Two Northern Arizona women will participate in the inaugural Rebelle, a map-and-compass navigation competition in October that traverses back roads from Lake Tahoe, Nev., to San Diego, Calif.
Nena Barlow, of Barlow Adventures in Sedona, and Kande Jacobsen, of Adventure Driven in Flagstaff, will be making meet-and-greet stops around Northern Arizona to promote the rally, as well as four-wheel drive events and training with Ram Trucks. The company is supporting the team by providing a 2016 Ram Rebel for them to drive in the competition.
“It might be expected that I would show up in one of my modified 4x4s, but I want to encourage people to get out and explore with whatever they have,” Barlow said. “I will be driving a totally stock Ram 1500, just like anyone can go out and buy today, not some expensive custom competition rig. The Ram Rebel comes ready to go.”
Jacobson added, “We are all about adventure, dirt and getting out on the earth. We want to inspire others to do the same.”
The women are conducting an online contest to come up with a name for their team in the rally.
Visitors to Barlow Adventures’ Facebook page at facebook.com/barlowadventures can either suggest a name or vote for those suggested by others. Swag packs will be awarded in a random drawing to two people among those who vote.
The individual whose suggestion is chosen also wins.
The winning team name will be selected by a panel of judges with half of the consideration weighted by popular vote.
Winners will be announced Tuesday, July 12.
Among the early suggestions are Team Squirrel, Terra Femme and the Westerlies.
Barlow and Jacobsen each grew up “playing dirty” — hiking, biking, horseback riding, 4-wheeling, camping — basically all things outdoors, so they are looking for a name that represents outdoors.
Both have fun, have chosen a fun and outdoor lifestyle, leading and inspiring others to explore and enjoy the natural world around them, so they are looking for a name that spreads the “fun” message.
The Rebelle Rally is not a race for speed, but rather a competition of precise navigation using only map and compass. It takes place over seven days and more than 1,000 miles on a secret route of back roads, across deserts and over mountains. No GPS or any electronic navigation is permitted.
The all-women event is being organized by veteran off-road racer and trainer, Emily Miller. Miller was the first U.S. woman to compete in the long-running Gazelle Rally in Morocco.
Barlow will drive, while Jacobsen navigates, but each has strong skills in both disciplines and can swap roles as needed.
Barlow has than 20 years of experience in the four-wheel-drive industry. As owner and operator of Barlow Adventures, a Jeep rental and four-wheel-drive training company, she is the only woman in the world certified by the International 4WD Trainers Association.
Jacobsen and her husband, Seth, own Adventure Driven, a professional photography and marketing company, specializing in overlanding and the outdoor lifestyle. She has a background in all things outdoors: Hiking, horseback riding, dirt biking, orienteering and four-wheeling.
