Checkout these photos shot by 15 year old Jessica Hill, the daughter of volunteer Sean Hill, working on the water team. I think Jessica has a future in adventure photography.

Photo from the course this morning, as TeamPeakAdventure.com races along the newly added mountain biking section.

Photo by Gulnur Tumbat

Following the wild day yesterday on the Gallatin River that saw the closure of that portion of the course, the decision was made to keep teams off the Yellowstone River today as it nears it’s crest as well. Many teams are currently approaching CP12 where they will transition to the first mountain biking leg of this year’s course, but they’re about to learn that they’re in for more time on the bike than they expected.

The original course design had teams riding their bikes along the 17 mile Sportraxx by Simpson mountain bike segment to TA6 in Emigrant where they were originally going to transition to river kayaks. Now, however, they’ll continue along to TA7 on their bikes thanks to conditions on the river.

After carefully studying the Yellowstone, and speaking to local authorities, the choice seemed clear. The area rescue teams have their hands full insuring the safety of the local paddlers, and wouldn’t be available to assist in any potential issues involving racers. Safety remains paramount in all aspects of the event, and after all the trekking and whitewater the racers have seen so far, I’m sure they’re happy to see their bikes. 

Photo by Jason Perreira

For the past few days we’ve posted photos and video from sections of the course, and we’ve even described it with words, but today we can show you the entire course through the magic of YouTube and Google Earth. If you thought the course sounded tough, wait until you see what it looks like!

More media coverage on Primal Quest 2008:

White-knuckle ride (Bozeman Daily Chronicle)

Primal Quest teams off to faster-than-expected start (The Missoulian)

Local Primal Quest team off and trekking (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) 

Former Billings resident ‘hooked’ on eco racing (Billings Gazette) 

Big Sky endurance race kicks-off (KBZK Bozeman)

Westport native prepares for primal journey (The Herald News)