I was expecting to have at least a little ice on the river, but nothing, not even along the edges. We squeezed through a barge that was planted to hold machines for som bridge work, but other than that the river was pretty much ours; flat calm, no wind and the perfect way to spend the morning. On the way back we talked to some guys coming off the lake fishing.

The best way to see this race is by clicking on the link to the website, but in short it’s essentially a 10 mile obstacle  course. It is designed around a typical course Military Special forces would go through.

I was hoping that it would have a little cross training in it by mixing in some mountain biking, but I guess not. Thais ok though because there are plenty of obstacles to keep you busy.

What also interested me is that its advertised as a race, but even though it’s a race the goal is not to be the first one across, the goal is to get everyone across. There are several parts of the event where it is impossible for a person to complete it without help with usually several other people. I like this because It makes the race more of a team effort rather than a cut throat dash to the finish.

I was also impressed with the organization. In the world of endurance races mostly adventure races there have been more than a couple organizations crash and burn in the last 5-10 years. I think because they are so expensive to register for with economic times its hard to justify spending a couple hundred dollars on a race. Even large organizations with huge races ahve had to cut back. This company seems to be doing good even posting positions they are hiring for. It really seems like they have their act together.

The races are not cheap, but there not expensive. I thought for what they are they were pretty reasonably priced. Not only that but they are put on all over the country, and soon to be world wide. My goal is to participate in this event next year. I can’t wait.

One question that has been brought up a couple of times are from people who don’t have access to a kayak asking where they could borrow one.  One option is Lackie and Joys, but I have not heard if they are willing to rent boats during the winter. That will be a topic to revisit once I get an answer.

I’ll set a date once I get a vote from people interested, to what dates/days/times work best.  I’ll figure that out once I get through deer season (only 2 more weeks). I can say that it will most likely be on a weekend morning. Mid. december.

Can’t wait

To reach the site you can drive down a gravel logging road. I would suggest a truck rather than a car, because even though they are just gravel paths you never know if there is a washout or a bad part of the road. I was able to get back about half  way with a car, but the only reason I did it was because we had a second 4. wheel drive truck with us.  My suggestion would be to find a safe place to store your car at or near the entrance off the road and from there either bike or hike back to the trail. I would estimate it to be a couple of miles back, but it is relatively flat ground and very nice scenery. You also need to consider bringing in as much water as you can carry because there is no water at the sites.  There is a river to which you can filter water from, but some sites are close to it and some aren’t so you need to consider this as well. The river was very clean and fast-moving so I would not have any problem using the water after being filtered.

The best way to survey the area before you go is to get a TOPO map from the National Forest Service. i got one for free upon request a couple of years ago. Those maps show logging roads that a regular map won’t show. There are a lot of entrances that won’t be marked on your standard road map. Keep in mind though that roads can come and go on back roads so there is guarantee to find new roads and have roads missing. especially where there are logging operations or forestry operations there is temp. Roads that are made to get trucks back and when done the roads are restored. I never go back there without a compass, GPS and extra batteries. If you get off the path, and even when on the path it’s very easy to get lost. Last year deer hunting I got lost and the road was not more than 20 feet away from me, yet I could not see it.

Just an interesting note about the area. It’s been maybe 4 years now, but a very large Tornado went through that area. It was so large you can see the path it made on google earth. It’s amazing to check out the devastation. The first year we went back after the tornado it was devastating looking like a bomb went off. Over the past couple years they have logged much of the area to clear it out. It’s just now starting to grow back. It’s amazing to see what kind of destruction it caused.

The camp sites that we passed through cost 5 dollars per night/per vehicle. (if you have a car). Depending on which site you go there are specific stations to register. this you would have to figure out as your choosing what site you like. there are also lots of Geocahes, hiking trails and biking trails in the area. Don’t forget about the wildlife in the area. There are bears, wolves, coyotes as well as the usual woodland creatures that like to get into your gear. We found lots of very large animal foot prints. I would always suggest to carry bear spray with you. We carried guns, but that was because we were hunting. If you bring a dog keep close eye on them and don’t let them get to far away. my dog runs off-leash out in the woods, but I always keep him in site. I also put a bell on his collar so he makes a lot of noise. Bears attack when they are startled so the best thing to do is make noise so if you come upon a bear you don’t scare it. Also do some research on what you can do to protect yourself. there are a lot of helpful forums to give you tips. I don’t mean to scare you, but if your going to be in the woods You need to share it with the animals that live there.

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Thinking about the Milwaukee breakwater lighthouse, now this would be the type of weather to set up shop and enjoy the show.