On day one we got our first taste of the wildlife seeing a large tarantula and a Tapir while we kayaked, trekked and paddled pack rafts, small inflatable boats. We went well and were in the lead along with Tecnu USA and Seagate New Zealand at the end of the first night. Of course we took no sleep as we were all way too excited and too much adrenalin makes it hard to sleep well.
The first kayak leg. Team SAFAT close behind.
The second day saw us finishing the pack rafting section during the morning before stuffing them into our packs and carrying them along with other junk such as paddles and lifejackets over a mountain. We had a hard time in the afternoon when we were trekking through the scrub over a mountain in extreme heat and got attacked by bees. Josefina got stung worst with at least 20 stings. Mattias and Robert were quick to take refuge by crouching down inside their 240 liter plastic rubbish bags and got away with no stings. We spent some time administering various ointments from our medical kit before continuing a little swollen but luckily without and major allergic reactions. Unfortunately we lost more time during the second night when were extremely hot and tired and had to cut our way out of a thicket. Here we learnt that we should have been more particular sharpening our compulsory 14” machete, but with some help from the six other teams that had followed us into the thicket we were able to cut our way 500m out to a farm track after a couple of hours.
Hands are swollen after attack from African Swarming Bees. Photo: Erik Pütsep
The third morning had us climbing a hill with little shade alongside Swedish Armed Forces. Here we got attacked by more bees, resulting in more ointment and swelling. Luckily near the top we were very hot and bothered when we found a small spring we could take a bath in. The cold water was very refreshing and everybody agreed that the bath would be written in as number one in their respective Best Bath charts! In spite of another similar bath further along the mountain range we followed all day and half the night we suffered from a serious case of heat stroke but were able to manage it well by stopping for a total of three hours and cooling the patient down. All of the teams around us seemed to struggle in the heat of the day and then during the night with the navigation as we were in spite of our setback able to gain from tenth place at the start of the day back up to second.
Curious cattle closing up on us…
The best bath ever!
Steep climbing up the mountain on the trek and warm!
Team SAFAT following our foot steps, and an amazing view of Pantanal!
The highlight of the race was a trekking section along a cattle route during day four. Here we had to wade through crystal clear water through a passage in the water weed that the cattle had formed with their movements. During the night it was like walking through an aquarium where our headlamps lit up all the sights that included two meter snakes, alligators, many fish, stingrays, spiders, strange birds, capabaras (funny giant rats type things) and cows.
The first part of the trek along the herdsman trail was very dry and only small dirty puddles of water that became increasingly clear and larger.
Aaron poking with his pole to clear his way from sting rays…
Along the herdsman’s trail. This is before we reached the crystal clear water though.
Many teams together during the night of this treking along the herdsmans’s trail.
Beautiful sunrise on the trek.
Crystal clear water…
We collected our pack rafts at a cattle ranch in the middle of the Pantanal flat swamplands on the morning of day five. The farmers wife cooked a great breakfast over the open fire in her kitchen that we shared with Team Columbia Onoco from Spain. The only access to the farm is by airplane where they fly in supplies every four months, or along the 50km long cattle route followed by an 18hour boat trip to the nearest road head in Corumba. The team had a few foot niggles and a problematic little toe where the skin and nail could be taken off intact like a thimble leaving a little pink worm. The skin and nail were replaced by a rubber glove finger filled with antiseptic that was taped in place with duct tape by the proficient race doctor.
On Thursday we publish the second and last part of our race story. A few highlights from the second part: “The Shubiswamp” and “Rob stepped on a crocodile…”. Stay tuned!