Raid the North Extreme
On the Rocks
Susan McKenzie / 18.08.2003
Close behind then, fellow Canadians Team Spirit ambled up to the rappel equally eager to swim. Unlike Gearsracing.com, Spirit had no pack rafts to use on the water, so had to make long journeys around lakes rather than cut across them on the water.
“We got to this one lake,� says Spirits Dave Hitchon. “We saw Gearsracing just pop up their rafts, hop in and go. What a bummer.� Pack raft or no pack raft, the team did hop in one lake and swim. That not only cooled them off, but also saved their feet a bit of wear and tear. “The big problem with not pack rafting is that we end up using our feet more than the other teams. At least we’re off our feet for this bit.�
“Man, they told us about a lot, but they didn’t tell us about the wasps,� says Chris Koch as he puts on his climbing gear. “I think our team holds the record for the most stings.�
“Yeah, at one point we counted about sixty between the four us,� says Elsa Dahlie. “Mike (Popik) has the most though. He’s got about thirty.�
Popik also has some fierce scrapes from a downhill slide he took on the mountain biking leg. “But if just goes to show you that experience counts,� says the Toronto racer. “On another race, I kept watching one of my teammates and she kept wiping out and landing on her legs. You have to keep your knees safe. So, when I realised that I was starting to fall I tucked my knees in, and my legs are fine.�
One by one the members of Spirit make the descent down the sheer but flat rock face.
Hitchon goes first, and as he arranges the canoes he takes time to dowse his head with water. “I almost wish it was about ten degrees cooler,� he admits. “The water is a lot warmer than I thought it would be. I don’t want to leave this shade.�
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