Day 1 – 8/10/06

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We began with a team meeting at the trail head. Twenty yards into the trail, we hit our first obstacle, a small drainage ditch. It took some time, but we learned a lot about maneuvering the crates that Darol uses to get his bike over obstacles. Forty-five minutes into hike, we had only traveled a half-mile. Things were going slowly as the terrain was very rugged. While many of us are working hard with Darol, it is hard to enjoy the scenery. There are moments when we stop and take a break and view the stunning rain forest. Darol is quite an inspiration on the trail. People are amazed by his energy and determination. We still have a long way to go, as the terrain is extremely tough so it is slow going. After it rained, visibility became more and more difficult. We finally reached base camp after 11-plus hours of trekking through rain and mud. We were very tired but extremely excited and we all couldn’t believe the Herculean effort by Darol. “It was the single-most amazing athletic feat I have ever seen.”- Roger