This proved to be fairly easy. In fact, George located an old logging trail which he was able to traverse fairly quickly.
Check Point #11 looked challenging. We headed down along the road and reached the bottom of the hill. The hill looked to be very dense and there was no trail. We decided to locate an intersection and then take a bearing from there. Once at the intersection, we were feeling a little discouraged and decided to take a 5 minute nap. This was energizing and appreciated even though it was short. We fell asleep without issue (besides brief naps, we had all been up for 30 or so hours by this time). We discussed whether to skip Check Points #11 and #12 and eventually decided to simply head for Powder Mill and the canoes. Although there were misgivings about giving up on the last two check points but, since we had already skipped 2, it wasn't nearly as big a deal. Instead, we were surprised at how far away the canoe launch seemed.
At the canoe launch, Check Point #13, we were amazed to learn that two teams had been able to navigate all the trail check points in six hours while it had taken us fifteen and we had skipped four. Wow!!! How on earth had they done that. It is unfathomable to us. Truly remarkable!
We didn't dilly-dally at the transition area, sticking to refreshing our water supply, grabbing our transition bags, and heading to the water. The water felt great on our tired feet. Andy and Karen took one canoe while George and I took the other. Andy and Mark were in the rear (steering). It didn't take long to get into the rhythm of paddling and the river was incredibly beautiful. If it wasn't for the pressure of the race, this would make for a leisurely trip along a gorgeous part of Missouri. We saw fish eagles, blue herons, and pied king fishers along with Andrew's favorite, a snake. There were frequent camp grounds and boat landings along the way and we frequently checked with the locals on distance to the next point on the map. Just prior to dusk we came across some tough rapids and saw another team on the shore. Mark and George were already past them as they entered the toughest waters so far. Karen and Andy took the other side of the island and ended up landing so that they could pick up the other team. The other team had capsized and their canoe was pinned. They were soaked through and less than happy to say the least. A ranger showed up within the half hour and took the additional crew back on a motor boat. (He didn't think it would be quite fair to tow us although we did ask. :)
We got to Waymeyer (Check Point #14) just as it was getting dark. There we did a gear check, potty break, and put on additional clothing. Once we started out again, things were significantly more difficult. There was fog coming off the water and our light reflected off the haze making it very difficult to see the water. We could hear the rapids, but couldn't see obstacles until we were on them almost. Wow.... it was some tense canoeing (but exciting/fun). At the time we thought it was dangerous and questioned the fact that we were not pulled out of the race. However, after a discussion with the race director, we agreed with his choice to leave it to us. Really, the worst that could happen was capsizing and getting wet - it wasn't really life threatening. At one point Andy and Karen hit a strainer but their experience avoided any incident. As they discussed a little later, leaning into the obstacle (rather than away from it as instinct would lead you) is key. This way, you are tipping the bottom of the boat up river so the water doesn't flow over the side. About a mile from the end George and Mark hit a rapid which threw them to the outside of the river and into a strainer. Yikes... They hit the tree at virtually full throttle; Mark backpaddled one way while George furiously fought to untangle himself from his flashlight so that he could paddle on the other. Fortunately, they hit a pivot point at the right angle and it simply swung the boat around rather than tipped them over. It was intense for a few short moments and Mark was clobbered on the head by a branch hitting his paddle. However, this was the worst of it and for this we were all grateful.
Back at race headquarters and our transition area, we replenished our supplies, changed our clothes and put on warmer clothing (we were cold) and checked the bikes were ready to go. We also took a 30 minute nap - this really helped replenish us - although perhaps not our minds. After our nap we plotted out one or two of the bike check points and headed out. We followed the map and were able to make it fit the terrain perfectly. The clue was that the check point was next to a barn but we couldn't find the barn. Strange? We proceeded to check every building we could find in the two mile stretch of road as though every building was a barn. We went up and down the road for more than two hours trying to find a the check point but it was nowhere to be found. Did it get taken down? Why couldn't we see it? Was our distance measurement off? What gives? Confused and frustrated, we headed back to the camp, sneaking in the back way, humiliated at our defeat. No less than 10 minutes later, it occurred to us that perhaps we had gone the wrong way. We checked our compass (what a novel idea), and sure enough, we had headed out South instead of North? Wow! How could we have navigated the last 24 hours straight and now, when the check point was along the road, we just assumed and didn't even check the compass once before heading out. Mental exhaustion? Not sure.. Lame? Undoubtedly! We headed off in the right direction and found Check Point #15 within less than 10 minutes. From there we simply headed back to camp tired and dejected. I think biking, especially fun, challenging single track (at night even) is our favorite event and we didn't do any. :(
It is interesting how our minds are able to bend the truth to fit with what we want rather than the way things are. For us, everything was a barn, the valleys all fitted with the map perfectly, and trails all lined up with what we wanted. In reality, we were not even close to where we needed to be. Interesting... how often in life do we do similar things? We project our feelings on to others or try to change truth to what we want rather than change our minds to conform to Truth. How often do we say, do, believe what we want rather than allow the Truth to dictate reality for us.
At this point, we were beaten mentally, physically and emotionally. We affirmed what we had already expected when we plotted only a few bike check points, we were done. We headed back to camp, crawled into sleeping bags, and crashed. In the back of our minds we were grateful especially since this meant we would sleep before driving the 3 hours back to St Louis on no sleep - a ludicrous idea that was likely to kill us. Next year, we make sure a plan is in place to have a designated non-racer driver, or a good several hours (night) sleep before driving.
Before leaving the race site, we sat down with Jason Elsenraat for a lesson in navigation. It was very helpful. Here is a list of pointers:
- Use a map wheel to mark out the mileage on the intended path
- Use a 3mm roller ball to mark check points rather than the Sharpe which frequently hid contour lines.
- Use a hi-lighter to mark dotted lines of the intended path between check points
- Draw arrows using a hi-lighter across the map indicating North (otherwise you have to unfold the map to check)
- Use contour lines to get into the general location, rather than rigid following of the compass for long distances.
- When one set of contour lines are not distinct, move to a different one for navigation close to the target and then compass navigate from that point.
- Feel free to take short cuts rather than a long way round just to stay on the trail. (Interestingly, our experience from other races was the opposite - take the trail rather than bush whack the unknown)
- Use the altimeter for judging distances - especially from a peak of valley
- Have a designated time keeper other than the navigator (Similarly for the altimeter says Mark)
- Place markings on the compass for distance (both 1 in 24000 and 1 in 25000)
- Carry a pipe cleaner to measure distances on the route (or use string on compass)
- Two AR roamers: Basic Roamer AR and Adventure Racing Corner Rulers (The Ozark Extreme site has list as does maptools.com.) Online there is also a slot style tool which looks the best because you can write along the border of the scale - a significant problem with the other two roamers which you have to lift up in order to plot a point.
- *Use contact paper to waterproof your map
- *Write the clues on the map near the check point, rather than depending on a separate piece of paper.
*Team Are We There Yet's idea
On the drive back Andy and George again switched drivers. After a brief nap, Andy took over from George in order to speed things up in hopes of catching an early flight rather than waiting until Monday morning - especially since everyone else was leaving. He succeeded. I spent the bulk of the trip examining various GPS tracking logs and discovered that none of them really worked so we had virtually no tracking record of the race - disappointing, but there is always next year.
Shout Outs from CheckPoint Tracker - Thanks for all the cheering everyone!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008 12:36:57 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00) 
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