jlandon
Get Dirty.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Arkansas is a hidden treasure, nestled in the middle of the United States. The Ozarks offer some of the most varied and beautiful terrain you can find. The Ozark National Forest covers 1.2 million acres including the states highest elevation, Mt. Magazine. I could chat about the forest for hours, but pictures are worth a thousand words.
- 3 days
- 3-5 checkpoints per day
- ~240 miles
- Everything from mild to wild
- Teams of 2-4 vehicles (Please, no more than 4 people per team)
- 60 People total Team participation MAX, so 4 people per team = 15 teams.
Itinerary
Byrd's Adventure Center - The basecamp for the event
March 27th - Pre-event social at Byrds Adventure Center. Entry will be free to the pavilion area. Camping or using the trail system at Byrds is an additional fee. Primitive Camping is 8.00 per person per night. Mandatory Team Captain meeting at 7:00 PM, pavilion area at Byrds.
March 28th - Event starts at 8:00 AM. Participants will camp in the National Forest or return to Byrds.
March 29th - Event continues, drivers are allowed to start again at 8:00 AM. Participants will camp in the National Forest or return to Byrds.
March 30th - Event contineus, drivers are allowed to start again at 8:00 AM. Teams should arrive back to Byrds by 12:30 PM. Awards will start around 1:00 PM, depending on the time it takes to total the scores. The event will officially end when the last person ventures home.
Rules:
Mandatory team captain meeting the evening of Thursday, March 27th. Location: pavilion at Byrds Adventure Center.
Tread Lightly and Leave No Trace principles will be followed, any team found to stray from these for non-emergency purposes will be disqualified.
All State, Local, and Federal laws are to be followed (I.E. No alcohol and operating a motor vehicle, fire bans, highway legal vehicles, chainsaws, etc.)
No camping at checkpoints.
I will add more as I can think of them... I am the benevolent dictator of this affair after all.
How this will play out:
-You will register for the event with a team of 2-4 vehicles. I know the Ozark National Forest better than most and 4 vehicles is the breaking point for maneuverability.
-Your checkpoints will be outside of the norm - I will give you certain landmarks or scenic marks and the team captain will photograph ALL TEAM VEHICLES or MEMBERS in a group with the landmark in the photo. Picture taking will be done with a mobile device, such as an Iphone or Android so the photos can be date/time stamped by the operating system. At the end of the event, the team captain will email all the checkpoint vehicle photos to me at overlandguild@gmail.com
-In some cases, I may have a Boy Scout writing down teams, times, and all that jazz at certain check points.
-All checkpoints will be in a long/lat format, like this : 35.287106,-93.250977
-Checkpoints will be given to the Team Captain during the Thursday night meeting on paper.
-All checkpoints will be accessible by using legal roadways. These may be County, State, or Forest Service.
-All checkpoints will have been accessed by me, in my Tacoma or 4runner. Most of you will giggle at that statement.
Vehicle Requirements:
One vehicle in your group should be equipped with a winch and the knowledge to use it.
Required:
Front/Rear Recovery Points
Full size spare
33" Tire OR one locking differential (Center diffs don't count, sorry) OR ATRAC/Similar
Recommended:
Extended Breathers
Limb risers
Understand that driver experience changes everything - I have seen locked JK's on 37s struggle on things I drove up with no issue on 33's.
How you will be ranked:
-Taking the time stamps on your photos from each day, I will total the time from 8:00 AM and last photo of each day. I will combine the three days and have your total time. The team with the closest to my ideal time (I will set it with a group of three vehicles, doing all obstacles, in the most logical order) will win.
BONUS:
-As I am creating checkpoints accessible by all capable vehicles, including the brave full-size few, I am creating a few checkpoints for those seeking a bit more... adventure. These will be worth no additional points for the Rally trophies, but the person who visits ALL checkpoints in the quickest time will be awarded for their... adventure. This one isn't for the faint of heart.
How to register:
Find a team. MAKE SURE YOU CAN COMMIT YOUR TIME.
Send me the following information to Overlandguild@gmail.com with the subject ENTRY OOR14 :
Team Name (appropriate!)
Names, vehicles, and experience level.
Emergency contact for each member of your team.
Total Number of people on your team. (This includes kids, passengers, hobos, and/or any other humanoid you may have.)
I will send you a waiver, which must be completed by each person competing.
Prize: I will create a trophy for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.
Though the event is free, I will invest alot of my time into making this work. Please honor your commitment.
NO COST TO ENTER OR COMPETE!
FAQ
Q:Why such short notice? My life is hard to plan. Something about being a young professional with no idea what I'll do or where I will end up does that.
Q:Will everyone start at once?
As the team is given the list of checkpoints on Thursday, they will have to formulate a plan and see what the BEST route to take will be. Is it from east to west? Or north to south? Or south to North?The teams will have a choice of what checkpoint they want to start with in that sense.
The Rally officially starts at 8:00 AM on Friday morning and none of the contestants are allowed inside the National Forest Boundary until that time. If a team decides they want to sit at the boundary and at 7:59AM fire up their rig and drive across the boundary line at 8:00AM they are welcome to. I have no way of enforcing this so I am trusting the honesty of everyone else.
Q:GPS or Paper Maps?
You could use paper maps. I recommend googling the coordinates and seeing how easy it could be made...
Q:Why only 60 people for team participation?
As this is low key, I did not go through the permitting process. The USFS has a limit to the number of people that can participate in an non-permit event, the number is 72 or 75, and I want to be safely below that. I figure 60 participants would be ample for the first run, and with the volunteers we will run very close to the limit. If this kicks off well and everyone enjoys it (I have no doubt that will be the case) I will pursue the permit and see if we can have more participants next time.
Q:What if we want to bring more people but they don't want to compete?
As long as they aren't doing the challenge or associating with the the OOR14 group until the end ceremony (held on private land) than they are free to do their own thing.
Q:Will checkpoints be given out each day? Or will a lump sum of checkpoints be given out at the beginning for each specific day?
Also, is there a final camp for everyone each night that teams must reach?
The checkpoints will be given out on Thursday evening to the team captain. Teams are free to do the check points in any order, but are limited to no more than 5 checkpoints per day. The goal is to find the most logical route and have an average time closest to mine. There is no final camp each night.
Q:Explain the scoring please. It's not a race correct?
1 minute = 1 point.
1 hour = 60 points.
Let's say my completion of the rally took 10 hours. That's 600 points. You took 11:15 (675 pts) and Kole took 9:45 (585 pts). Kole wins because he is closest to my time.
So...
Every minute counts!
Q:Can I just show up and get the checkpoints but not compete?
No, taking the checkpoints is still considered participating. I cannot prevent you from showing up at Byrd's adventure center and exploring the National Forest, but if I have more than 60 people participate in this event I am likely to be fined a large sum of money.
Q:Is a snorkel mandatory?
No, the main set of check points will be accessible by multiple routes. If the water level is high and crossings unsafe, we will remove that checkpoint. I recommend you be ca
Arkansas is a hidden treasure, nestled in the middle of the United States. The Ozarks offer some of the most varied and beautiful terrain you can find. The Ozark National Forest covers 1.2 million acres including the states highest elevation, Mt. Magazine. I could chat about the forest for hours, but pictures are worth a thousand words.
- 3 days
- 3-5 checkpoints per day
- ~240 miles
- Everything from mild to wild
- Teams of 2-4 vehicles (Please, no more than 4 people per team)
- 60 People total Team participation MAX, so 4 people per team = 15 teams.
Itinerary
Byrd's Adventure Center - The basecamp for the event
March 27th - Pre-event social at Byrds Adventure Center. Entry will be free to the pavilion area. Camping or using the trail system at Byrds is an additional fee. Primitive Camping is 8.00 per person per night. Mandatory Team Captain meeting at 7:00 PM, pavilion area at Byrds.
March 28th - Event starts at 8:00 AM. Participants will camp in the National Forest or return to Byrds.
March 29th - Event continues, drivers are allowed to start again at 8:00 AM. Participants will camp in the National Forest or return to Byrds.
March 30th - Event contineus, drivers are allowed to start again at 8:00 AM. Teams should arrive back to Byrds by 12:30 PM. Awards will start around 1:00 PM, depending on the time it takes to total the scores. The event will officially end when the last person ventures home.
Rules:
Mandatory team captain meeting the evening of Thursday, March 27th. Location: pavilion at Byrds Adventure Center.
Tread Lightly and Leave No Trace principles will be followed, any team found to stray from these for non-emergency purposes will be disqualified.
All State, Local, and Federal laws are to be followed (I.E. No alcohol and operating a motor vehicle, fire bans, highway legal vehicles, chainsaws, etc.)
No camping at checkpoints.
I will add more as I can think of them... I am the benevolent dictator of this affair after all.
How this will play out:
-You will register for the event with a team of 2-4 vehicles. I know the Ozark National Forest better than most and 4 vehicles is the breaking point for maneuverability.
-Your checkpoints will be outside of the norm - I will give you certain landmarks or scenic marks and the team captain will photograph ALL TEAM VEHICLES or MEMBERS in a group with the landmark in the photo. Picture taking will be done with a mobile device, such as an Iphone or Android so the photos can be date/time stamped by the operating system. At the end of the event, the team captain will email all the checkpoint vehicle photos to me at overlandguild@gmail.com
-In some cases, I may have a Boy Scout writing down teams, times, and all that jazz at certain check points.
-All checkpoints will be in a long/lat format, like this : 35.287106,-93.250977
-Checkpoints will be given to the Team Captain during the Thursday night meeting on paper.
-All checkpoints will be accessible by using legal roadways. These may be County, State, or Forest Service.
-All checkpoints will have been accessed by me, in my Tacoma or 4runner. Most of you will giggle at that statement.
Vehicle Requirements:
One vehicle in your group should be equipped with a winch and the knowledge to use it.
Required:
Front/Rear Recovery Points
Full size spare
33" Tire OR one locking differential (Center diffs don't count, sorry) OR ATRAC/Similar
Recommended:
Extended Breathers
Limb risers
Understand that driver experience changes everything - I have seen locked JK's on 37s struggle on things I drove up with no issue on 33's.
How you will be ranked:
-Taking the time stamps on your photos from each day, I will total the time from 8:00 AM and last photo of each day. I will combine the three days and have your total time. The team with the closest to my ideal time (I will set it with a group of three vehicles, doing all obstacles, in the most logical order) will win.
BONUS:
-As I am creating checkpoints accessible by all capable vehicles, including the brave full-size few, I am creating a few checkpoints for those seeking a bit more... adventure. These will be worth no additional points for the Rally trophies, but the person who visits ALL checkpoints in the quickest time will be awarded for their... adventure. This one isn't for the faint of heart.
How to register:
Find a team. MAKE SURE YOU CAN COMMIT YOUR TIME.
Send me the following information to Overlandguild@gmail.com with the subject ENTRY OOR14 :
Team Name (appropriate!)
Names, vehicles, and experience level.
Emergency contact for each member of your team.
Total Number of people on your team. (This includes kids, passengers, hobos, and/or any other humanoid you may have.)
I will send you a waiver, which must be completed by each person competing.
Prize: I will create a trophy for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.
Though the event is free, I will invest alot of my time into making this work. Please honor your commitment.
NO COST TO ENTER OR COMPETE!
FAQ
Q:Why such short notice? My life is hard to plan. Something about being a young professional with no idea what I'll do or where I will end up does that.
Q:Will everyone start at once?
As the team is given the list of checkpoints on Thursday, they will have to formulate a plan and see what the BEST route to take will be. Is it from east to west? Or north to south? Or south to North?The teams will have a choice of what checkpoint they want to start with in that sense.
The Rally officially starts at 8:00 AM on Friday morning and none of the contestants are allowed inside the National Forest Boundary until that time. If a team decides they want to sit at the boundary and at 7:59AM fire up their rig and drive across the boundary line at 8:00AM they are welcome to. I have no way of enforcing this so I am trusting the honesty of everyone else.
Q:GPS or Paper Maps?
You could use paper maps. I recommend googling the coordinates and seeing how easy it could be made...
Q:Why only 60 people for team participation?
As this is low key, I did not go through the permitting process. The USFS has a limit to the number of people that can participate in an non-permit event, the number is 72 or 75, and I want to be safely below that. I figure 60 participants would be ample for the first run, and with the volunteers we will run very close to the limit. If this kicks off well and everyone enjoys it (I have no doubt that will be the case) I will pursue the permit and see if we can have more participants next time.
Q:What if we want to bring more people but they don't want to compete?
As long as they aren't doing the challenge or associating with the the OOR14 group until the end ceremony (held on private land) than they are free to do their own thing.
Q:Will checkpoints be given out each day? Or will a lump sum of checkpoints be given out at the beginning for each specific day?
Also, is there a final camp for everyone each night that teams must reach?
The checkpoints will be given out on Thursday evening to the team captain. Teams are free to do the check points in any order, but are limited to no more than 5 checkpoints per day. The goal is to find the most logical route and have an average time closest to mine. There is no final camp each night.
Q:Explain the scoring please. It's not a race correct?
1 minute = 1 point.
1 hour = 60 points.
Let's say my completion of the rally took 10 hours. That's 600 points. You took 11:15 (675 pts) and Kole took 9:45 (585 pts). Kole wins because he is closest to my time.
So...
Every minute counts!
Q:Can I just show up and get the checkpoints but not compete?
No, taking the checkpoints is still considered participating. I cannot prevent you from showing up at Byrd's adventure center and exploring the National Forest, but if I have more than 60 people participate in this event I am likely to be fined a large sum of money.
Q:Is a snorkel mandatory?
No, the main set of check points will be accessible by multiple routes. If the water level is high and crossings unsafe, we will remove that checkpoint. I recommend you be ca
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