Nomad Overland Rally 2023

Nomad Overland Rally Highlights: Week One

June 12, 2023 – USA: The 2023 edition of the Nomad Overland Virtual Adventure Rally began with a burst of activity as some Teams were hot out of the gate and are already out exploring in California, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming and Minnesota during the first week of the event.

Team 104 Swenson took the top spot on the Leaderboard with 417 points after completing their first Overland Stage in California, exploring around Yosemite National Park. They camped on private land within the park with an initial plan to head on into the Sierra National Forest to continue their exploration for additional Stages, but the trails they were hoping to explore were closed.  Sara Swenson and Dave Hopkins swiftly adapted their plan, taking some time to look for wildlife for the PhotoQuest and exploring the historical pioneer area of Wawona and check out the oldest covered bridge in Yosemite, which was built in 1868.

Team 121 Hentz finished the week in 2nd place with 255 points after completing Stage One in Arizona. Cheryl Hentz headed to the Hassayampa Box where she scouted around to find a stone cabin and checked out Dinosaur Wash. The trail she chose follows the Hassayampa River, and it had shallow water running through it. One of the highlights of the stage for Hentz was finding a tadpole wiggling along down the stream — definitely not something you see in the desert everyday.

Team 117 Lucas earned 3rd place with 183 points by focusing on the Activities and PhotoQuest. Lisa and Jeff Lucas began methodically chasing down what they could find during their travels from the list of 150 PhotoQuest items, checking off a lot of the easiest ones to pick up as many points as they could early on. They also worked on some Backcountry activities for additional points this week.

Team 101 Mercer got a start on their first two Stages this week, heading from Colorado to Wyoming. Tonya and Chris Mercer have also been picking up PhotoQuest points by being observant during their day-to-day activities and capturing things they see around them in the remote area of Colorado where they live. The Team has been submitting some really beautiful imagery, including this fantastic “eye of the aspen” photo.

Team 136 Smigiel began their rally with a Stage on the iconic Rubicon Trail scouting conditions for a future trip. Dariusz and Aga Smigiel went from Loon Lake to Lily Lake but had to backtrack because of snow still on the trail. There was quite a bit of water along the way, too, from snow that was melting. The team broke their rear diff cover while on the rocks, but did a quick field fix and returned to camp for the evening with a plan to complete the trail at a later date.

By the end of the week more teams had set out to work on their Stages while others were busy with route planning for upcoming adventures. Team 105 Storey was exploring in Northern California and Team 102 Thomas was in the middle of a series of Stages in Wyoming and Nebraska. Team 128 Dolbow was getting started in Texas and Team 131 Bower and Team 107 Groth were out on the trail at the Big Bear Bronco Bash.

These teams have all gotten off to a great start, but it is only Week 1, and the competition is just beginning. We are looking forward to seeing more teams out exploring over the next few weeks.

More News

Check out these updates, or go to the main news page for more articles and information about what is happening around the 2023 edition of the Nomad Overland Virtual Adventure Rally.

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