At the end of the paddle section, one teardrop flag and three strong LED lights mark the exit from the Lamoille River. Teams have been filtering in all afternoon and evening from this 22 mile section. Most are wet, cold, and fatigued. Transition area 3 is the first place in hours that they can have a chance to dry off, regroup a bit, and clear their heads before tackling the next 6 stages of the race.

As the sun went down, volunteers made a fire and waited patiently as team after team hauled their boats up from the river. A welcome sight for many, the transition area in the dark is a beacon of hope in the darkness with the promise of food, water and warmth. While some teams went quickly, others needed more time to recover from an extremely cold paddle.