We woke up around 4:30a.m. to prepare for the longest day of the La Ruta Maya. We prepared food and water for the paddlers and headed to the riverbank for the 60 mile journey. After we cheered everyone on at the start, we packed up camp and headed to the first drop site. We met the teams at Never Delay, a small village off the Western Highway. From there, I headed to the airport to pick up our friends Todd and Rachel. While I was at the airport, Liz headed to the next stop with a fellow Peace Corps Support Crew, and met the team at Double Head Cabbage.
After our quick trip to the airport, we set up camp at Bermudian Landing in the school yard. Bermudian Landing is inside the Community Baboon Sanctuary. Often called baboons, black howler monkeys can be heard for miles around. The team saw a few on the river, and we heard them throughout the night! Later that evening, we stood on the river bank and cheered as the
Machaca Hill Jaguars finished the day with a time of 11:02. The boys
were tired and ready for some rest.
On Sunday morning we woke up bright and early, ready to get going. Todd & Rachel brought down a few items sent by my parents. The energy gel, electrolytes, gloves, muscle cream, and snacks were a huge hit and gave the team the extra push they needed for the 35 miles. Day 2 was definitely the most challenging day for the Machaca Hill Jaguars, but they did their best to make up time on Day 3.
We caught up with the teams at Flowers Bank. They were making great time and feeling good. Next we made another trip to the airport to drop off Alex, while our fellow Peace Corps Support Team cheered on the Machaca Hill Jaguars and the other Peace Corps boats at Davis Bank. We set up camp on the grounds of the
Black Orchid Resort in Burrell Boom.
Burrell Boom had quite the party, with people from all over the surrounding area joining in the fun. The Peace Corps HIV/AIDS Committee had a table set up and were passing out information. Everyone was excited to see the boats finish for the day.
We met our team at the finish line, and helped carry their gear to camp. The Machaca Hill Jaguars finished the day in 6:38, coming in 78th out of eighty-eight boats. We got a good night’s rest to prepare for the final day of the La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge.
Great story and pictures. Looks like exhausting fun. Mike
Posted by: Mike | March 16, 2009 at 08:52 AM