The Rebelle Rally: A Unique Off-Road Challenge for Women
Two women from the Snoqualmie Valley are taking part in the Rebelle Rally this month, an intense nine-day competition that challenges participants with an unpredictable journey through the desert. This event is not just a test of physical endurance but also of mental agility and teamwork.
Rebelle Rally was founded in 2016 by Emily Miller and is the first U.S. women’s off-road navigation rally raid. It spans approximately 2,500 kilometers (about 1,550 miles) across the deserts of California and Nevada. Competitors work in teams of two — one driver and one navigator — using only maps, compasses, and roadbooks to navigate without GPS or cellphones.
This year, Trista Smith from North Bend and Kendra Miller from Snoqualmie are representing their teams. According to Miller, the rally is specifically designed for women, offering a unique opportunity to engage in a challenging and empowering experience.
“It’s not about speed,” Miller explained. “It’s about headings, hidden checkpoints, time, and distance. It’s incredibly empowering to explore public lands in such a way.”
Each day, competitors return to a base camp, but the rally includes at least one marathon stage where teams must navigate overnight on their own. The terrain and navigation challenges vary, making each day a new adventure.
Skills Required for Success
The Rebelle Rally tests a wide range of skills, including roadbook reading, plotting latitude and longitude, calculating distance and heading, route choice, and map reading. Teams earn points for completing checkpoint challenges and “Rebelle Enduro Challenges.”
Checkpoints must be visited at specific times and in a particular order, but not all checkpoints are mandatory. Teams must decide which checkpoints are most important to them, adding an element of strategy to the competition.
“You’re trying to play that game of what’s a realistic stretch for yourselves,” said Smith. “You also have to watch your time so you don’t get totally hosed at the end of the day and miss some really valuable points later. It feels like you’re rolling the dice every time.”
Team Velocity: A Journey of Growth
Trista Smith, a native Washingtonian and lifelong athlete, joined the Rebelle Rally because her adventure buddy and teammate, Karisa Haydon, asked her to. Smith even convinced Haydon to try her first triathlon, a half Iron Man.
Team Velocity, as they are known, is entering their fourth season of the Rebelle Rally and their third season with Ford Performance. In their first year, they placed fourth and were named rookies of the year.
“Neither of us had driven off-road before, I had never navigated, I had never used a map and compass,” Smith said. “I took navigation classes and found it came naturally to me.”
In their first year, they drove a Ford Bronco Sport First Edition, competing in the crossover category. They paid their own way into the competition, which costs $15,600 per team.
Smith said they are now grateful for Ford’s sponsorship, not only for the financial support but also because they needed a tougher vehicle.
“Normally people put those [cars] in the garage,” she said. “Instead, we crossed over 35,000 miles in 2021… and the radiator blew up.”
For their second season, Ford provided them with a Bronco Wildtrak, moving them to the 4×4 category. This year, they will be driving a Ford Ranger Raptor.
Team Velocity has consistently ranked in the top 10 of past competitions and hopes to do so again this year. However, Smith noted that the 4×4 category, with 61 teams this year, presents a greater challenge than the smaller crossover category.
“We remind ourselves that we’re playing a game,” Smith said. “It can feel stressful out there, but at the end of the day, it’s a scavenger hunt.”
Kendra Miller: A Long-Time Participant
Kendra Miller is entering her ninth season of the Rebelle Rally and competed in the very first event in 2016. She and her teammate Emme Hall, another original participant, are sponsored by Subaru and will be driving a Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness. Their team is called Desert Disco.
The Rebelle Rally has had a significant impact on Miller’s life. Her experience led her to take a stage rally co-driving class at DirtFish Rally School in Snoqualmie and eventually land a new job.
“I became a full-time instructor at the school and now compete several times a year as a stage rally co-driver,” she said.
As the navigator of her team, Miller fell into the role when her first teammate was already an off-road racing driver. She quickly discovered a love for navigation.
“It’s tough but rewarding work to be able to find a place in the world using just a map and compass with a 3-meter or less accuracy. I know that if I have those two tools, I can find my way anywhere.”
Lessons Learned
Smith and her teammate have learned a lot throughout their Rebelle Rally experiences, but one of the most valuable lessons is to take the leap of faith.
“We’re always on a mission of, like, if this is something you’re interested in at all, find the people who will support you,” she said. “We just really had to lean in and say yes, and humbly so, and we’ve been massively rewarded for doing that.”
