Odyssey Wild, Wonderful 24 Hour AR

ALRIGHT GUYS, WEEK TWO  OF THE RACE UPDATES!!! THIS SECTION WILL COVER THE WHITEWATER LEG OF THE RACE. THERE ARE MANY NAMES WE CAME UP WITH TO CALL THE RACE DIRECTOR DURING OUR LAST RACE.........NONE OF WHICH WERE APPROPRIATE TO REPEAT AROUND YOUR MOTHER. AND THIS RACE WAS NO DIFFERENT. JUST TO GIVE YOU SOME INSIGHT, THIS IS HOW HE ROLLS........THE RACE BRIEF IS SCHEDULED FOR 830 PM FRIDAY NIGHT. THIS IS MANDATORY BECAUSE THAT IS WHEN WE GET OUR GRID COORDINATES, AND WITHOUT THOSE WE HAVE NO IDEA WHERE WE ARE GOING OR HOW WE'RE GONNA GET THERE. OH NO, THERE IS NO MARKED RACE PATH OR GUIDANCE ON WHICH WAY TO GO......USE YOUR COMPASS AND FIND YOU WAY!!! THE BRIEF GOES FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. SINCE WE ARE IN THE EFFIN WEST VIRGINIA LAND OF THE LOST, IT TAKES ABOUT HALF HOUR TO GET TO THE NEAREST HOTEL. ONCE AT THE HOTEL WE HAVE TO PLOT OUR ROUTE, OF WHICH WE ONLY PLOTTED THE FIRST HALF BY MIDNIGHT AND DECIDED TO PLOT THE REST ON THE FLY DURING THE RACE. WE NEEDED SLEEP BECAUSE WE HAD TO BE UP 430 THE NEXT MORNING TO DROP OFF OUR BIKES. THANKS RODNEY.....FOR THE WONDERFUL NIGHTS SLEEP BEFORE OUR RACE!!!
ALRIGHT WE WOKE UP, MADE SOME DELICIOUS PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICHES, PACKED THE KITCHEN SINK THAT WE BROUGHT FROM THE BROKEN EGG (LOOK IT UP) AND DROVE IN TO DROP OFF OUR BIKES. BIKES ARE DONE, NOW HEADED TO LOAD UP OUR GEAR BAGS AND GET OUR PADDLES FOR THE WHITEWATER SECTION......BUT NOT BEFORE WE STUFFED OUR FACE WITH AS MUCH PEANUT BUTTER, EGGS AND STRAWBERRIES AS WE COULD!

THE CAMERA WORK SUCKS, BUT HEY....YOU GET THE PICTURE!! NEXT TIME I WILL TRY TO MOUNT IT SOMEHOW TO THE LIFE JACKET, AS IT WAS JUST DANGLING AROUND THIS TIME. MOST OF THE GOOD SHOTS WERE DURING CALM WATER CAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY TIME I COULD HAVE ONE HAND ON THE PADDLE.........MOSTLY BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO FEEL LIKE A BAG ' O ' SHIT FOR NOT PADDLING! AND SPEAKING OF THOSE BAGS.........BEN AND I HAD A BOAT FULL OF THEM WITH US. WE WERE A TWO MAN TEAM, BUT WE DIDN'T GET TO PICK WHO ELSE WENT INTO THE BOAT WITH US......TOTALLY RANDOM. YOU SEE, THIS WAS PART OF THE RACE AS WELL SO WE WANTED TO FINISH FAST SO WE COULD HIT THE GROUND FAST! SO JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER RACE I'VE DONE THERE ARE TONS OF STORIES BEFORE IT STARTS. LAST YEAR IT WAS A SWIMMING START TO THE WHITEWATER SECTION. WHICH MEANT ONE PERSON FROM THE BOAT HAD TO RUN A HALF MILE UP RIVER, JUMP IN AND SMIM TO THE BOAT. WE COULD NOT START UNTIL OUR MAN MADE IT TO US. NATURALLY WE HAD THE DISCUSSION OF WHO WOULD BE THE BEST CANDIDATE FOR THE SWIM. I HAD JUST FINISHED A MILITARY SCHOOL WHICH REQUIRED SWIMMING DISTANCES OF UP TO TWO MILES, MY PARTNER WAS TRAINING TO GO TO BUD/S, SO OF COURSE WE VOLUNTEERED EITHER OF US TO DO THE SWIM. SLOW DOWN COWBOY...THERE WAS A HUSBAND AND WIFE WITH US IN THE BOAT, A LITTLE OLDER THAN MYSELF AND NOT LOOKING IN VERY GOOD SHAPE AT ALL. BUT THE STORIES OF HOW HE WAS AN AMAZING SWIMMER AND HAD SWAM THOUSANDS OF MILES IN THE PAST YEAR WERE ALL WE HEARD. THE WIFE WAS FULLY SUPPORTIVE OF HIS CLAIMS AND ASSURED US HE WAS HALF FISH AND EVEN HAD GILLS BEHIND HIS EARS!! HELL YEAH WE SAID!!! PUT HIM IN THE WATER!! WE WERE THE LAST BOAT TO START THE RACE........AFTER ALL THE OTHER SWIMMERS MADE IT TO THEIR BOATS......HERE COMES OUR GUY, FLOATING DOWN THE RIVER COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED TO THE POINT THAT WE HAD TO PULL HIM INTO THE BOAT.

OK BACK TO THIS YEAR......BEFORE THE RACE STARTED OUR BOATMATES, IF YOU WILL, BLESSED US WITH ALL THE STORIES OF HOW AMAZING PADDLERS THEY WERE. MEMBERS OF THE ROWING TEAM, MARINES, CONCEPT 2 CHAMPIONS!!!!! WELL I ADDED THE LAST ONE BUT YOU GET THE IDEA! NO MORE THE 30 MINUTES INTO THE RACE WE HAD A HALF BOAT FULL OF FAKE PADDLERS!!! DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS???? IT MEANS THEY WOULD PUT THE PADDLE IN THE WATER AND JUST LET IT DRIFT BACK....NO EFFORT AT ALL. BASTARDS!!!

OK, ENOUGH CRYING. THE RAPIDS WERE ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!! THE GUIDE SAID THAT BECAUSE OF ALL THE RAIN THE RIVER WAS REALLY HIGH AND HIGH RIVER MEANS HUGE RAPIDS.....BIGGER THAN HE HAD EVER SEEN........FUCK YEAH!!!

IF YOU NOTICE IN THE PICTURES, MOST PEOPLE HAD ON SWEATERS AND WET SUITES FOR THE WHITEWATER SECTION. LAST YEAR I WORE RUBBER AND ALMOST COOKED MYSELF, NOT THIS YEAR I SAID. I DECIDED TO GO IN SHORTS AND T SHIRT. BEN HAD A RAIN SHELL AND PANTS....NOT MUCH MORE THAN ME. HAHAHAHA.......BY THE TIME WE GOT OUT OF THE RIVER WE WERE FREEZING!!! I HAD LOST SO MUCH DEXTERITY IN MY HANDS THAT I HAD A HARD TIME BUCKLING UP MY PACK. BUT HEY, OUR TRANSITION WAS PRETTY FAST DUE TO US NOT HAVING TO CHANGE.

OK, NEXT WEEK WE GO ON FOOT SO STAY WITH US!!!!