Crazy People in Utah

No, not those crazy people. Adventure racing uber-event Primal Quest is underway outside Moab, Utah. Anyone familiar with the terrain down there is probably wincing at this point, because that part of the world is just downright miserable at this time of year, especially for us NW types. Temps are supposed to get into the triple digits as of tomorrow, and there's a few local teams slogging through the harsh desert for a minimum of at least 5 days.

Three days into the insanity, the NW frontrunner is team DART-NUUN, and they just pulled up a spot to 14th place overnight. In the 2004 Primal Quest that was held in the San Juan Islands and nearby areas (where one competitor actually died after being struck from a falling rock), DART came in 11th, and is hoping for at least a top-10 finish in this year's race. The way these races go, things can change dramatically from hour to hour, so DART just might pull out something that gets them in the upper ranks, or something could happen to another team to set them back significantly. Other NW teams include 24Seven (36th place), MPGear.com (68th place), and WickedAR (in 69th place from Portland).

Today, the lead teams are heading into what is being billed as one of the world's most challenging cayoneering legs--29 miles long and meandering along and down into the aptly named Hell Roaring Canyon, the footage we saw of some of the rope sections made us draw our breath and we're not even afraid of heights.

Photo by Dan Campbell