So, four friends decide to enter a team in the local rogaine event. E2C Eco-Endurance Challenge, a fundraising and awareness event for Halifax Regional Search & Rescue. Essentially it’s on orienteering challenge, where you attempt to locate as many checkpoints as possible in a set period of time. There was an 8-hour challenge, and a 24-hour challenge, with several different categories. I thought nothing of following the lead of the two who first decided to enter, and do the 24-hour challenge. In hindsight, had we done the 8-hr for our first-time entry, we would have been “golden”, as Brendan likes to say.
While I can’t see it as a failure, but a grand first attempt (there will be more) it was certainly disappointing to drop-out 12 hours in. A couple of lessons learned: be better organized, allow for extra time before the start to really plan a strategy; where footwear with strong ankle support; take more frequent breaks; most importantly, continue to do what we all did best: Have fun!
I don’t think we could have chosen a better team, especially for the fun factor. We worked well together, and all simply enjoyed being out there. There were teams that were highly competitive, sticking to the roads and high point value check points, which was likely a good strategy. However, we were in the recreational category, and I honestly would have been disappointed not to do the bushwacking that took us along beautiful streams, through dense woods, and mossy foot beds. This was an event worth doing just for the sake of doing it, so it was a big success regardless. We located 11 checkpoints in the first ten hours.
The weather was fantastic, especially considering the rain they were calling for.
For more pics: http://ringo.com/photos/album.html?albumId=42020050
We decided to attempt a series of checkpoints, and started out with a number of bushwacking routes that were grand fun. Early on Ryan fell in a “little stream” up to his sternum (Ian & I missed the entire thing as we were searching on the other side of the thick brush for a way through).
My ankles did well through the bush early on, then we started getting fatigued. We hit a couple of check points late in the evening that were relatively easy, with terrain that was very manageable, so we decided to go for one more checkpoint of the series before heading back, as we knew we wouldn’t be trekking back out there if we didn’t do it then. It was dark, we were tired, we didn’t plan our route in well, we got turned around a few times, entirely missing the landmark we were looking for, and my feet were in very sad shape. I couldn’t keep my footing and twisted my ankles repeatedly during a good hour (plus) long exploration. When we finally gave up on that check point and started walking, I was not doing well on my feet. The boys lightened my load as we walked along the road, we stopped and chatted with some volunteers on ATV’s and they told us what a couple of our options were to get back out to the start/finish (where our tent & extra supplies, and the medic tent were).
None of us wanted to call it quits, but it was becoming apparent I wasn’t the only one feeling it. We finally stopped and waited for the ATV’s to come back and see if they could call the suburban ’round to get us. I was already beginning to get chilled, with our pace having slowed considerably before stopping altogether. As it turned out the best option was for the ATV to take me to the medic tent to check out my ankles and get me warmed up, and for the boys to wait where they were for the suburban. It was disappointing, but after riding through the trail we intended to walk (our only option besides more bushwacking in the pitch black of night) I knew it was the right choice. My ankles never would have held up on that 12-14km walk back, at least now I can rest up a little a couple of lightly sprained ankles, and be back on the dirt in a short time (no worries for Cabot Trail!) I wish I could have taken a photo or two to show the guys what we would have endured. It was a fun ATV ride, needless to say.
So I spent a few hours in the medic tent where a couple of others were just finishing up their treatment and calling it quits. By the time the suburban had finished with the first crew it was assisting, and gotten to the guys, then all the way back around to the start/finish (their route back was much more limited than the ATV’s obviously) I’d been warm and icing my ankles for a good couple of hours. They got checked out and we called it quits., it was 4am by the time we got home.
Next time around we’ll be much more successful! There’s already talk of the four of us doing some geocaching between now and the next rogaine! 🙂
My feet, legs and shoulders are aching – a sigh of a good event I think. 🙂
Brendan, Ryan, Trish, Ian
About Trish
