Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge - Winter Edition

A Call to the Undiscovered Adventurer

Rachel Popelka / 05.02.2022

I grew up in central Wisconsin, in the country, without siblings close in age. This led to most of my time spent in my backyard, imitating my heroes, Sacagawea and Daniel Boone. I would pack up my school bag with "survival gear," layer up at best I could, and spend hours tramping through the backyard on an "expedition."

The RIB Mountain Adventure Challenge (RMAC) - Winter Edition gave me a chance to live out my childhood dream of using a map and a compass to find treasure in the woods in my first adventure race.

When I discovered adventure racing, my head was immediately filled with dreams of multi-day expedition-style races. However, I knew it probably was not a good idea to jump into a multi-day race without prior experience or knowing how to use a compass. So when I found RMAC - Winter Edition, I was ecstatic. This was my chance to "get my feet wet" and figure out what questions to ask as I built up to longer races.

Lesson One

RMAC-Winter Edition is the perfect beginner race. From the gear checklist the beginners meeting, the race directors did a great job, making me feel comfortable and ready for race day. Because we received the maps the day before, and I had nothing better to do on my 18 hour trip from California, I had the race almost memorized. Having twenty-four hours to play with the maps gave plenty of time to practice taking bearings at home. I had a map with all the bearings and distances measured out along with the blank map I received on race day. I didn't use the pre planned bearings in the field, but they gave me the security I needed to head out the door that morning.

The course design was challenging, but provided many ways to cut the race shorter as needed for beginners. I would bet, if we looked at GPS tracking, every single team had a slightly different path. Outside of the actual race setup, winter generally makes navigation much easier. The bare trees allow flags to be seen sooner than in summer, and paths in the snow highlight where other racers decided to go.

Because the checkpoints could be gathered in any order, I still used my compass to make sure the path I was following was headed in the right direction. When planning my route, I initially added extra distance to stay on marked trails where I could. I had never used a compass to take a bearing on a map before, and even with my quick YouTube tutorial, I was nervous about getting lost.

However, the tracks in the snow gave me the extra confidence to take a bearing at each checkpoint and just kept "Red Fred in his shed" straight to the next checkpoint. Lesson number one: Stay flexible with your plan and let the course and how you feel dictate how much of the course you decide to tackle. 

Lesson Two

Even though I had lived in Wausau throughout my childhood and had run every inch of trails in Rib Mountain State Park and Bluegill Bay County Park, I was in places I had never explored for most of the race. The race allowed us to play on a mix of private and public lands, opening up exploration that would not have been possible any other time. This offered an incredible feeling of community and novelty to the race, even for Wausau natives. Lesson two: You have never "seen it all." 

Lesson Three

The weather for this race was honestly perfect. Something I would have never said before learning to love winter is "Anything above twenty degrees is too hot." My new motto is, "Anything above zero degrees is good camping weather." I actually overdressed for this race and was drenched in sweat at the finish line. It is easy to stay warm when moving, especially through the snow.

Typically, unless it gets down to single digits or is windy, all I wear for a day out in the snow is a wool and a windproof layer. I have trail shoes with larger lugs, wool socks, and gaiters to keep my feet dry and warm. A hat and some light gloves, and I am ready for winter adventure.

Everyone is different with how many layers they need, so it is essential to practice. Winter adventures have other nuances, like keeping your water and food from freezing, which again comes with practice. I was doing a great job blowing my water back into my bladder to keep the hydration hose from freezing until I forgot. About an hour left in the race, and I had a liter of water and no way to drink it. Lesson three: Don't forget to blow your water back into your water bladder. 

Beyond Proud

Sitting in my warm living room, looking at my first place compass (which is a super cool prize), it is not the podium finish that brings back the best feelings about the race. Although I am beyond proud to be the first solo female and second solo overall (and among one of a handful of teams to clear the entire course), I am more proud that I showed up for myself.

My favorite checkpoint was the first transition area, where my sister and nieces surprised me, cheering for me. It reminded me that people are watching me persevere when life gets tough. I want to continue to be an example that you are never too old to try something new and that women belong in the outdoors.

RMAC - Winter Edition was the perfect setting to discover my inner adventurer. I am just as hooked as I had hoped to be and am beyond excited to go for 18 hours this summer. Thank you, RMAC - Winter Edition, for providing the opportunity to explore new areas of central Wisconsin in an often-overlooked season. I am proud to be a part of the adventure racing community and encourage anyone thinking about doing this race next year to jump in feet first; you will have a blast