Training Log Archive: furlong47

Bike shake out ride. Aside from needing a minor front brake adjustment, everything seems ok.... well, everything is in the same degree of repair or disrepair as it was when I put it away in the fall.

Event: QOC Lake Needwood
 

QOC Lake Needwood - Green

Since I haven't really done a course of my own in the last two weekends, I decided to drive down to this. When I woke up and checked the radar it looked like things were rainy and yucky down there, but then I looked at the hourly forecast and saw that it should be clear between 12 and 4. I got there right around 12 - and it was.

Got a little distracted on the way to 2, passing through the zipline area where people were screaming (in a way that didn't sound very fun) and also wondering whether it was possible to end up getting kicked in the head. Ended up pretty far to the right once I was in the open, but figured it out easily and got over to the control.

Next issue was coming out of 5, didn't want to bash through green and there was OOB to avoid. I ended up going back along the closer yellow ride and then up the road. While I was on the ride I could see the OOB was an archery area, and some of the targets appeared to be with the back facing me. I don't know how far arrows can go so I was a little wary of this. There was one guy in there. But I didn't see any go whizzing by. Also AOWN - box turtle, upside down, in the vicinity of 5 which I flipped over but think was long dead judging by the rattling sounds it made :(

After 6, across the road bridge (with a nice pedestrian area divided from the traffic) and then I stayed on the paved path over to the clear area and into the control. Basically I avoided green as much as possible since a good bit of it was very thick. This led to a bit of a curvy route to 8 as I went back to the trail to the West, then had to make a choice of attacking from above or below. I chose below so ended up going over to the Eastern trail, looking for a nice place to get up the hill but ended up not finding one until just before the control. Stayed up to 9 then used the trail down the big yellow cut, popping in to 10 and coming back out and continuing to 11.

After 11 there was a wide, rocky stream to cross. In some places it was quite deep and it was also moving pretty well. I followed it for a little bit before seeing a likely crossing, but still ended up falling on my butt in the water so that was fun. Climbed out onto the wide trail and followed that to the swamp, then up the hill to 12. Nice woods here on the top. Some interesting ruins in this area including an old car at 15.

Then down the hill to 16, and another creek crossing. I lost a little time here going up and down looking for a decent spot. Finally crossed the smaller but still substantial creek where there was a log I could use to steady myself, then went up to the base of the dam and was able to cross above the big creek without getting wet. Then it was just up the big hill next to the dam and into finish.

Thought I might see my Mom here, but I didn't, so stopped at their house on the way home.

Green - Splits

Event: DVOA French Creek State Park Central
 

Similar to last week - all over French Creek Central doing photography for Patriots Orienteering Challenge, the new event similar to MASOC but for ROTC/military schools. Not too many entrants for the first year of this new event, and it was the same courses as last week so I opted to hang out around start a bit and then begin at the finish and work my way backwards this time. By the time I got halfway around the lake, I wasn't seeing any more competitors, just a few regular DVOA folks who started later.

In the afternoon there was a relay instead of the MASOC score-o.

Lesson on Shorty

Needed something quick after getting back from club meeting fairly late