Sand Dune Training for Rebelle Rally 2018
Elise and I have been busy practicing for the Rebelle. I flew to Bozeman, Montana to meet up with her for navigational training and sand dune practice in Idaho’s St. Anthony sand dunes. A tick over three hours’ drive from Bozeman, the St. Anthony sand dunes boast over 10,000 acres of white quartz sand blown into various-sized mountains. Winds transferred sand from nearby Snake and Teton Rivers and deposited them as dunes amongst the landscape. The area once had volcanic activity, with openings that oozed lava throughout the hills. St. Anthony blankets an area about 35 miles long by five miles wide, including short shrubs and hardened sharp volcanic rock, as well as dunes from 50 to 500 feet high.
After purchasing a dune flag and grabbing groceries, we drove to the dunes. Arriving late at night, we were greeted with jet black skies and a full campground. No problem, we’ll find a primitive spot to camp. Not long after our search started, we came upon a Honda Accord and three guys trying to dig it out. We stopped to make sure they were OK and decided to help. Although they had their firewood under their tires to get traction, they were hopelessly high-centered and weren’t going anywhere. A late night recovery? No problem. After a few unsuccessful attempts with Maxtrax, we used a strap and pulled them out.
The next day afforded us beautiful views of the expansive sand dunes. These were much bigger and wider than Oregon’s Sand Lake sand dunes. Additionally, these dunes are nowhere near the ocean so the sand was soft, light—and deep. We learned that the biggest and most technical sand dunes are on the west side of the entrance, with the smaller ones to the east of the main entrance. Since we were unfamiliar with this area, we ventured east.
With the dune flag mounted and tires aired down, we ventured over miles of wind-blown sand. Up, down, and off-camber we went. Tricky situations allowed us moments to strategize vehicle recovery. Elise spotted me in precarious terrain, and I helped her grab headings to find geocaches. We even successfully recovered ourselves. Even though the wind wanted to carry us away, the St. Anthony sand dunes were a blast. We honed existing skills and learned new ones. This adventure catapulted us into sand dune proficiency. We’re excited to train in the Glamis sand dunes later this month!
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