when the going gets tough

Over the weekend it was my annual mother-daughter Eco-Endurance Challenge. What’s this you ask? A fundraising event for Halifax Search and Rescue.

Here is their description of the event:

There are four exciting Navigational Competitions available, offering eight and twenty-four hour options. All challenges have the same full course open to them and use the same competition map. The Eco-Endurance Challenge 2014 will be an exciting and challenging eco-adventure hosted outside Halifax, Nova Scotia. The E2C will be physically and mentally demanding, with an event area of more than 100 km2 of thick forests, wet bogs, fast flowing streams and miles of backwoods trails and cart tracks. It will challenge your navigational abilities as well as endurance in the backcountry of Eastern Canada. This fundraising event promises to be equally fun and challenging for the seasoned adventure racer or the first time participant. The E2C is a hybrid of classical orienteering, ultra-distance running and the navigational training practices of Search and Rescue Emergency Responders. Good physical conditioning is necessary to push one through the tough terrain, but accurate navigation skills are key to finding controls and minimizing the distance traveled. The 24 hour challenge is mentally exhausting as team members must always be aware of their surroundings. Teams of two or more have a fixed time (8 or 24 hours) to visit as many of the 60 checkpoints as possible. The winner of the event is the team that obtains the highest point total within the specified time, or is the fastest to return to the start after visiting all the markers on the course. All profits from the Eco-Endurance Challenge are used to support the life-saving activities of Halifax Regional Search and Rescue and provide assistance to the Orienteering Association of Nova Scotia. Revenues are used to support: Search and Rescue Operations, Children’s Hug-A-Tree Program, Training and Educational Programs, Medical Equipment and Supplies, Capital Asset Purchases.

Sounds fun, right? It must be, we keep going back.

My mom is a true veteran – she’s participated at least 13 times and has brought me and my sister into it. I am not sure how many times I have gone, but I do know I have been participating since at least 2005 and have gone every year with the exception of 2009 (David was born 3 weeks before the race). What’s cool about this event is anyone can participate – and you will see all kinds of people at the starting line: Orienteers, trail runners, the army, a few dogs, young people, old people, fast people and slow people. Yes, some teams do run all through the night, but I have learnt not to compare my team to them. Our team’s basic goals are to get as many points as possible, try to get all of the points we are looking for, challenge ourselves, stay warm and not to get lost. There have been epic fails, epic falls and moments of great compass-glory.

This year our team included my Mom, my sister and my mom’s friend. There is about a 35-year age difference between the youngest and oldest member but we worked well and did well. We were certainly not the fastest, nor did we get the most points but we had a great time. We got every point we went for and didn’t get lost once. There were even a few point we landed right on the marker! Basically the race starts at noon. You receive a 1:50 scale map a few hours before the start and decide a route. The harder the point, the more its value. The terrain consists of ATV trails, logging roads and lots and lots of messy woods. Bushwhacking at its hardest! You get wet, you get muddy, you get scratched, you fall, you climb, you crawl, and you walk many miles. When it gets dark, you turn on your headlight and flashlight and move forward. And, when the sun comes up again, you slowly make your way to the finish.

I encourage anyone to give this a try (as long as someone on your team can read a compass). It feels great to get outside and you get to use skills that are not needed daily.

Until next year, join the David Suzuki 30 x 30 Nature Challenge, find a trail or make a trail and have fun. Spring is finally here!

Items to pack: compass, headlight, flashlight, extra batteries, gloves, snacks, pain medication, whistle, map case, knife, jacket, bear bell and gators.Mapping our route.Starting line ready.

Team NorthboundSpring thaw was happening big time.Road block. You can’t go over it, you can’t go around it, you can’t go through it…
… You’ll have to go under it!
Knee deep in a bog.I spy a soaker
Supper time at the bridge.Finding flags is the best!