Untamed New England Race Report

By Dima Kaganovich, team Calleva.

I feel really bad that we DNF this race. We had no chance to make even the first cutoff and stay at the full course, but that was not the reason to quit. We were strong team, but New Hampshire forest ate our navigator (that would be me):


We started the race in good spirit and paddled across the first Connecticut Lake all 4 of us in a canoe. Empty kayak we towed behind and this approach worked very well, as we landed in top 10 teams for the first portage.

Looking back I can say that we had long portage interrupted by some paddling, conservation projects, and orienteering relay. Grant, the race director, doesn't like long introductions and the first portage had a 3 k section through a forest so thick that our canoe couldn't fit between the trees. The check point was half way through the forest and we had to punch both canoe and kayak in addition to the main passport. The rest of the portage was on roads and I am not sure what words local drivers have been using to describe these muddy people rolling canoes and kayaks towards Canada border.
Orienteering relay we started in dark as was predicted in the last race bulletin. I went first for the long and difficult course and finished it in about 1 hour. It helped me to explain to Val, Vlad and Sara what the best approach to this area and in 3 hours we got back to the river. The water was fast and we almost missed one CP at the river bend. Sudden stop at the rock cost us one canoe full of water and short swim near the shore. In the middle of the first night we reached the first transition, our paddling bag and our bikes.

Transition area was at the local fire and rescue station where we got hot pasta and clean rest room (!!!) According to the map that was the last spot of civilization and the last time we see our transition gear for at least next 24 hours. We started our way north along the Canada border and turned into forest at sunrise. Trail ended as it was expected and our navigator (it's me again) decided to go straight down (idiot!). We ended up bushwhacking with our bikes for 2 hours in wrong creek and at the end had to cross wide swamp and river to get to the road. We got the check point on the gate, but I don't want to remember the nightmare we went through in order to get there.

The biking section was brutal, but the next hiking section (leg 3 of the race) was way worth. Significant off road travel and navigation in forest between swamps and bushes killed me. If you want to finish this race, look for the perfect navigator. Not a decent one like me, but absolutely perfect. In addition to that, if you want to finish the full course be ready to run every moment your legs are touching the ground. No hiking is allowed! At sunset we quit the race, because the navigator (guess who was that) was unable to find a trail to the top of the mountain and we already missed the first cutoff.

We'll go to Untamed New England race next year. I am looking for the perfect navigator. Are there any available?

More photos from the race are here.