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Camel Trophy - Africa '91: A Brief Summary of My
Experience!
He was
big, I mean BIG, big as a cement truck! He raised his trunk
and tusks into the air, flapped his ears, and bellowed
loudly as he charged our Land Rover. It was then we realized
that elephants can run fast and Tanzania is not the local
zoo!
My being in Africa all started
when I mailed in the application to participate in the Camel Trophy
'91, a 1200-mile off-road adventure consisting of competitive
4-wheeling tasks of time/speed/distance, road and bridge building,
and physical and mental endurance, to be held in May from Tanzania
to Burundi.
I was selected from 2,000
applicants from around the U.S.A.,
along with nine other men, to be tested at the U.S. trials in Grand
Junction in February 1991.
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We were tested physically
and mentally over an awake period of 28 hours--swimming,
psychology testing, leadership, and teamwork tasks, running
six miles on snow and mud-covered trails, map and compass
orienteering for four miles and, of course, 4-wheeling and
winching ability. There, I was picked along with three other
Americans as the finalists to continue on to Chateaux de Jambville, France (near Paris) in March.
At Jambville, I was tested almost beyond my limits of endurance
by ex-British SAS people and French National Boy Scout
trainers. I was put through a series of tasks which included
a 12-mile orienteering run, an obstacle course with tree
climbing, cliff climbing, a 90 meter long/30 meter high rope
walk, a measured (by pace in meters) run
of 13 miles through
the French countryside using maps that only showed turns to
take given distance; tested for First-Aid
knowledge,
including CPR and rescue carry of a 225 pound, 6'2"
man for
50 yards; and teamed up with finalists from Greece and
Yugoslavia to build a 30-foot log bridge and drive a Land
Rover over it. Yes, it held--my knots and lashings worked!
In the middle of the night, all the finalists were woken up
to move two large Land Rovers the size of 3/4 ton pick-up
trucks by rope and hand through the woods on a twisting path
into and out of a pond and across the finish line. The task
was testing teamwork under duress. To make
it harder, the
steering wheel was turned and locked.
Even
though it was arduous and exhausting, the energy level was
high and the camaraderie was most enjoyable among the
finalists from the 17 countries. The French food kept me
going and I just
had to taste all the different tortes,
cakes and other regional delicacies that were laid out in
massive quantities--it was a dirty job, but somebody had to
do it!
The
scores were finally tallied, and Webb Arnold (from Grand
Junction, Colorado) and I won the U.S. team spots for the
Camel Trophy '91. All my training and dedication paid off!
Each of the 17 countries selected two teammates, and we were
all to meet on May 7, 1991 in Dar es Salaam,
Tanzania.
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The
month of April kept me busy training and getting my gear,
backpacking food, and special clothing ready for the big
adventure. For me, the vaccination shots for yellow fever,
typhoid, malaria, etc. were the hardest part! We finally
left Denver on May 5th,and after 28 hours in the air, broken
by a short but fun stop in Zurich, Switzerland, it felt good
to stand on firm ground. Dar es Salaam was hot and humid and
smelled like a jungle when I got off the plane, but there
was so much air to breathe compared to Denver, Colorado
(mile-high city)!
At the
opening ceremony, the president of Tanzania shook all the
competitors' hands and waved the flag to start. Proceeding
out of Dar es Salaam, the convoy of 29 vehicles moved along
palm-bordered streets with over 500,000 spectators lining
the sidewalks. Much like a big parade, the cars filed past
with each country flying their flag from the front bumper.
As the American team passed, I could hear the crowd
distinctly raise its pitch and uproariously applaud and
cheer us, yelling "Yea, America, yea, George Bush." It
brought tears to my eyes and goose bumps all over my body. I
was proud to be representing the United States.
Once
outside of Dar es Salaam, the convoy followed several dirt
tracks through a few villages and into the bush. The Trophy
had officially started. At 2030 hours, I drove off the start
line. Avoiding getting stuck, flat tires, and getting lost
in the dark kept me busy; calculating distance and time and
giving directions kept Webb busy.
Once
the first set of special tasks were finished, the convoy
followed the muddy track through a torrential downpour that
happened every day and night for several hours, coupled with tse tse flies swarming and biting during the day. Because
the massive amount of rain and the 12-foot high elephant
grass were making the track hard to find, the American team
was delegated to "take point"--that is, find and mark the
trail. When night came, Webb rode on top of the roof rack
with a spotlight directing me through the tall
grass.
Three-hundred kilometers later, we came into the Selous Game
Reserve, one of the largest game parks in the world. Since
we were in the lead car, we were constantly coming up to
herds of elephants, giraffes, wildebeests, kudus, zebras,
and baboons. The great Ruaha River was home to hundreds of
huge hippos and we saw many close-up as we crossed the deep
river. The Acacia trees were 40-50 feet tall, with thorns
5-8 inches long. Then came the swamp--380 kilometers of mud
swallowed up the cars--we winched almost the entire length.
We made it to Mikumi, met Masai warriors, tall and proud
people dressed in tribal garb and adorned with lots of
necklaces and bracelets of silver. This was
Africa--exhilarating, dangerous, and beautiful!
Bill can do a fun and entertaining Camel Trophy Slide Show
for your group, club, or dealership depicting all
the glory of Africa, the people and the wild animals,
blended with the mud and adventure of the Camel
Trophy! (about 1.5 hours long) Call (970) 858-3468 for
information.
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