About
The Parcour de Wild is a long distance wilderness traverse that lasts about a week, give or take a few days.
Organization
The Parcour is an unsanctioned community event, organized ad hoc and supported by grass roots volunteer efforts. There are no sponsors, no entry fees, no prizes, no commercial affiliations, no race directors, and no rules. We may make t-shirts or something, we may not. A small group of volunteers pick start and finish points. We gather for a barbecue in the beginning, and we all meet for pizza five or six or so days after the start.
Depending on your style of travel, this could be a hazardous and risky event. If you have to ask what the hazards are, then the Parcour may not be for you.
2009 Route
We’ll be traveling from Rogers Pass to Marias Pass in 2009. Download the Route PDF here.
The 2009 Parcour will be October 11-17, 2009, and will traverse mountainous terrain in the Northern Rockies. The Start and Finish points are approximately 100 miles from each other (straight line distance). You may use any route, and any human-powered mode of travel to propel yourself from start to finish, and carry whatever gear you think you’ll need to get there. Exact start and finish coordinates will be sent to the participants subscribed to the group email list.
Equipment
There are no restrictions regarding the amount and type of equipment you may carry. If you are asking yourself, “what gear should I take on a Parcour?” then the Parcour may not be for you.
All teams have a gentleman’s agreement in place to carry the following gear: (a) a satellite phone to facilitate self-rescue, (b) either a GPS or a SPOT locator beacon, which will be used for location ID during mandatory call-ins and during rescue, (c) bear spray for the grizzlies, and (d) a robust firebuilding kit.
The only other restriction regarding gear is that we agree to carry all gear and supplies from start to finish – no dumping, no caching.
Solo vs. Team Travel
Both solo and team travel are allowed. Teams sharing survival gear shouldn’t be split up, and should be committed to each other throughout the duration of the event. Expectations of self-sufficient solo travelers traveling together as a team should be communicated clearly to each other so nobody has hurt feelings if one of the soloists sneaks out of camp in the middle of the night. Teams committed to traveling together throughout the event may share a satellite phone and GPS/SPOT. All individuals should carry bear spray and firestarting supplies.
Rescue
Self-rescue is the responsibility of each party. Non-life threatening emergencies requiring outside assistance should generally be facilitated by private parties, and not by land management, law enforcement, or search and rescue agencies. Call 911 from your satellite phone in the event of a life-threatening emergency, or evacuation requiring complex logistics or a lot of resources. Regardless, these are just suggestions. You’re pretty much on your own out there.
Modes of Travel
Bikes. Bicycles are allowed in the Parcour. Routes are designed, however, such that you will have to carry your bike or strap it to your packraft in designated Wilderness Areas, and you will not be able to complete the route without some travel through a designated Wilderness Area.
Packrafts. Packrafts should be seriously considered in 2009. They are not required, and the Parcour can be finished without using a packraft. You may use ultralight packrafts (e.g., Curtis Designs) or ultracheap packrafts (e.g., Sevylor Trail Boats) for river crossings, but if you want to use packrafts for river travel, we strongly recommend Alpackas. The most route options will be available to skilled packrafters using decked Alpackas. The use of packrafts is encouraged, because they afford you the ability to rest your feet, ankles, and knees without halting your progress. Depending on weather conditions and water temperatures, plan your clothing accordingly – packrafters will get wet. In some environments, even a dry suit may look pretty light on your gear list! You should expect any and all types of packraftable water from Class I cruisers to Class IV or V steep creeks and burly rivers. You gotta be the judge about what you can and can’t run. Remember, we’re not doing this during the summer…
Skis and Snowshoes. Yes, it snows in Montana in October. In October 2007, our traverse of the Beartooth Range found snow up to five feet deep. In October 2008, we were hit with a blizzard late in the trek that brought two feet of snow.
Leave No Trace & Regulations
We agree to adhere to Leave No Trace guidelines (http://www.lnt.org/), and abide by all land management agency regulations.
Am I Qualified?
If traveling 100 to 150 miles sounds exciting to you, then you may be qualified. If it does not, then you probably aren’t.
If you are committed to completing the route, and are willing to rest en route and take eight days (or ten, or twelve) instead of six, then you may have the right makeup for a Parcour. If your exit scenario is to bail in the middle so you don’t miss your church picnic back home, then you may not because sometimes, a fast exit cannot be forced due to weather, terrain, and remoteness.
If you are wondering whether trail running shoes or lug soled hiking boots are most appropriate, then the Parcour may not be for you.
If you are worried about getting your feet wet, then the Parcour may not be for you.
If you are worried about your feet aching by the end of the trek, then the Parcour may not be for you.
If you are worried about being able to build a fire in a wet forest while shivering violently, then the Parcour is not for you.
If you are wondering about why we don’t have an official gear list, then the Parcour may not be for you.
If you are worried about how the Parcour might damage your ego, reputation, or public perception of who you are, then the Parcour is not for you. If you are excited about how the Parcour might elevate your ego, reputation, or public perception of who you are, then the Parcour is not for you either.
What are Your Goals?
Everyone has their own motivations for doing this or that. But there is a common makeup of people who do things like this, and you should probably decide well in advance whether or not you fit the bill. In short, you desire challenge at levels you *may* not have experienced before. You are not competing against other teams so much as you are battling your inner self. The beauty of this is that you are battling alongside a very tight knit community of other people trying to do the same thing you are: sign the finish register. In common suffering, bonds are built and character is revealed. In addition, your skills and experience will skyrocket.
OK, This Sounds Scary But I Still Wanna Go
OK, good. Now we’re getting somewhere.
But, relax a little. Remember, we’re a community. If you want to join us and just do part of the route (start or finish somewhere else), no problem. If you want to try the whole thing but just … aren’t … too … sure … about it, then build a contingency exit or two into your plan. If the end-of-Parcour-Pizza-Party sounds more appealing than suffering foodless for twelve days while lost in the wilds, then bail and meet us for pizza. Or, let’s say you wanna do the whole route but you know you can’t do it in six days and you still want pizza at the end. No problem, start early. That’s totally fine with us.
Requirements for Participation
At this time, participation in the Parcour requires an invitation and endorsement from somebody who has previously completed one. It’s not an elitist thing, just a check and balance, and it’s not a big deal.
Is this a Race?
The Parcour is not a race in the conventional sense. Your challenge should be to complete a route from the defined start and finish point that is elegant and efficient, that uses a minimum amount of energy in the shortest possible time – for you. Actual routes and finish times for each team will be posted here at the end of each Parcour.
2009 Parcour Participants
Invitations for 2009 are still available. The current roster is:
- CHENAULT, Dave
- CONNELLY, Ryan
- CROOKER, Carol
- HARALDSON, Sam
- HUNT, Jamie
- JORDAN, Ryan
- LUTZ, Matt
- SAWCHUK, Kevin
- TALLON, Mike
People Who Can Endorse Your Invitation: Parcour Alumni
The following people have successfully completed a Parcour and can thus serve as sponsors for new invites. Sponsorship of a new invite essentially means that you are telling us, “Yeah, this dude can deal with it.”
- Jim BAILEY (’07)
- Darin BANNER (’07)
- Mike CLELLAND (’07)
- Ryan CONNELLY (’07, ‘08)
- Brian DOBLE (’07)
- Sam HARALDSON (’08)
- Jorgen JOHANNSEN (’07)
- Ryan JORDAN (’07, ‘08)
- Mike MARTIN (’07)
- Kevin SAWCHUK (’07)
- Andrew SKURKA (’08)
- Chris WALLACE (’08)
- Don WILSON (’07)
If you don’t know any of these guys to get their endorsement, then email us a summary of your wilderness experience.