YEP 10 USA CAMP – Day 10
Blog by Ann Kathrin & Livio
The raid started with a bang at 12 noon on Monday. The two teams were given the necessary maps and coordinates of the checkpoints. We then quickly went about marking the coordinates on the map and getting the bearings for each point.
Our team had a really good start, and we were well ahead of the other as we reached the Via Ferrata. Unfortunately the other team overtook us later in the day, but we were not demoralised. We pushed and pulled our way up the next mountain as the sun started setting. Upon reaching the peak we were grateful to find the Mike Horn team waiting for us with snacks and warm tea.
After refueling we set out to complete the rest of our tasks. These included: The wall, the tree bridge and the flying fox. All of the activities were really good fun and the team worked well together. After the flying fox we got back onto our bikes and headed towards our campsite for the night. The long ride was made much easier by a sky full of stars and a great team spirit.
We arrived to a delicious supper of noodles, soup and bread and after a fast supper we set up our tents and crawled into bed.
We woke up the next morning and our first task of the day was Kayaking on Lac Hongrin. This was followed by a steep climb up Col Sonlomont where we regained our lead and opened a gap between the two teams. We reached the bottom of the next valley and set across Lac du Vernez on a raft that we had built from oil drums, planks and rope.
Our final peak was in sight, but it would take all that we had left to climb up to Pont du Cray. On the walk down from Pont du Cray we realized that we could see our final destination. This inspired us to push ourselves to the max and after a few hours of running, rolling and sliding down the mountain we crossed the finish line.
43Km and 29 hours later with less than 3 hours sleep we all agree that it was the experience of a lifetime. We would like thank the Mike Horn team for all their time and trouble in organizing this spectacular two day mission. It truly was unforgettable.