I am getting into better shape and steadily increasing my outdoor/survival experience. I have looked around to see what outdoor challenges may await my not yet humbled back side. So far it's all designated route this and required pack list that. Does no one do a point to point race where you have no designated route or required gear. How about a wilderness race where you get dropped off solo with out any prior knowledge of where you will be. You can only carry what fits in your pockets(plus emergency GPS beacon of course). They just hand you a compass and a map with two dots on it labeled start here and end here. Find own shelter/water/food/fire/navigate/etc.... Am I just to inexperienced to be humble, maybe crazy, or is this as cool an idea as it sounds to my young ears?

Alaska Mountain Wilderness Classic

God be with you

There are plenty of challenges out there if you look for them. Some are for teams, some are for individuals.

But if you really don't need no stinkin rules, why are you waiting for someone to create the challenge for you? There's big, wide world out there, create your own.

It's called long distance SUL/UL solo cross-country fastpacking.
No rules, no sponsors, no fees, no designated routes, no help, no cheering crowd at the finish line.

Do what many of us do; find a really hard looking loop and go and try to do it. Try 30 miles in 24 hours. If that's not tough enough, try 50 miles in 24 hours. If that's not tough enough, try 120 miles in 24 hours. Throw in 25,000 feet of cumulative climbing for good measure. Not hard enough? Go barefoot. Still too cushy? Leave your shelter, sleeping bag, and jacket home. Hell, try it naked. I don't know of any "rules" for wilderness travel...Just don't let any rangers catch a glimpse of your naked erse going in; hence the 2AM start time without a light.

Just don't go dragging SAR into some ill-conceived epic or tell anyone I told you to do it.

Well, not knowing details of your skill/experience I feel obligated to say please start small! But then I'm assuming you don't want to become the next Christopher McCandless.

That out of the way, you are suggesting nothing that hasn't been done for centuries by people who live(d) full time as hunter/gatherers without much in the way of aids delivered from the industrial world ... much less so in recent times but maybe still in your own lifetime and certainly during your parent's life (see Hansen's Stranger in the Forest for a quite recent account) but don't forget those are mainly people who grew up in that lifestyle, acquiring skills through constant exposure and repetition.

But I gotta ask ... why do you need an organized event? Pick a suitably less roaded national forest and pick starting point and destination out of a hat.

However, regarding the thread title ... it's D**M hard to find places in this world where there are no rules!

"However, regarding the thread title ... it's D**M hard to find places in this world where there are no rules!"

Yes, but if you don't see an armed man from the government standing there to enforce those rules...well then there really aren't any rules are there?
They can't be everywhere all the time :)

What Rules?

I know I can always just take off somewhere tough. I was curious about the challenge of facing off against other people. When it is a race I find that motivates more than just playing Jeremiah Johnson. I was curious if there were already some such races around. The Alaska Ultra is amazing and I am not that capable yet, but I think it follows a fixed route(?maybe I'm wrong?).

"The Alaska Ultra is amazing and I am not that capable yet, but I think it follows a fixed route...."

If you mean the Alaska Mountain Wilderness Classic, it is a Point A to Point B race, any way you can, any route you like, under your own power, and not using roads. The Start and Finish points change year to year. It is not a Beginner or Intermediate event.

If you would provide a little more info on your experience you might get specific answers. Shooting in the dark at a moving target can be a little frustrating.

I was actually thinking of the long winter one(name???). I created this thread mostly out of curiosity. I wanted to know if there are any races(official or not) like what I tried to describe. I am actually not looking to do such a race(yet). As for experience, diverse but minimal. I have solid map and compass skills, hiking experience on AT/PCT/CT/etc(maybe 1,500 miles over 5 last years), kayaking(lake not sea), biking(white rim trail), and just a little rock climbing in the Del. Gap and Gunks. I have been up Mt. Washington in winter and skied on Shasta. Not enough for such a race, but it's work in progress.

Edited by 6hauptman6 on 12/17/2010 15:58:24 MST.