Thump, thump, thump went my feet, pounding on the packed dirt trail. The rythmic sound, masked by the matching pounding of my heart in my ears, and my screaming legs telling me to stop.
Crash, swish, crash went the spider filled branches as they hit my face, leaving silky threads in my hair. My arms itch, my ankle hurts, and my puppydog is tired.
Why am I doing this again?
Crash, swish, crash went the spider filled branches as they hit my face, leaving silky threads in my hair. My arms itch, my ankle hurts, and my puppydog is tired.
Why am I doing this again?
CAUSE IT'S AWESOME!!!
On July 11th George, Patrick, Butter and I drove down to Roanoke VA to race in The Gear Junkie Treasure Hunt. I'd never done an adventure race before. This two hour treasure hunt covered Explorer Park with colored flags, fancy card punches, and exhausted racers. Participants were given a start time and a map. Navigating through the woods from point to point, we gathered points by punching our cards and attempting to return to the finish line within the two hour time period. We were 6 minutes late.
On July 11th George, Patrick, Butter and I drove down to Roanoke VA to race in The Gear Junkie Treasure Hunt. I'd never done an adventure race before. This two hour treasure hunt covered Explorer Park with colored flags, fancy card punches, and exhausted racers. Participants were given a start time and a map. Navigating through the woods from point to point, we gathered points by punching our cards and attempting to return to the finish line within the two hour time period. We were 6 minutes late.
George did a fantastic job navigating through the woods, taking the most direct - if not difficult - route from station to station.
Butter was a trooper too. At the beginning she was pulling me up hills. By the end I was pulling HER around. At one point we stopped beside the river to let her cool off, and as we walked on the tiny beach a kaleidoscope of butterflies surrounded us and took skyward. I've never seen anything like it.
Between two hours of running and the thrill of spending it in the woods, the prizes at the end of the race were almost not needed. Almost. Butter got a new running leash, Patrick got a knife, and George walked away with a new pair of climbing shoes.
Overall, awesome day. Well worth the drive. It was hot, tiring, and slightly miserable. As George would say, type two fun - the kind you know your are having but it still sucks a little. Would go again in a heart beat!
Butter was a trooper too. At the beginning she was pulling me up hills. By the end I was pulling HER around. At one point we stopped beside the river to let her cool off, and as we walked on the tiny beach a kaleidoscope of butterflies surrounded us and took skyward. I've never seen anything like it.
Between two hours of running and the thrill of spending it in the woods, the prizes at the end of the race were almost not needed. Almost. Butter got a new running leash, Patrick got a knife, and George walked away with a new pair of climbing shoes.
Overall, awesome day. Well worth the drive. It was hot, tiring, and slightly miserable. As George would say, type two fun - the kind you know your are having but it still sucks a little. Would go again in a heart beat!
