March 7, 2017

Race location announcement:  The area north of Chippewa Falls, WI

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July 8, 2017

The race start is at the Hickory Ridge Ski Trail Parking trailhead , 16800 225th Ave, Bloomer, WI (about 20 miles N of Chippewa Falls, WI – 108 miles from St Paul).   

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• Teams will be provided canoes, paddles and PFD's for the paddle.  

• Teams will be required to provide, carry and use one PFD on the trek.  It must fit at least one team member.  Teams may be required to carry this PFD with them the entire race.

• The course area contains numerous trails, maintained and abandoned.  Purpose built trails have been mapped based on usefulness as a means of travel or navigation.  Trails close to return to natural state may or may not be mapped.  Use all mapped features to make decisions on course of travel. 

• Do not assume that any markings (flagging) in the course area are event related. 

• The maps used are highly enhanced USGS maps.  Details have been added to a great extent, but changing conditions in the mapped area may greatly affect reality in the terrain.  E.g. water levels may create unmapped wet terrain or change the width of mapped streams.

• Using permethrin on clothing prior to the event is recommended.  Ticks were prevalent on the initial course setting 6 weeks ago.  Using permethrin on a return trip 2 weeks later greatly reduced tick collection.  Current conditions are unknown.

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July 10, 2017

• Teams who desire to use personal paddles and pfd's will be required to transport them on the initial and final bike legs.  

• Water will be provided at the TAs.  Teams may be on legs for as long as 3 hours and need to have provisions to carry enough water for that section.