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Camel Trophy 1995.

• USA trials 1995.
• Belize, May 1995.
• Results, June 1995.

USA Trials, 1995.

Date: Mon, 20 Feb 95 15:11:52 MST
From: rhcaldw@nma.mnet.uswest.com ( ROY CALDWELL )
Subject: Camel Trophy/Part 1 and 2

Driving east on I-70 with clear blue skys pushed the outside temprature up to spring like 40 plus degrees. The drive to Grand Junction from Helena Montana had been long but pleasent. There was no adverse weather and no adverse law enforcement hindering my journey. Finding the Grand Junction Hilton was no problem and knowing I was in the right place was proved by the six Range Rovers and two Camel Trophy Team vehicles sitting in the parking lot. The weather was spring like and looked like it would continue. This was not the kind of weather or tempratures that Tom Collins (Camel Team Coordinator) wanted, to help in testing the candidates. He wanted cold, snow or rain so the Bookcliffs test location would turn into a sea of mud, just to add a bit of fun to the weekend program.

At the front desk I got tremendus pleasure from stating I was with Camel Trophy Showing no apparent indication of the import of that statement, the desk clerk cheerfully registered me and handed over the plastic security card that was the room key. After out fumbling the bell hop on a tip, I hustled back down to the lobby to make contact with either the arriving candidates or the LRNA people. I was finally able to locate Glenn Campbell and Bill Baker. I was greeted with good cheer but also with a certain reserve. After getting names and faces straight the plan was to gather all of the press people and head up stairs to the journalist hospitality room.

In a short period of time it was clear that Bill and Glenn had already decided who they wanted as the team journalist. Their choice was Sue Meade, a freelance journalist in the motor trades and Erik Schlegel of the Dallas Morning News. Neither seemed to have the background required but they did have media outlets. Sue and Erik are both very game and not afraid of mud and hard work. They still did not strike me as having all the skills needed to be a contributing/supporting member of the team. Time will tell how they meet the challenge of the Camel Trophy. Prior to arriving in Grand Junction I had completed telephone interviews with the four women and one of the men candidates. I was anxious to meet and talk to the remaining seven. Just prior to doing the journalist thing up-stairs I was able to meet and talk with Jim Swett from Lebanon Connecticut. Jim was very friendly and indicated that he was pleased just to be at the trials as one of the final tweleve. That attitude was the same with all of the candidates and one or two wondered why they had gotten invited at all. I also found no arogance among the candidates. Self-confidence yes, willing to challenge themselves and either succed or fail by their own skills and abilities. All and all they were a group of very friendly and up people.

Friday afternoon went by very quickly and I found it was time for the arrival banquet and meeting all of the candidates face to face. Tom Collins gave a brief introductory speech on the history of the Camel Trophy and what it is all about. When Tom finished he had everybody stand and give a small self- introducion. I was the only person that actually owned a Land Rover. None of the candidates had ever owned owned one and only one of the former team members present owned a Rover. Not a very good showing regarding involvement with our favorite vehicle. Be that as it may, the remainder of the dinner was very nice and the Camel Team members, I was sitting with, were very friendly andimpressive. I shared the table with Mark McDonald, Jim West, Webb Arnold and Bob Burns of Land Rover North America. After a bit more talk from Bill Baker ofLRNA public relations, dinner was finished and due to weather problems, several more candidates finally arrived. For an after dinner program, Tom Collins gavea slide show that dealt with the contributions and firendship aspects of the Camel Trophy. Very interesting and it provided a great deal of insite into who Tom Collins is and what his association with Camel has meant to him on a personal level.

After Tom's presentation several videos were run on a big screen tv. Of course the candidates crowded around and despite the late hour devoured every sceen andall of the dialoge. For me, I headed to bed for sleep before the six am start time. But sleep was not in the cards because my sinus cold tried to kill me. I had maybe two hours of sleep. Down at breakfast everybody was at least awake. Some of the candidates obviously got more sleep than others. Breakfast was fruit, yogurt,cranola and bagles. I was very dissapointed that they did notprovide a choice of various dead animals and other by-products. But the coffee was good and there was plenty of it. After breakfast it was time for the first written test. All of the candidates gathered in aconference room a were given atest covering metric conversion, general map reading skills and several basic time/distance/speed questions. The final part of the test was locating grid coordinates on a map and with given compass bearing find the location on a topo map that related to the bearings. The questions were not very hard but you had to think and be careful because it was easy to make a mistake. After the test it was time for the swim in the Hilton pool. The swim was a way to get hearts pumping and make sure nobody was a lead weighted rock. The pool was small, no more than thirty feet long, so each person had to do three down and back laps. Oh, it was also unheated with a water temprature around 40 degrees. People shivered and shook, but all made the swim and quickly retired to the hot tube bythe pool.

After the last two swimers and the times recorded, everybody dried off and had afew minutes to grab their bags and meet out front for rides out to the Bookcliffs trial site. I grabbed a ride with Sue Meade and Steve (no last name)of a Denver publications firm. On the road to the site, we trailed a 95 model Range Rover SE, the new restyled RR. It looks better in person than the photographs but to my eye it looks like a typical stylist attempt to satisfy an upward mobile market a the result is very bland and homogenized look. Steve wasvery impressed with the new look, as was Sue Meade; I think that tells us all something about the looks over function theory of automotive design. Of course the conversation quickly went to other things because the two had nothing but puffy things to say about the new Rover in contrast to my more functional approach to the new look. Arriving at the trial site the candidates were told to stow their gear in the warming tent and get ready for the run. The ground was damp and the dirt had not turned into the gumbo Tom Collins really wanted. The temprature was a very nice mid 30, that is by memory guess, and not bad for a six mile run. The terrain is made up of a heavy dose of rolling hills with noreal flats at all. The route had several very steep hills tossed in to help compensate for the lack of mud. At the finish, unknow to the runners, was a rope climb. The hauser like rope was suspended from a cable strung between uprights on either side of a steep banked gully. As each runner came in the observers directed them to the rope climb and mentioned in passing that the run time included getting up the rope and touching the knot.

For the next several hours it was a constant series of things to do. Guided by the observers, who were all former team members, the candidates were given theirfirst look at the team Discovery trucks and introduction to basic winching The information was concise and to the point. The object was to see how much the candidates could retain and for how long. Next up on the agenda was the team building problem solving test of the spider web. The 12 were split into two teams and given the test rules. Suspended between three telephone pole tripods were horizontal and vertical ropes with a series of cris-crossing lines that looked like a spider web. The objective was to pass each member of the teamthrough the web without touching the ropes and using each opening only once. If anything touched the rope, wether it was hair, clothing or body part, the team had to start over. To add a bit of stress, the teams had forty minutes to get across. Every observer was present and watching the ropes for touches and listening, watching the group dynamics of each team. One team completed the task, one failed. Both teams fiqured out how to do it, one group just fiqured it out faster.

During the trial the candidates were paired as teams in various combinations. Generally it was by a simple matter of pairing number at random. The object was to see enough combinations at work that Tom Collins and his team of observers could see the inter-personal skills and team work of all the candidates. So as the morning rolled on under cloudy skies the orienteering course was flagged and runners were dispatched at two minute intervals. The mapand compass test was again a timed running and skill test, with another surprise at the end. It was a simple test, each runner had to complete the course as fast as possible with as many correct compass bearings as could be managed. Between the runners and the finish line was a cable suspended across a gully that had to be traversed, anyway possible, to reach the finish and stop the clock. The most popular choice for crossing was to grab the cable, ankles locked around the cable and pull across. All 12 made and nobody feel off, to the spotters great relief because the cable was at least 18 feet above the gully floor.

Overcast weather and fairly warm tempratures were encouraging for the candidatesbut failed to provide the muddy, cold lousy conditions that Tom and crew really wanted. The object of bad conditions is that it very quickly brings out the best and worst in people. In some ways it makes the observers task much easier.Some of the qualities that makes a good Camel Team member can be faked for awhile, sooner or later small failures and fatique tear down the puffed up image and each person wears who they really are right out front. I could already see the toll on the faces and in the body language of the 12. In between events observers would chat with and watch the candidates. Everything was noted either with paper and pencile on score sheets or held in memory for the Sunday round table with Tom Collins.

Sometime before noon the candidates got their first chance to drive the team trucks. Everybody seemed to be anxious and many had great smiles of appreciation after they returned and generally a feeling of accomplishment. For some it was the first time they ever put a real 4 X 4 through the paces and the Discovery was a very eye-opening experience. After all the teams finished the orientation drive it was time to solve another problem. The problem was simple; get a stalled Discovery from the bottom of a steep hill to the top with no winch. They were given a spare tire, rope, pulleys and the muscle power of their 12 bodies. The Disco did get to the top of the hill but only after several false starts. After this team success it was time to take another written test. This time it was on general first aid and CPR. Not a hard test but having been on the go, since six AM, each candidate needed to focus and concentrate on the individual task. All during the events a warming tent had been kept stocked with power bars, fruit, coffee, hot water and some heat. It was not said but understood that none of the candidates should remain in the tent any longer than was needed. After the winching team winching effort the tent, hot drink and the test were a welcome semi-break in the action.

Several times during the day it had tried to snow, rain or blow but fortunately it still remained fairly warm. As the sun started to set in the west, the observers got everybody ready to run the gymkanna course. The prospect of driving brightened everbodies faces and lifted some sagging spirits. The course was fairly small and tight with a tetter-totter in the middle. Each driver was given one test lap and then would do three timed laps. After the second lap each driver would turn into the teeter and had 2 minutes to balance the Disco, or not. In addition to the times balance test the entire three laps were timed and a deduction made for each marker coned knocked over. Few cleanedthe course and several acted like they were in a butcher shop grinding hamburger. Each time a grind was heard, I could see Tom wince in pain and the observers snickered. The last driver completeed their run after dark and the Camel Disco presented a fine image tearing around the course with all lightsblazing in the night.

Darkness provided the perfect backdrop and conditions for the bridge building test. The candidates were again divided into two teams and presented with the problem of getting a vehicle across a gully that was too deep to drive through and too narrow to drive across without aid. The teams had a hard time deciding what to do but once a plan was decided on the bridges were built and vehicles driven across with little delay. The part of this test that dissapointed a few of the team members was that after crossing the bridge had to be torn down and all of the poles and rop hauled back down the road to the main camp. Even to the casual observer it was clear who the people were that still had energy and the spirit to pitch in and complete a job so that the trial could continue for everybody. The next event was perhaps the mental barrier that all had to overcome and would show Tom a great deal about the mental and physical will of the candidates.

Tired from the bridge building each person had to grab their haedlamps and compass for the second of three orienteering tests. Like the first test this was timed and the object was to find as many of the route locations as possible in the shortest amount of time. With the sun down and more mud from the snow and rain squalls the darkness would shed much light on the determination and remaining mental skills of the candidates. At intervals, each person jogged off into the night with just a compass, pencile and paper. The hills sourrounding the trial site became alive with small points of light bobbing across the hills. As each finished the course their time was logged and the paper checked for the correct way points. Awaiting them was a big roaring fire and the chance to taste a wonderful freeze dried dinner. The candidates returned muddy and tired with many tales of falling down slippery hills, wrong turns and stumbling across the unfamiliar ground. As would be expected everybody was hungray and not to many people made rude comments about the dinner, mostly because it was what they would have to live on during the Camel Trophy, if they made the team. Dinner over, tail sof wow told and mistakes learned from the candidates again were split into teams for the first night driving and winching exercise. Tom and his team had plotted a route across the hills of the Bookcliffs that would test basic driving skills and the ability of the two people to work as a team. The exercise was this; drive the vehicle over a flagged course using only the route finding and driving directions of the team member acting as the navigator. For the driver it would test their skill driving of-road, ability to take directions and trust their navigator. For the navigator it would test their communicationms skills, route finding and reading skills plus their ability to winch the vehicle from a bog that could be driven but with the observers help everybody got stuck.

Coming late in the trial this test was designed to test not only the skills in the vehicle but to also test everbodies stamina. The course had to be driven 24 times, twice by each candidate and the course took approxiamately and hour to complete. The hours creeped by for those either waiting or those having completed the drive. To give evrybody something to do the Camel crew had set up the chain saw test and a log chop. These test were not only time fillers but also would show each persons ability and willingness to do manual labor on demand. If all this was not enough the fourth and final written test was given as candidates became avaiable. This was the Time/Speed/Distance test and was not fun, in the early morning hours of Sunday. Few of the candidates had an easy time of it. Thankfully, for a few, there was no real time limit on doing the test. As soon as the last double rides finished it was back into the Discos for a ride and instruction on using the on-board rallye computer. More waiting and more mental grinding was waiting for the candidates. After the rallye computer work came another driving, compass and running test.

Paired up again the teams tried to keep warm waiting for their final ride and almost the last physical test. As the fire burned down and the light of the morning sun filtered through the heavy clouds the first team roared off in the Disco. As the candidates waited for their ride the observers started breaking camp and made mental notes as to which of the, now tired, candidates pitched in to help or just stood by the fire. This provided one more reminder that during the trial everything a candidate does is observered and becomes part of their score card. The final rallye drive gave the teams one more chance to use what remained of their physical and mental strength. The route was much the same as the first rallye drive but this time at certain points the navigator was required to jump out and follow a compass heading carrying one full and one empty fuel can. While the navigator slogged across the hills the driver continued driving and had to meet their team member at a designated spot. Once the team was whole again the roles were reversed and the driver had the chance to tote the load while following a compass bearing.

As the drives were completed the mood became light and cheerful. All of the participants could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Everybody was looking forward to getting back to the hotel for a wash and some sleep. As the final team hit camp the candidates were jubilant and started feeling like the trial was over. Some knew better. The final test was cleaning up the Rovers. Not just the Team trucks but every Rover that was used, even the observer support vehicles. Bags were collected and seats in vehicles found for everybody. Tom Collins stood with a bag full of quarters and the car wash was filled with muddy Rovers and tired Camel Trophy wannabees. After three hours of wet and muddy slogging the vehicles came out clean and the candidates finally could get the hot baths and showers they had been dreaming of since the early morning hours of Sunday.

The awards banquet was a mix of a graduation and lottery drawing. They had made it through the trial and received hats, t-shirts and patches as their reward, but in their eyes could be seen the anticipation and excitement that only the team selection list would satisfy. With a small and neat preface Tom Collins called out the names of the four. They were Jim Swett of Lebanon, CT, Daphne Greene of Ross, CA, Jonah Houston of Monterey, CA and Tom Davenport from Burlington, VT. It was over, the team was choosen and now the really hard work of preparing these four for the international trial in Turkey would begin.

Roy

Belize 1995.

Date: Mon, 22 May 1995 21:28:08 -0500
From: rover@pinn.net (Alexander P. Grice)
Subject: Camel Trophy Daily Logs

Saturday, May 20th - This year's Camel Trophy began amid the three "H's": hornets, heat and humidity. Participants in the 16th annual event had to contend with temperatures of 37 C (body temperature) for the initial 11 Special Tasks held near Lamanai, Belize. A second set of tasks will await the twenty national teams near the end of their two week, 1,700 km traverse of the "Mundo Maya" - the Mayan world.

Former Dutch olympic hockey goalie, Erik-Jan de Rooy, was the first casualty; he was struck in the eye by a "yellow jacket". This wasn't your wimpy, North American insect, but rather something resembling a two inch Kamakazie. Only quick action by a Dutch journalist averted long term problems. Within an hour, three others had been similarly attacked. (By the way, Belize is home to the Africanized "killer" bee.)

The first special task involved a canoe race across the Rio Azul lagoon in traditional dories. This was followed by an orienteering run, the recovery of symbolic Mayan relics from the bottom of the river, and a run up the tallest Mayan pyramid. In the heat of the day, this was difficult; team doctor Mike Irani cautioned everyone to drink a litre of water an hour.

The tasks continued into the night for 30 hours straight, with the toughest orienteering runs held during the coolest part of the day - just the time that all the wildlife comes out.

Sunday, May 21st - After 30 constant hours of efforts at the special tasks, the Polish team of Marek Klar and Wojciech Stawowiak emerged as the early leaders. But the teams had little chance to savor the completion - in a little over an hour after the completion of the special tasks, the teams had to grab a bite to eat and pack their Discoveries for the start of the expedition. Target by Monday is the Guatamalean town of Rio Azul where the team will depart for an 8 km trek on foot to an uncharted archaeological site. There, the participants will assist researchers in mapping the extent of this unexplored site. Stay tuned!

Date: Wed, 24 May 1995 17:58:37 -0500

After the first set of special tasks, the US team of Jim Swett (30, of Lebanon, CT) and Daphne Green (33, Ross, CA) are tied with the French in sixth place. Poland leads, followed by Greece, South Africa, the Czech Republic and Italy.

Monday, May 22nd - The Camel Trophy convoy crossed the border into Mexico at La Union and were greeted by an impromptu party staged by the townsfolk. "After two days of flogging ourselves on the special tasks and the prospect of driving all night, the chance for a taco and a cold drink was not one to be missed," said Peter Bakos of Hungary.

Luxuries did not last long, for five km down the road, the convoy pulled off the tarmac onto an old logging road, bound for Rio Azul on the Guatamala border. Even though the reconaissance team had been through 9 months ago, downed trees and dense scrub blocked the route. Teams worked through the night to clear the way, arriving at Tres Bandieros in the wee hours of the morning; they managed to get all of three hours of sleep.

Tuesday, May 23rd - At daybreak, the trek to Rio Azul continued. Once there, the teams toured the remains of 50 meter high temples before departing for a two day mapping expedition of a nearby site that was only discovered in 1988.

Led by Canadian archaeological expert Rick Bronson who discovered the site, the participants had to hike about 8 km to the yet unnamed Mayan city near Rio Ixcan. Carrying 20 kg backpacks, this trek took about three hours in the tropical heat and humidity. Half of the group, however, got lost in the dense undergrowth and spent another frustrating two hours to find the destination.

Once there, the team will spend two days mapping the 1 km square site. Because of the difficulty reaching the site, Bronson had not been back since his discovery. Almost immediately, the team found the main plaza of the settlement, estimated to have once been a city of 5,000. Teams will work in round-the-clock shifts, some mapping the site, others beginning exploratory excavations of some of the temples. Already, small artifacts dating from 750 AD have been found; unfortunately, so has evidence of recent grave robbers. Because of the location of the site astride the Mexico/Guatamala border, represenatives from both countries are supervising the work.

Date: Thu, 25 May 1995 21:56:46 -0500

Wednesday, May 24th - Working in shifts around the clock, Camel Trophy participants uncovered secrets of the past in the dense Central American jungle. "in the past two days, we've already covered half the ground we had planned in order to map the perimeter of the site," said project leader Rick Bronson. "The manpower that the Camel Trophy afforded us has enabled us to do work in 2 days that would normally have taken months or even years. They have been amazingly enthusiastic," he continued.

The most important find of the day was uncovered by the teams from Spain and the Canary Islands. Though excavating a looted tomb, they found a perfectly intact black ceramic bowl dated to c. 750 AD. "We had been digging all night and were really drained," said Belen Sanchez of Spain. "To find this gives everyone a great sense of achievement."

After two days in the tropic heat and humidity, the team faced the 8-10km hike back to the Discoveries where they were to get a few hours sleep before hitting the trail again. The next major obstacle will be Lago Peten Itza which will likely require a day to get all vehicles across.

Date: Tue, 30 May 1995 23:15:07 -0500

Thursday, May 25 - The team was roused at 4 AM for a 5 AM departure from the Ixcan Rio archaeological site, and following a 10 km hike back to the Rio Azul, they were eager to get back on the trail. Despite that there is only one track out of the biological reserve (second only in size to the Amazon), it was blocked by over a hundred downed trees. The process of clearing trail reduced the convoy's formard pace to about 12 km/hr, but the chance to work together on the road brought out a united team spirit. After driving through the Tikal National Park, camp that night was to be on the shores of Lake Peten Itza.

Friday, May 26th - This was to be a day-long special challenge: the goal was to for two teams of ten countries each to get their vehicles across about 400 meters of the crocodile-infested Lake Peten Itza to the opposite, swampy shore. On previous events, a special rafting unit would do the ferrying, but here, it was up to the teams themselves to construct the rafts, man the vessels and build entrance/exit ramps on the lake shores.

From the minute they were given the start signal, Team One (consisting of Spain, Turkey, Canary Islands, Czech Republic, Germany, Israel, Russia, South Africa and the US) worked as if they had been together for years. Within 40 minutes, they were transporting vehicles to the other side; Team 2 never caught up. However, once on the other side, they still had to get vehicles across the swamp at the lake's shore, a task accomplished with sand ladders. Team One finished 15 minutes ahead with an elapsed time of four hours.

Saturday and Sunday - "...and now for something completely different." In the past 15 events, the Camel Trophy convoy had always traveled as a unit. However, from Friday evening until late Sunday, the teams got to chose their own route over 750 km of rutted track. There were only three check points and a final destination of at the Rio Ostua border crossing into El Salvador. "If we had been on tarmac, then it might have been easy," said Jim Swett of the US team, "but the options of roads we were given were all in bad, bad condition. One section just out of Flores took us all night. For me, it was the worst road in the world."

Monday, May 29th - After crossing into El Salvador, the team drove to the Montecristo Reserve 2,500 meters up into the highlands. There, the team was to attend the dedication of a research facility that had been funded (rather than built, as in previous years) by the Camel Trophy. By nightfall on Monday, the team was to recross into Guatamela before entering Honduras Tuesday morning.

Date: Wed, 31 May 1995 22:14:15 -0500

Central America is experiencing its hottest and driest May in over two decades. Consequently, the mud for which the Camel Trophy is justly famous, has set into concrete.

Tuesday, May 30th - "The Calm Before the Storm" The Camel Trophy crossed back into Guatamala Monday evening and entered Honduras on Tuesday. Though it has been extremely dry, the deep glutinous mud at the Rio Jupilingo border crossing claimed many vehicles; it was a good day for winching. Tuesday turned out to be a relatively easy day, as the participants were given a half day to explore the ruins and hieroglyphs in a around Copan. This was to be last breather before the punishing final week of the event.

At present, the plans call for the team to follow Cortez's route around the western edge of Lago Izabal back into Guatamela towards the finish in Xunnantunich back in Belize. The team will spend two or more days attempting to retrace part of the route that the conquistadors took up the coast of Guatamala ... a route that has not been used in centuries.

Date: Thu, 1 Jun 1995 18:00:17 -0500

Remains of the original stone roadbed were still visible in places, but in most sections, the track was heavily overgrown and rutted: it had never been used by motorized vehicles before. At one corner, a nasty 100' drop awaited anyone who made a false move, while at another less-dangerous corner, the Japanese and one other team rolled their Discoveries. "It was only lucky that there was no mud, or otherwise we would have been in the jungle for days," said one of the Japanese team members.

Downed trees, the thick undergrowth and 3' deep ruts slowed the pace of the 33 vehicle convoy; it took almost 14 hours to cover just 13 km of trail. Only as dusk fell did the team manage to find a clearing for the night's camp.

Date: Fri, 2 Jun 1995 22:53:47 -0500

It took the Camel trophy convoy two days to crawl across the mountainous 'spanish road', a route built by Cortez in 1540. "You are the first people to make the journey in such numbers since Cortez," said Izabal's mayor Andres Solis. "We had heard that you were coming but we were not sure you would make it. No other car has been through that road. Not even the cowboys use it, it is so bad. We don't get many visitors here. Every time we travel, we go by boat."

The villagers offered use of their lakeside beach for a camp. As none had washed in days, some teams jumped into the lake fully dressed. However, following in the footsteps of Cortez was not easy: the Spanish team seriously damaged their transmission on a boulder just before the village.

This was to be the last formal group camp until Belize next week. As with last weekend's exercise, the convoy will split into groups of three or four teams each: they have been given the name of a village on the Guatamala/Belize border and have two days to reach it. Most of the roads are not marked on the map and have not been maintained in years.

Date: Tue, 6 Jun 1995 17:32:22 -0500

Santa Rosa was to be the jumping off point for "the sting in the tail" - a two plus day slog through to Belize. Up until now, it has been one of the hottest and driest springs on record; a drought may well have sealed the fate of the Maya centuries ago [see sidebar], but rains from tropical storm Allison had drenched the area and turned the tracks from Santa Rosa into quagmires. Meanwhile, temperatures in Xunatunich, the finish, reached 48 C on Saturday. (Really?? Hey, that's what the press release said!)

Sunday, June 4th - The promised mud finally materialized as the 33 vehicles departed Santa Rosa for Belize: it took five hours to cover just 10 km. The tracks through the jungle criss-crossed the frontier many times; however, the only sign of habitation was a temporary camp. There, one family was quite surprised by the appearance of the convoy on the move. By sundown, the team had camped near the border town of Arenal. Monday was to be the final day on the road (so to speak) before the final set of special tasks at the finish. There, the second group special task will serve as a warm-up to the 11 individual special task events that will decide the winner.

[Sidebar] Researchers think that they have finally solved the mystery of the decilne of the Maya, a civilization that fell into ruin between 750 and 900 AD. Population booms and subsequent migrations, constant border wars and environmental stress have all been considered as possible causes, but by analyzing 15' long cores from the bottom of Lake Chichancanab that were deposited over the last 9,000 years, scientists think they now have the answer.

Previously, it was impossible to tell if alterations to the environment were caused by climate or people. By analyzing these sediments (specifically, a ratio of gypsum to calcite), researchers have determined that the period between 800 and 1000 AD was the driest in the past 7,200 years. With the landscapes around the Mayan cities deforested by an increasing population and pressures from nearby civilizations, a two century drought exacerbated an already perilous situation.

Date: Wed, 7 Jun 1995 16:03:34 -0500

The "water wheel" event was designed to be a short, sharp shock just before the final special tasks on Wednesday and Thursday. Each team was given two 'Pelican' waterproof cases, a length of sand ladder and a spare tire. The object was to paddle/swim/drag/haul the package 300 meters up the Rio Mopan and then tote it to the top of a small hill. This test of stamina and spirit was just too much for some teams, a jagged rocks lined the route.

The Italians didn't even notice that they had taken a wrong turn until it was too late. One of the Swiss competetors, Christian Gremaud, tripped in the river and gashed himself badly on the edge of the sand ladder. He needed at least twelve stitches and imobilization of his leg; the Swiss team may be forced to withdraw from competition. France passed the UK team, stuck in the fast water, but were unable to capitalize on their lead. Gerard Champoiral's legs turned to jelly on the final hill and the South African team of Marc Pincente and Paul Leslie-Smith clawed their way past the French on the final hill.

The stage is now set for the final set of special tasks to be held at Xunantunich Wednesday and Thursday. Stay tuned!

Date: Thu, 8 Jun 1995 21:30:58 -0500

The next two days will feature 30 hours of almost constant energy-sapping and mind-numbing special tasks. The winning teams should be known by Thursday night.

Thursday, June 8th - "I need another man. I am slowly killing my teammates," said Swiss participant Manuela Catalini. In two days, she has lost two teammates. On Sunday, team member Christian Gremaud sliced open his leg in a cholera-infected river; he was forced to withdraw. Team journalist Jorg Petersen volunteered to take his place, but he too slipped in the same river whilst trying to carry a replica stone carving during a subsequent special task. Tearing ligaments in his knee, he too was forced to withdraw. The other Swiss journalist, Richard Grell, stepped forward but doubted that his admittedly weak knees could carry the day.

Only a few of the special tasks involve driving, and many are near impossible. Any of you fancy a go at the Camel Trophy? Try this on for size: a task dubbed "Stone Woman" (the English translation of Xunantunich) involved pairs of teams trying to recover a 300 kg (!!!) stone engraving from 4 meters of murky water ... and temperatures were in the high 30's (C).

American participant Daphne Green twisted here ankle but soldiered on despite it swelling to twice-normal size. The "Mopan Communication" task had participants carry two, full 20 liter jerry cans and a spare tire 1,500 meters. It was luck (or rather *bad* luck) that the Dutch team of Erik Jan de Rooij and John Warmerdam got the high noon time slot. "Each step is punishment enough without having the sun on your head," he said.

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From: jpappa01@InterServ.Com
Subject: Re: CAMEL TROPHY RESULTS

Congrats to all. Can't wait to see the video on this one!

Cheerz

Jim - now completely mad ... and loving it!