Finally…. a catch up!
Posted on 06/25/08 10:38 AM| by team-admin
hi to all team 22 followers…! so here we are- a quick catch up– we had no cell coverage for the last 2 days hence no news..
team 22 is doing GREAT!!! after a somewhat longggggg hike (32 miles-5000′ elevation- 18 hours)–[that's what Keith said when asked by PQ management] the team entered the water for the ‘duckie’ segment. this was going great (as we the support got to see them 10 miles into it) and they were loving the river paddle- but about 3 miles from the take out /TA area the team along w/ all others were pulled off the river segment due to an increase in water levels and elevted river incidents… the PQ managemant was overwhelmed by the timing of the incidents (all with good outcomes) so felt the tiem had come to call it quits on all river segments- inlcuding the yet to be done by our team — the river swimming !! though they had been very pumped up about getting to swim board the river after all was said and done they confided that “boy that water is soooo cold that maybe we got lucky by not havign to go!!” The team then got to get some good sleep in ( alittle less than 2 hours) and a good meal (roasted chicken w/ mushrooms, pasta w. red sauce and fresh steamed broccoli!)…. they then suited up for another 60K of hiking (approx. 42 miles) this time w/o so much elevation gain. they hope to hike thru the night and arrive the bike pick up (no help from support here) and ride into the TA for the kayak segment by midnight to 2AM… and then get some sleep and hit the water at o600.
the whole team wants you all to know they are very well (ha! at least as well as is expected at this point).. they are still enjoying each other, though maybe not the smell of each other, and are glad to be here. they send hugs and kisses to all .. we will get back online when we can and try our best to keep you updated. sent by support-Joy Marr
Share This
A few hours ago, Primal Quest kicked off the race briefing. They covered a course that can only be thought of as epic. They said there will be danger, so you must use your best judgement. We were given 10 different maps and coordinates to plot. It is midnight and the team is still plotting the course on our maps. The good thing about our team is we may be slow, but we are methodical. This method has served us well in the past.
Thanks to all who have supported us in so many ways….our families, our friends and our employers. I am sure everyone is sick of hearing all the stories about PQ and are happy we are getting this done with. With out your support, we could have not gotten here…….thanks everyone….
Share This
Team Towanda is spending the last minutes before the race getting all their gear sorted and put away into 17 foot U-haul. Yes, we will be living 10 days out of a Spider-Pig U-haul. (It has a picture of a big spider and for those of you who have seen the Simpson’s movie will understand…..
Â
We have hour until the race briefing which will let us know the gravity of what we have gotten ourselves into. We are resting and relaxing…
Share This
We got in to Big Sky on Friday to start our journey at Primal Quest….Brian drove his RV across the country and picked up Shari and Mary in Colorado. The Winabago of power then picked up the 4th team mate Keith. With Keith, Joy and Bob, our support crew, were on the same plane as they flew into Bozeman airport. Race leg one started…..buying all the stuff we forgot or needed to pick up in town like groceries etc for this 10 day race.
Â
Saturday - check in started promptly at 7. We were one of the first teams in line to start the check in process which can take up to 7 hours.  Check in consists of a skills test for climbing, kayaking and making sure each team has all their mandatory gear. The mandatory gear list was very extensive because the temperature swings from the high 80’s to the low 30’s. It looks like our packs will weigh up to 30 lbs. The climbing test consisted of ascending a 100 foot rope to the top of a ski chair pole, then rappelling down. The water test consisted of swimming across a lake and flipping your kayaks and doing a self rescue to make sure if we got in trouble on the course, we could save ourselves. Basically this meant we were in 40 degree water for 45 minutes. Nice and chilly. They told us this was warm, considering the water we would be in was going to be as cold as 35 degrees…….
We were the third team to finish at less than 5 hours, so after day one, Team Towanda is in third place….
Share This
People ask what Towanda stand for…..
Not all who Wanda are lost…….”Just suck it up”Â
Â
Share This
We would like to thank our proud sponsor Sepracor.
Â
Â
Share This
