Jim, Leiza, Corey, Aimee,

Thanks so much for another great adventure!

You guys do such a great job.

This is our story (I hope I got the distances correct):

We just got back from West Texas from the Rock, Roll, and Rattlesnake Challenge. This race was estimated at 12 to 18 hrs for the top teams and more if not...There were 20 teams total.

We started with a 3 mile rope-n-ride. This is a modern version of an old cowboy story where two riders had to share a horse. One would ride just long enough to get ahead, while the other ran behind. The first rider would tie the horse off, allowing it to rest until the first runner caught up. Then this guy would ride, passing the now runner, get ahead a mile or two, tie the horse off, and would begin running again. This way they all could get a break from running, and the horse from carrying a rider too far in one go.

The difference in our race was that the "horse" was our mountain bikes!

Right after, we got the maps with the clues and some directions for the actual mountain bike ride. This was a 20 mile combination of rocky jeep roads, single-track trails, and plain "bush-whacking." We had to cross creeks, climb up mountain sides, and ride like the wind. Between check-point 3 and 4, we had a special gift..

Before we got there, though, we made a mistake and took off down a cliff with bikes and all. It was quite a chore getting ourselves down, not to mention carrying the bikes. We thought it couldn't get any worse. Well it did! The trail ended at the bottom of a really high cliff with nothing but a mountain-goat trail snaking its way up the side. We had to scramble ourselves and bikes up this cliff. It was steep enough that we had Pam and Chris just worry about getting themselves up, while Bill and I took care of the bikes. We each hooked one over our shoulders and push-pulled-cursed-at the other bike up the goat trail. But we made it! So we had CP 4.

Then it was off though more jeep-roads and single track to CP 5, CP 6, CP 7, CP 8, and back to the transition area.

At each of these check points (CP) we had to either mark out passport (a plastic card) with a special hole-punch indicating that we had made it to that point. So, not only we had to ride our tails off, but find these specific points within the mesquite and cactus forest...

For the first time ever, at our transition area (TA:base of operations) we had a transition team member. Debbie (Chris' friend was kind enough (or dumb?) to volunteer to be there for us) She was great! It was so nice to get food handed to us and hear words of encouragement every time we made it back to the TA! This took so much of a load as all we had to worry about was changing socks, shoes, or whatever, while Deb filled our water packs, our guts, and helped with whatever else we needed.

So, anyway, we worked the bike trails, making a few scenic detours (?) along the way, but finally completing it in nearly 5 hours. We made it to the TA and I went to check us in and get the next set of instructions. These were a 3 mile run to the kayak staging area, to be followed by an 8 mile kayaking section that included finding two different CP's along the shore line.

We arrived at the staging area to find out that since we had opted for a hard-shell kayak, we had to carry both of them along a trail to the water's edge. This was not too awful long, but with the weight of the 2 two person kayaks it was difficult. Bill and I carried the kayaks while Pam and Chris carried the obligatory big orange life-vests and the 4 paddles. Off into the water we went. It was windy and we had to paddle against the wind for quite some time before reaching the first CP (CP 9). We had it in the bag, so off we went to the second one, thinking that it would be over soon. Nearly 1 1/2 hours later, we finally reached the second water CP! Our arms felt that they were about to fall off!!!! And we still had to get back to the take-out point, carry the kayaks back to the staging area before we could rest during the 3 mile run back to the TA...?!?!?!

During our now walk back to the TA, Bill and I decided to plot our land navigation compass points on the topographic map to save time.

We finally arrived at the TA, changed, checked out, and headed into the woods at about 5 pm. We had to hit 10 CP's spread over 18 miles of forest! With some forethought and acceptance that we would be out until well past dark, we loaded all of the lights we could carry. A good thing!

Off to find CP 10 we went. Easy enough! However, we realized that we were in no better place than 10th. Then to CP 11 where another team challenge met us. We had to cross the river while standing on one rope and only allowed to hold on to another rope just within reach above our heads. ( The ropes crossed the river parallel, one above the other) The options where that one could get across the river as long as you held on to at least one rope, however this would've meant to get completely wet (if you swam while holding only the bottom rope) or try to balance between the two. As darkness approached, we decided to try to brave balancing between the two ropes so as to not be wet in the forest all night long.

Bill got across one set of ropes, then I followed. As soon as Bill made it, he got a hold of the rope-set that Chris was on so as to hold them steady for her, which helped a bunch. When I made it, I came to Bill's side and we decided to place the bottom rope across by thigh to get the two ropes closer together, making it more do-able for Chris and Pam's shorter reach between the ropes. Even the race official hooted and cheered us along telling us what great team work this was! We made it with only Bills and my feet getting wet as our weight dipped the bottom rope into the water.

So off to CP 11. Up a hill we scrambled and bagged it!

And so now was CP 12. We trekked along a ridge looking as we hurried trying to beat the darkness that loomed over us any minute. Finding it well hidden along a grove of mesquite trees, we located a fence line and followed it back to the river looking for CP 13.

Once again down the hill, we found ourselves at the river where we had to decide if to go the short route (straight across) and get wet, or trek along the edge until we found a shallower crossing. Luckily we did within a few miles. And, even luckier, as we emerged from the river bottom, we were exactly where we needed to be!!! So, now up a hill to CP 14. At this CP, we realized that we had moved on up to 5th place. This was such a great morale booster that we didn't even complain that we had to retrace our steps back to CP 14 through the river, up the hill, watching for cactus and other thorny bushes to find CP 16!

As we were now trekking only by the lights of our headlamps, we decided to go a bit longer, following fence lines when we could, or other identifiable terrain feature. This paid off as, though it seemed forever, we found CP 16.

So now to CP 17. Having plotted the points on the map, Bill and I knew this was going to be back up the cliff where we had to carry our bikes up the goat-trail earlier (seemed like it was the day before, which it almost was by now...)

So we met the river once more, forded it and started up the cliff. Much easier without bikes! But, NO, the race organizers had a surprise! Once at the top, they gave us a container made from a 3 foot section of pipe, and one made form a 1 foot section of pipe. Both of them had several holes drilled on the sides. The challenge was that, using only the 1 foot section, we had to fill-up the 3 foot section to the top  before we could continue. This of course meant several trips on the goat trail to the river edge to get water. Bring it up without spilling off the top or the holes on the sides, so as to not make any more trips than necessary!

We made Pam and Chris stay with the 3 foot piece at the top of the cliff so they could hold their fingers on all of the holes, while Bill and I split the distance of the trail ferrying the water. It took us 4 trips on our now hated trail!

Finally, we could take off. So in the darkness we had two more CP to find and them make it back to the TA to be finished. Yeah!

Following a jeep road, we plotted our course towards CP 18. After about an hour we had it. So one left!

We kept to the jeep roads and with a bit of difficulty, found CP 19. We realized that now we were in what appeared to be 4th place! More Yeahs!!

Bill and I had it in mind from earlier, that if we kept to the road we were on, we would find CP 6 and that once we found it, we would find the gate and the fence line straight back to the finish line.

Well, so we thought. We were so confident that we didn't double check our maps and, after finding CP 6 and trekking some more to the infamous gate, realized it was the wrong one! We had trekked an extra mile for nothing! We retraced our steps, veering off along another fence line and finally found the gate we needed.

So now it was only a 4 mile trek to the finish line under the great big West Texas sky!

As we got closer, the realization of how blistered our feet and cramped/exhausted our legs were started to settle in. We had to slow down quite a bit, but finally made it to the finish line at 2 AM. Seventeen hours and 53 minutes since we had embarked in this odyssey!

Checking in at the finish line, we came to find out that we were only the second team so far that had found all of the check points!

This was almost impossible to compute in our exhausted minds!

Instead, we went  to the area where the organizers had kindly set up food! Oh boy! Real food! Not power bars or Gu packets! It was actually real food!

It was hard to move afterwards, but we still had to break down camp and head back to the Bed-&-Breakfast for a much needed shower and sleep. We'll find out soon enough how we actually did...

Well, the next day, we got up to a scrumptious breakfast prepared by our host at the Bed and Breakfast place were we stayed. It was so nice to have real food again! There was a couple staying there that had been on a team. They told us when they had come in, which was second overall, but that they thought they missed one check point. This was almost too much. Could it be that we might have done that well?

Bill and I drove back to the base camp to find out. Race directors were still there breaking down camp. We found out that the last team made it in at 8 AM. Also, that there had been 5 teams that gave-up and quit the race...

Best of all, however, we found out that we placed 2nd overall, and 1st in our category!

So here is the story of the latest team BIOHAZARD adventure!

Till the next one, I bid you adieu from the gang!

Alex, Pam, Bill, Chris, and now Debbie