Training Log Archive: neon

Moreau Lakes is the hardest orienteering I've ever experienced in my life! I've never orienteered in a place like this park before, and it was like an alien planet (especially when it was dark and rainy and you couldn't see anything). But that made it really fun too. I only wish I had started getting used to the map earlier, because once I adjusted to figuring out what features to use to navigate by (marshes, distinct cliffs, longer ridges and reentrants) and figured out how to read the map, I felt pretty confident. In the beginning, though, I completely lost track of where I was almost right out of the start triangle. It was kind of laughable, because I'd keep trying to reorient by going in the same direction, but that wouldn't help, because everything in a one kilometer radius of where I was walking basically looked exactly the same as everything else. I'd go over a hill and see a marsh and it would look exactly the same as the marsh and the hill I had just left.

I was dead last on the green course, but at least I managed to finish. It was definitely a learning experience.

Middle Green X - Splits

Green course at Pohick Bay. It was really fun, and there were some nice long legs on the course, but I was pretty sloppy inside the control circle. I kept bobbling controls, I think because I just got there and expected to see the control right away. Also, I wasn't really paying close attention to the features inside the control circle, so lots of times I'd run across something distinctive and then have to look back at the map to find what it was. I'd be faster if I read ahead and planned more, and could anticipate what was going to come up on the map.

Ran the yellow course fast with my dad after the green. It was pretty easy navigation, but again, I found myself not reading ahead/not planning ahead as much as I could have, and I actually did make some minor mistakes. Well, it'll just be something else to work on!

C • :) 1

Green - Splits