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12 October 2016: Today we got a chance to get Sable on dirt to test out a few things and calibrate the Terratrip, which is a key piece of navigational equipment we will be relying on during the rally. It felt good to finally be getting down to the last details of “preparations” and on to the fun part…
11 October 2016: Crossed the Sierra Nevadas over Mount Rose, and arrived in South Lake Tahoe just as the sun was setting behind the mountains. The sky was magnificent and washed in colors as if to say “Welcome Rebelles.” The teams had already started gathering at the hotel where we are staging for the event, and the air was electric with excitement at the beginning of something new…
9 October 2016: Spent the weekend exploring the desert in the area around Reno NV near where the Rebelle Rally will be getting its start. The course itself is unknown, however the desert terrain variations will likely be quite similar. The area has an amazing range of landscapes with everything including rugged mountains, flat stretches of empty desert, playas, silt beds and sand dunes. A quick loop led to some great discoveries this weekend, and was a fun way to get into “rally mode” as the run up to the event continues …
THIS WEEK:
Heading back to Reno, NV for some final training, acclimation and preparation for the rally …
COMING UP SOON:
Competing as Team #124 in the inaugural edition of the Rebelle Rally 13-22 October 2016 …
TEAM ENGAGE
Team Engage is JoMarie Fecci of USnomads and Tracey Ristow driving “Sable,” a Barlow Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, across the American southwest in the inaugural edition of the Rebelle Rally, 13-22 October 2016. The team, hailing from opposite coasts of the USA, came together to compete in the Rebelle with a shared commitment to humanitarian ideals in addition to a love of overland exploration. During the rally Team Engage will be showing its support for the Blue Heart Campaign to raise awareness and help victims of human trafficking through the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking…
THE BLUE HEART CAMPAIGN
Team Engage supports the UN’s Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking and the Blue Heart Campaign as their platform to raise awareness about global human trafficking— an issue which disproportionately effects women. Human trafficking is modern day slavery and includes sex trafficking (forced prostitution and forced marriage), labor trafficking (domestic servitude, sweatshops and fraudulent bonded labor contracts), child soldiers and organ trafficking. According to the International Labor Organization, nearly 21 million people or 3 out of every 1,000 people worldwide are victims of human trafficking. The UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking was established in 2010 and provides direct humanitarian, legal and financial aid to human trafficking victims. They provide grants to small grassroot NGOs that directly assist victims with housing, food, legal aid, access to justice, psychosocial support, medical care and training. Click here to donate directly to the Fund…
MORE NOTES FROM THE ROAD:
1-7 Oct – NY to Reno
26-30 Sep – Rally Prep
19-25 Sep – Long Island
12-18 Sep – Yuma and Glamis
5-11 Sep – Sedona
29 Aug – 4 Sep – Long Island
23-28 August – Rod Hall Drive Training
15-22 August – Reno Rebelle Training
8-14 August – TFT8
1-7 August – Serbia overland
July – Serbia, Rally planning
June – Mongolia
16-31 May – Overland Expo, Mongolia
1-15 May – Paris
April – training desert prep
March – Long Island
February – California deserts
January – El Camino del Diablo
December – Long Island
November – New York
15-31 October – Moab
Archive
SPECIAL REPORT
Detailed series on a solo scouting journey into some of the remotest backcountry around Moab. The six day 450-mile off-pavement trip into the Maze district of the Canyonlands National Park offers insight into the challenges of expedition planning… [read]
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SPECIAL REPORT
SCOUTING THE SAHARA IN MAURITANIA: WAYPOINT NOUAKCHOTT
The first in a series of reports from our scouting trip in Mauritania takes and indepth look at the capital city of Nouakchott, and its fishing port… [read]
