Leg One

At 4:00 a.m. Morocco time, the ladies hear the smooth voice of Dominique Serra, creator and general director of the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles, as she weaves her way between the tents in the bivouac's sleeping zone. The response from the slumbering Gazelles is cheerful, despite some having been up late making last-minute map preparations.

The first day's quest involves seven checkpoints on a 190-kilometer route. The terrain is easy, but the Sahara Desert has a welcoming gift in the form of a sandstorm. One team is forced to call for technical assistance after losing their map in a sorcière, a sudden, violent whirlwind. I wonder how many penalty points that little trick of nature cost them?

To arrive at CP7, teams cross rugged ground identified by a series of rocky valleys. Looming in the back-ground is Timzizouit, which means "impossible to cross."

Emily Miller and Armelle Medard find themselves short one map. Later, a broken shock in the Hummer H3 makes for a bumpy ride. Despite these inconveniences, Team 109 is in fifth place in the rankings. That makes for a good night's sleep.

As for Team 107, "We got six out of seven checkpoints--and I know we could have gotten the last one," says Tricia Reina. "One misread feature cost us 3.5 hours." Yet the American first-timers sit in 27th place out of 68 in the First Participation category and 44th place in the overall standings.

"Stay focused. Believe the maps," Amy Lerner says. That was their big lesson for the day.