Trail of Missions – Marcie’s Story – 2016 Ladies Co-Driver Challenge – Event 1
Ladies Co-Driver Challenge Ladies Co-Driver Challenge Ladies Offroad Challenge Ladies Offroad Network Specials

Trail of Missions – Marcie’s Story – 2016 Ladies Co-Driver Challenge – Event 1

Author: Marcie Hricziscse

trail of missions bower mediaCo-Driver....what does that mean? Well as I set out on my Co-Driver Challenge event, headed down the Baja peninsula I quickly found out it is ALOT! So many things go into making a successful driver/co-driver team, communication being one of the most important.

I went into the trip with high expectations for myself to do my best. The trip started off kind of rough but as we went along it smoothed out more & more. One thing I had to put aside was my expectation of myself to conquer/master everything in the first couple days (maybe a bit of a high expectation). The other thing I had to focus on was not over thinking what my driver's expectations of me were. I had to put all that aside & just do Bower Media Trail of Missions D7-34the tasks I was being handed. Once I was able to do that things fell into place & by the end of the trip I'm proud to say that I was doing my responsibilities & handling it! Yay!

So, what are a co-driver's responsibilities? Well, basically everything except pushing the pedals & turning the steering wheel...hahaha. Given that the event we were a part of was a little different than competitive events we had a different set of challenges & tasks to work with than the typical co-driver situation. Among the task that were my responsibilities as Co-driver were, stocking the snack bag/water bottles (had to keep us hydrated & our blood sugar up while on the trail), watching/monitoring the Bower Media Trail of Missions D5-88GPS, calling turns for the driver/communicating if road crossings were clear to cross, sweeping the trail ahead & clearing back (which means looking at the trail far ahead of us & then making sure we are clear of obstacles), keeping track of where we were in the group/knowing who was in front of or behind us so we would know where communications were coming from, monitoring/communicating on the radio, capturing videos/photos and maintaining a detailed log of time, mileage, fuel, dirt miles, asphalt miles & any vehicle notes.

Bower Media Trail of Missions D9-22This experience was full of challenges and hard work but it's from those things that we grow. I learned so much about myself, communication, dealing with challenges as well as the dos & don'ts of co-driving. As I look back at my experience the thing that I can see clearly is that you should never be afraid to do something new, never back down from a challenge, trust yourself, no matter what jump in give it your all & never be afraid of an adventure! One of my favorite things that I was told on the trip was from a lady who we met on one of the many beaches we visited. She, her husband & some friends were on a sailboat adventure traveling all around the Baja peninsula. She said, "Anywhere you go beyond where you have been is an adventure!" So get out there every day, go beyond where you've been & take on new challenges because that is the only you will learn more & grow!

Read the Full 10 Day Story by Charlene – HERE


Author: Marcie Hricziscse