Team Shasta/Core Concepts made their way back to Storm Castle (now considered CP28/TA13-unmanned), and they're now trekking 11 miles through the night to CP29-Spanish Creek and then on to the final manned Transition Area: TA14-Ennis Lake. This is where our trusty support crew will be waiting for them with the mountain bikes, where the team will take off for the final 23 miles of the Primal Quest epic adventure race.
They're still right around 19th-20th place, which would put them in the top third of the field if they stay on this pace. That would be a great finish!
In the absence of any detailed reports on their progress, you may find it interesting that they have been craving junk food at most of the TAs. Chef Shan has been cooking up some breakfast burritos that they are particularly fond of, and he made them hamburgers yesterday as a change from their usual pasta, and they've been enjoying sandwiches along the trail. I'm sure they will all come home with a healthy appetite for their favorite foods. Ice cream, anyone?
It will be interesting to see the video downloads from their helmet cam as well. I'm not sure how often they've been turning it on this late in the race, but hopefully there are some good shots of the riverboarding section at least!
Stay tuned and keep cheering them on to the very end - almost there!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
En Route to Storm Castle
The team was a little slower than expected as they arrived at TA11-Gallatin Rec. Area. They took a trail that added a few more miles, rather than another route that turned out to be shorter. Of course they took the longer route - like 515 miles isn't enough, guys? Bring it on!
They got a couple hours' sleep after checking in at 3:16pm (4:16pm MT) and pedaled off into the sunset a few hours ago. Reportedly they looked a little tired when they trapsed into the TA, but Scott seemed to have a little more energy now that the end is in sight. The whole team seems to be getting along great, which is amazing considering they just met their 4th teammate at Big Sky 2 days before the race. They were all jovial at the last TA, making jokes with each other - demonstrating the true spirit of adventure racing.
After the bike leg, they will drop the bikes at TA12 (CP25)-Storm Castle and head out for a 38-mile trek, including an incredible ropes ascent and rappel and an orienteering course. The "O course" is optional but each flag they locate means extra credit in the form of minutes shaved off their total time on the course. Following that section, the team will return to Storm Castle as CP28 before they set out on one final bike leg that is 23 miles in length and will lead them to the finish line at Big Sky Resort. Anticipated finish time for Team #16 is Wednesday a.m.
Go Team go!
They got a couple hours' sleep after checking in at 3:16pm (4:16pm MT) and pedaled off into the sunset a few hours ago. Reportedly they looked a little tired when they trapsed into the TA, but Scott seemed to have a little more energy now that the end is in sight. The whole team seems to be getting along great, which is amazing considering they just met their 4th teammate at Big Sky 2 days before the race. They were all jovial at the last TA, making jokes with each other - demonstrating the true spirit of adventure racing.
After the bike leg, they will drop the bikes at TA12 (CP25)-Storm Castle and head out for a 38-mile trek, including an incredible ropes ascent and rappel and an orienteering course. The "O course" is optional but each flag they locate means extra credit in the form of minutes shaved off their total time on the course. Following that section, the team will return to Storm Castle as CP28 before they set out on one final bike leg that is 23 miles in length and will lead them to the finish line at Big Sky Resort. Anticipated finish time for Team #16 is Wednesday a.m.
Go Team go!
Busting trail to Bridger Creek
Since the team's SPOT tracker doesn't seem to be up to speed, you should know that the team is likely nearing CP22-Bridger Creek and from there it's just 4 miles to CP23/TA11-Gallatin Rec. Area where the support crew is waiting for them with their bikes and some nourishment.
Generally, Team Shasta/Core Concepts has been traveling between Teams Xtreme Couture (#44) and the Dancing Pandas (#78), so they are consistently around 18th place at this point. I wonder if this means the team will finish the race with a new-found affinity for black & white Chinese fashions? :-)
Seriously, we should have some more details in a few hours if I hear from the support crew.
Keep cheering them on in spirit! Thank you for all the support - it means a lot.
Generally, Team Shasta/Core Concepts has been traveling between Teams Xtreme Couture (#44) and the Dancing Pandas (#78), so they are consistently around 18th place at this point. I wonder if this means the team will finish the race with a new-found affinity for black & white Chinese fashions? :-)
Seriously, we should have some more details in a few hours if I hear from the support crew.
Keep cheering them on in spirit! Thank you for all the support - it means a lot.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Along the Ridge and Through the Woods
Scott, Chad, Mark and Tracey pedaled into TA10-Springhill this morning between 8:30-9am and slept a few hours before setting off into the Bridger Mountains. Within this ~25 mile trekking stage, they will go through CP21-Sacagawea and CP22-Bridger Creek. Once they reach CP23/TA11-Gallatin Rec. Area, they will get back on the mountain bikes for about 50 miles. Then they have an orienteering and a ropes course to look forward to - departing from and returning to TA12/TA13-Storm Castle, which will be unmanned by the support crew.
Speaking of which, it's important to recognize the dedicated support crew - they barely manage to get more sleep than the racers and spend countless hours of packing, unpacking, reorganizing, preparing, shopping, cooking, administering blister care and fetching whatever piece of gear the racers may need and inevitably cannot find. They are truly the unsung heroes! Thank you Shan, Andy and Jim.
Everyone on Team Shasta/Core Concepts is pretty strong and in relatively good health. They are "pretty tired" at this point - who wouldn't be?! But they are looking good and they're on the home stretch now. I'm told that Tracey is the "go-getter" of the group, which doesn't surprise me after meeting her the weekend before the race. She has a fiery spirit that can't be surpressed. Go Team Shasta/Core Concepts - you're almost there!
Speaking of which, it's important to recognize the dedicated support crew - they barely manage to get more sleep than the racers and spend countless hours of packing, unpacking, reorganizing, preparing, shopping, cooking, administering blister care and fetching whatever piece of gear the racers may need and inevitably cannot find. They are truly the unsung heroes! Thank you Shan, Andy and Jim.
Everyone on Team Shasta/Core Concepts is pretty strong and in relatively good health. They are "pretty tired" at this point - who wouldn't be?! But they are looking good and they're on the home stretch now. I'm told that Tracey is the "go-getter" of the group, which doesn't surprise me after meeting her the weekend before the race. She has a fiery spirit that can't be surpressed. Go Team Shasta/Core Concepts - you're almost there!
Springhill has been sprung!
Team Shasta/Core Concepts has rolled into TA10-Springhill (aka CP20)! More news to come...
Friday, June 27, 2008
Camping at Cottonwood!
Good news - they made it to TA9-Cottonwood (CP18) at about 6:30pm!
It looks like the SPOT tracker is not keeping up with our team's blistering pace - and I do mean blistering. The 145 miles that they have covered on foot so far have really taken a toll on their tootsies. They are napping briefly, and then they'll take off on their mountain bikes for 85 miles through CP19-Ringling until they reach TA9 - Springhill where they will meet up with the support crew again tomorrow morning. It should take them about 6 hours to reach Springhill. From there, it's back on their feet for a trek in the Bridger Mountains. The plan is to do that during the daytime so they can enjoy the good views, so the sooner they reach Springhill, the more rest they'll get.
Unfortunately, the local Montana team (Team Big Sky/Flathead Beacon) had to withdraw from the race. Two of the team members were a husband-wife couple and her feet were in such bad shape that they decided not to continue.
Go Team Shasta/Core Concepts! You're over halfway there now.
It looks like the SPOT tracker is not keeping up with our team's blistering pace - and I do mean blistering. The 145 miles that they have covered on foot so far have really taken a toll on their tootsies. They are napping briefly, and then they'll take off on their mountain bikes for 85 miles through CP19-Ringling until they reach TA9 - Springhill where they will meet up with the support crew again tomorrow morning. It should take them about 6 hours to reach Springhill. From there, it's back on their feet for a trek in the Bridger Mountains. The plan is to do that during the daytime so they can enjoy the good views, so the sooner they reach Springhill, the more rest they'll get.
Unfortunately, the local Montana team (Team Big Sky/Flathead Beacon) had to withdraw from the race. Two of the team members were a husband-wife couple and her feet were in such bad shape that they decided not to continue.
Go Team Shasta/Core Concepts! You're over halfway there now.
Crazies in the Crazy Mountains
For those of you who think these Primal Quest racers must not have all their faculties for voluntarily submitting to this degree of suffering, your suspicions have been confirmed. The members of Team Shasta/Core Concepts are literally in the Crazy Mountains right now. They are nearing CP17 - Campfire Lake. Once this trekking leg is completed, they will have hiked 145 miles - only about 50 miles on foot remaining in the race.
If you noticed that the team seemed to be stuck just before CP12 the other night, it was because their Spot tracking device got turned off somehow. Rest assured, they were still making progress, albeit a little slower in the dark amidst some rugged terrain and gain in elevation.
The team reached CP13-Cabella early Thursday morning and got about 4 hours of rest. Their feet are a bit blistered, as you may imagine after all the trekking they've done so far and cramming their swollen feet into bike shoes isn't the most comfortable, either. But they are all in good spirits and are hanging tough and holding steady in the range of 18-20th place.
Mountain biking is definitely an area of strength for the team - they covered 75 miles in about six hours today, so they made up some ground. At this point in the race, the teams are really starting to spread out as you can tell from the tracking topo map, though some of them are still within close range of each other.
The next TA(#8-Timber Creek) is unmanned - bikes were dropped there for the teams to pick up, so our support crew won't see them again until TA9/CP18-Cottonwood. Stay tuned - I hope to receive some pictures to upload tomorrow! GO TEAM SHASTA/CORE CONCEPTS! Thanks for all your support - I've been relaying it to the team through our trusty support crew.
If you noticed that the team seemed to be stuck just before CP12 the other night, it was because their Spot tracking device got turned off somehow. Rest assured, they were still making progress, albeit a little slower in the dark amidst some rugged terrain and gain in elevation.
The team reached CP13-Cabella early Thursday morning and got about 4 hours of rest. Their feet are a bit blistered, as you may imagine after all the trekking they've done so far and cramming their swollen feet into bike shoes isn't the most comfortable, either. But they are all in good spirits and are hanging tough and holding steady in the range of 18-20th place.
Mountain biking is definitely an area of strength for the team - they covered 75 miles in about six hours today, so they made up some ground. At this point in the race, the teams are really starting to spread out as you can tell from the tracking topo map, though some of them are still within close range of each other.
The next TA(#8-Timber Creek) is unmanned - bikes were dropped there for the teams to pick up, so our support crew won't see them again until TA9/CP18-Cottonwood. Stay tuned - I hope to receive some pictures to upload tomorrow! GO TEAM SHASTA/CORE CONCEPTS! Thanks for all your support - I've been relaying it to the team through our trusty support crew.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Yellowstone River Section Removed
Due to the dangerous conditions on the river with the high water levels, race course directors have made the decision to eliminate the kayak section on the Yellowstone River since it is cresting. The original plan was for the teams to mountain bike the 17-mile leg to TA6 in Emigrant where they were originally going to transition to river kayaks. Now they will just stay on their mountain bikes and keep pedaling along to TA 7.Another fun photo of Team Shasta/Core Concepts was posted on the Primal Quest website! This picture was taken by Jessica Hill, the daughter of a PQ volunteer.
Here's Scott and Mark navigating the Gallatin River yesterday - nice shot, Jessica!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Riverboarding at its best!
Looks like Scott is having some fun (or is that the look of terror?!) careening down the Gallatin River in some ice cold water!
Photo by Tim Holmstrom
Wild Whitewater on the Gallatin River
So if you aren't completely addicted to following this expedition adventure race yet, stop reading. For those of you who are hooked, you've been checking this website for an update all day long wondering what's going on and why Team #16 appeared to stall out after CP8!
Without further ado, I finally have an update...Support crew captain Shan reported that the Team was in 18th place when they arrived at the river early this a.m. around 4:30. The team got a few hours of rest before the Dark Zone was lifted on the river. Incidentally while they were trekking last night, they missed the route with the bridge, so they crossed a river in waist-deep water. Fortunately the support crew brought a heat lamp that helped warm them up.
As suspected, the river was wild & crazy today, so much so that some racers were getting dragged under water, lost their riverboards downstream, and ultimately race organizers closed the riverboarding section. But not until after our Team Shasta mustered through it. Not far from House Rock (where they required teams to exit the water and portage past the raging rapid), Tracey got separated from the team in the water. They were instructed to stay to the left and the water whisked her over to the left and she couldn't get back across to the other side. So she ended up climbing ashore and hiking downstream to meet up with the guys - very resourceful, that Team Shasta.
All's well that ends well, so our team is headed out on the next trekking section with a few blisters but otherwise in good condition. They have about 40 miles to hike before they get to climb on the mountain bikes and then paddle the kayaks. They will be glad to rest their feet!
Enjoy these pictures and stay tuned for more Primal Quest updates!
Enjoy these pictures and stay tuned for more Primal Quest updates!
Race to the River (CP 7 - Sage Creek)
The lead teams have already reached Checkpoint 7 where the Dark Zone was enforced at nightfall, so they are getting some mandatory rest until first light before they can paddle the inflatable kayaks ("Duckies") down the river.
Team Shasta / Core Concepts is probably about halfway through the 70 miles of trekking to reach the river as they should be nearing Checkpoint 6 - Cinnamon Mountain. From there it's still another 45 miles to "reach the beach."
I heard from Shan who is heading up the support crew for Team Shasta. He said that they reached the TA after about 2.5 hours to the top of Lone Peak and back. Not too shabby. Shan will be sending me some more pictures soon as well.
It looks like they have vascillated between #15-20 for most of the day and right now they may be traveling with Dave Russell's team Oceanic Interactive since they checked in at CP 5 - West Fork within 10 minutes of each other. (Dave, Scott & Chad raced together in PQ '06 - Moab.)
Team Shasta / Core Concepts is probably about halfway through the 70 miles of trekking to reach the river as they should be nearing Checkpoint 6 - Cinnamon Mountain. From there it's still another 45 miles to "reach the beach."
I heard from Shan who is heading up the support crew for Team Shasta. He said that they reached the TA after about 2.5 hours to the top of Lone Peak and back. Not too shabby. Shan will be sending me some more pictures soon as well.
It looks like they have vascillated between #15-20 for most of the day and right now they may be traveling with Dave Russell's team Oceanic Interactive since they checked in at CP 5 - West Fork within 10 minutes of each other. (Dave, Scott & Chad raced together in PQ '06 - Moab.)
Monday, June 23, 2008
Final Pre-race Report directly from Team Shasta
Scott called this a.m. to report that Team Shasta/Core Concepts is all set to begin the race. After all the mandatory pre-race meetings, teams spent the rest of the evening familiarizing themselves as much as possible with the course maps they received.
He said that this course is going to have them trekking the majority of the time - here's the overall breakdown: 198 miles on foot, 205 miles of mountain biking, 10 miles of orienteering, 65 miles of paddling on the Yellowstone River, 9 miles of riverboarding and 15 miles rafting in 2-person inflatable "Duckies" for a grand total of 515 miles of expedition adventure racing fun!
Right out of the gate, they will head up to the summit of Lone Peak (which Scott equated to climbing from the Palmer chair lift at Timberline Ski Resort to the top of Mt. Hood - he & I did that in May!). Then the teams will have a 30-mile trek down the river, where they will first raft in the Duckies and then riverboard the infamous House Rock Class IV rapids. Following the water section, they will be trekking again. Scott doesn't expect them to be doing any biking until Day 3 since the first mountain bike leg isn't until Checkpoint (CP) 12.
Scott said he hoped they would be in the Duckies tomorrow morning, and he mentioned that the race directors are enforcing strict dark zones on every water section (or "leg") for safety. That means if the teams don't reach the water by a certain cut-off time each night, then those teams will be forced to overnight on shore and wait for daylight to begin that river leg.
He said that this course is going to have them trekking the majority of the time - here's the overall breakdown: 198 miles on foot, 205 miles of mountain biking, 10 miles of orienteering, 65 miles of paddling on the Yellowstone River, 9 miles of riverboarding and 15 miles rafting in 2-person inflatable "Duckies" for a grand total of 515 miles of expedition adventure racing fun!
Right out of the gate, they will head up to the summit of Lone Peak (which Scott equated to climbing from the Palmer chair lift at Timberline Ski Resort to the top of Mt. Hood - he & I did that in May!). Then the teams will have a 30-mile trek down the river, where they will first raft in the Duckies and then riverboard the infamous House Rock Class IV rapids. Following the water section, they will be trekking again. Scott doesn't expect them to be doing any biking until Day 3 since the first mountain bike leg isn't until Checkpoint (CP) 12.
Scott said he hoped they would be in the Duckies tomorrow morning, and he mentioned that the race directors are enforcing strict dark zones on every water section (or "leg") for safety. That means if the teams don't reach the water by a certain cut-off time each night, then those teams will be forced to overnight on shore and wait for daylight to begin that river leg.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Check-in successful
After a slight flight delay in arriving to Montana, Scott & Shan made it to Big Sky Resort on Sat. a.m., the HQ for this year's Primal Quest race. Throughout Sat & Sun, all 82 teams were subjected to gear checks and skills tests. Each team was also issued a SPOT device, which will be used to track its whereabouts throughout the race for safety and for our entertainment.
Racers had to don their climbing gear and demonstrate their proficiency by ascending to the top of a ski resort chair lift. Scott said that Team Shasta received special kudos for their climbing gear set-up, which I told him should be expected given his mountaineering experience!
Teams also had to prove their water skills by righting a tipped kayak in a lake and passing hypothermia tests since the water temperatures are expected to be frigid, given all the late snow in the mountains this year.
The Pre-Race Meeting for all teams was held on Sunday where teams received course maps and a briefing from course directors on rules and safety. Race start begins Monday at 10am MT.
Racers had to don their climbing gear and demonstrate their proficiency by ascending to the top of a ski resort chair lift. Scott said that Team Shasta received special kudos for their climbing gear set-up, which I told him should be expected given his mountaineering experience!
Teams also had to prove their water skills by righting a tipped kayak in a lake and passing hypothermia tests since the water temperatures are expected to be frigid, given all the late snow in the mountains this year.
The Pre-Race Meeting for all teams was held on Sunday where teams received course maps and a briefing from course directors on rules and safety. Race start begins Monday at 10am MT.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Primal Quest '08 - Montana
Countdown to PQ Montana 2008 (June 23 - July 2):
2 days, 19 hours, 18 minutes, 58 seconds
Extended Weather Forecast - Big Sky Meadow Village, MT
Weather Warnings
Today - Jun 20: T-storms / Hi: 71° Lo: 42°
Day: Slight chance of thunder with light rain showers. High 71F, humidity 20%. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Night: Mostly cloudy skies. Low 42F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Tomorrow - Jun 21: AM Thunderstorms / Hi: 78° Lo: 42°
Day: Slight chance of thunder with light rain showers. High 78F, humidity 15%. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.
Night: Cloudy skies. Low 42F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
Sunday, Jun 22: T-storms / Hi: 75° Lo: 37°
Slight chance of thunder with light rain showers. High 75F and low 37F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Monday, Jun 23: T-storms / Hi: 71° Lo: 40°
Slight chance of thunder with light rain showers. High 71F and low 40F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday, Jun 24: T-storms / Hi: 75° Lo: 42°
Slight chance of thunder with light rain showers. High 75F and low 42F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday, Jun 25: T-storms / Hi: 75° Lo: 40°
Slight chance of thunder with light rain showers. High 75F and low 40F.
Thursday, Jun 26: T-storms / Hi: 72° Lo: 44°
Chance of thunder with light rain showers. High 72F and low 44F.
Friday, Jun 27: Cloudy / PM Sun / Hi: 80° Lo: 54°
Cloudy skies. High 80F and low 54F.
Saturday, Jun 28: Fair / Hi: 86° Lo: 58°
Mostly clear skies. High 86F and low 58F.
Sunday, Jun 29: Fair / Hi: 91° Lo: 58°
Mostly clear skies. High 91F and low 58F.
2 days, 19 hours, 18 minutes, 58 seconds
Extended Weather Forecast - Big Sky Meadow Village, MT
Weather Warnings
Today - Jun 20: T-storms / Hi: 71° Lo: 42°
Day: Slight chance of thunder with light rain showers. High 71F, humidity 20%. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Night: Mostly cloudy skies. Low 42F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Tomorrow - Jun 21: AM Thunderstorms / Hi: 78° Lo: 42°
Day: Slight chance of thunder with light rain showers. High 78F, humidity 15%. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.
Night: Cloudy skies. Low 42F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
Sunday, Jun 22: T-storms / Hi: 75° Lo: 37°
Slight chance of thunder with light rain showers. High 75F and low 37F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Monday, Jun 23: T-storms / Hi: 71° Lo: 40°
Slight chance of thunder with light rain showers. High 71F and low 40F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday, Jun 24: T-storms / Hi: 75° Lo: 42°
Slight chance of thunder with light rain showers. High 75F and low 42F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday, Jun 25: T-storms / Hi: 75° Lo: 40°
Slight chance of thunder with light rain showers. High 75F and low 40F.
Thursday, Jun 26: T-storms / Hi: 72° Lo: 44°
Chance of thunder with light rain showers. High 72F and low 44F.
Friday, Jun 27: Cloudy / PM Sun / Hi: 80° Lo: 54°
Cloudy skies. High 80F and low 54F.
Saturday, Jun 28: Fair / Hi: 86° Lo: 58°
Mostly clear skies. High 86F and low 58F.
Sunday, Jun 29: Fair / Hi: 91° Lo: 58°
Mostly clear skies. High 91F and low 58F.
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