Even though the Rebelle Rally is becoming more well known in its ninth year, it’s still a relatively obscure event in the automotive world, let alone among the general public. So, when people see me wearing a Reblle Rally T-shirt or notice my tagged water bottles, they invariably ask: What is the Rebelle Rally? And I always pause because there’s a straight-forward, on-paper answer, and then there’s the real answer. So, let me give you both answers.
What is the Rebelle Rally? The on-paper answer
The Rebelle Rally is a women’s-only navigational challenge that takes place throughout California and Nevada. It spans eight days, and it requires participants to give up phones and modern conveniences for more than a week. The navigation, maps and GPS in vehicles are disabled, and any personal devices that have navigation, maps and GPS are sealed up with security tape. Last year, they even took away my AirTags lest someone from the outside try to track my location and sneak me some help.
The idea is to traverse around 1,500 miles of wilderness using, get this, a paper map, compass and various map tools.
While most nights you have someone cooking your dinner at a prepared “base camp,” participants have to set up and breakdown their own campsites, and there are usually at least two “marathon” nights where participants are on their own for food.
People often confuse this with a “race” because of the word “rally.” But it’s not a race. It’s a precision event that requires participants to find specific longitude and latitude points first on a map, then in real life. I like to call it an adult scavenger hunt. Some check points are marked, some are not. The idea is to collect as many checkpoints as possible, and the team with the most points at the end of eight days wins.
The next question people ask is: Wins what? Bragging rights and a donation to the charity of their choice.
Yes, there is time element, but you’re essentially racing against yourself. Each day you have 10 hours to collect as many checkpoints as you can before you get to base camp. Which means you have to strategize and figure out timing. Check points have open and close times, and if you get there too early, you don’t get any points. If you get there too late, no points. It’s all about precision and strategy.
There is even a Time-Speed-Distance Enduro most days. But even that isn’t a race. You have a certain amount of time to go a specific distance, and the closer you are to the time goal, the more points you receive. Again, it’s precision and strategy.
What is the Rebelle Rally? My answer
For me, the Rebelle Rally has been a lesson in how to live life, how to pick myself up after huge mistakes and how to carry on when the task seems impossible.
There’s certainly an element of female empowerment, because I walk away from the event every year thinking I can conquer the world. Things I discovered I can do over the last few years: I can dig a truck out of a sand dune. I can camp outside in 14-degree temperatures with a good sleeping bag and a lot of hand warmers. I can transport two 50-pound bags through an airport, which is impressive since I weigh less than 100 pounds. I can also solve big and small problems on the fly and do math in my head while navigating through rocky terrain.
In effect, I can do more than I thought possible, but sometimes it requires a punt.
The Rebelle Rally is also the model of how to be a good teammate, how to support and trust the one person you depend on the most. Sometimes you get your way and sometimes you sacrifice your way so that your partner can thrive. My partner and I have a deal: Only one of us can have a bad day at a time. So, there have certainly been times when I was pissed, tired, angry and frustrated, but I pushed it all down to allow my partner to be pissed, tired, angry and frustrated. And I wasn’t shy about taking my turn when I needed it.
And, if I’m honest, the Rebelle Rally is also an escape from reality. The past couple years I had been dealing with my dad’s terminal illness, and the Rebelle was time for me to reset, focus on me for a couple weeks and put my grieving on hold. It allowed me to come back to my life recharged and ready to do the hard things ahead of me.
What is the Rebelle Rally? It’s so many things. It’s hard. It’s beautiful. It’s emotional. It’s life giving. It’s life saving. It’s female bonding. It’s empowering.
It’s an experience and a challenge that I wish everyone could experience because, at the end of the day, it makes you a better person, wife, mother, friend, sister, daughter.
This year’s Rebelle Rally schedule
This year we start in Mammoth Lakes, and the ending is in the Soggy Lakes area of Lucerne Valley. Everything else is TBD.
The event kicks off on October 10, 2024.
If you want to follow along, track the event live, and catch the live episodes from the field. Aldo be sure to follow us on Instagram @TeamBruteSquad. For live tracking, this year we are Team 191.
The bottom line
What is the Rebelle Rally? It’s so much more than these words I wrote. As I get ready to embark on my third Rebelle, I can’t wait for the adventure to begin. I can’t wait to spend time with my amazing partner. And I can’t wait to tackle the 2025 Ram 1500 RHO in the wilds of California and Nevada. So, here’s to an excellent 2024 Rebelle and to coming back with more lessons learned, life lived.
