Training Log Archive: bl

Blue dome am - what weather there was passed by overnight. Drove to Sebago Beach. Had the NAOC 2000 green X map, 13 years later. Entrance was closed - looked like Sandy damage has kept the area closed - virtually no sand on beach, some road damage, presumably flood damage to the bathhouse. But still the same lovely woods. However, plenty of mountain laurel and blue berry. Did not have gaiters or O pants. Temp was perfect & dismissed such wear in the hurry to get going. Considered breaking 60’ (vs the 45.5’ from 2000). Not NAOC wound, age is upon me, legs were somewhat leaden from the weekend & blueberry & mt. laurel contrived to slow & even cause course reversal which was not the case in ’00 (more laurel in the same areas). No problem with navigation, woods as open as can be where no laurel. Course is rather devoid of route choice. From 7 to 8 called for 2 more points in my opinion. Didn’t even break 70’. Beth went to the fishing area to while away the time. Good time had by all. Got Beth in home on time for start of a colonoscopy prep (4p), so her good time ends for the time being.

Harriman woods at their best

GreenX, day 1 - Splits

Event: NEOC: Brooksby Farm
 

Sunday - (an abbreviation as what I wrote initially went into the ether somehow...grr....). Looked for all the world like rain but fortunately not. Shucks, one bad egg spoils the lot and that was #6. Plan was to contour but climb slightly to the path & know to turn L when I got there (would have made more sense to contour & turn right), arriving at the key junction - anyway route depended on being on that path curving to the SE. Was sure I was higher, turned L, went 50m, but did not see the jct. So I went anyway - got on the ridge after mostly green. It was white there, went down a bit to a boulder & decided where I was & took a bearing from there but (particularly in retrospect) the route did not match up - did not cross an old road or path. Very soon, I could see the bottom path & river & then was on it. I saw a trail jct that I could not find on the map.... Or there was one a very long way away...had I done something like a 90 deg?

Moved NE a bit along the path, saw Rick W coming down from above & stupidly went that way...up, up & up...to nowhere. Now planless, I returned to the path. Went quite a way to the NE this time, far enough to see the valley/stream. So I turned back & again came to the same baffling intersection. This time, there were more runners (green) coming from the W & I could finally see that the baffling intersection was a point were the two paths were closest. Went west, noted the boulders I’d initially seen, spotted a small reentrant & went again uphill. PG was coming down, so that reassured me as to locale - but still got to the height & had to look more than I cared. Other points amounted to a B/B+ run.

Anaomy of a leg (5>6)

Nice meet! Thanks DVOA.

Stopped in Liberty Corner on the way home to visit Carolyn & Woody. Woody died in 1996, Carolyn in 2011. There they were, their names etched in granite, side by side again & at long last. I first met the English family in 1966 & shared virtually another life with them. Beth shared many times too in latter years. Toward the end, we spent many a pleasant eve with Carolyn in the farmhouse kitchen..a farmhouse that looks out on old ways but surrounded by encroaching modernity with all its crassness. Then away we went, down the byway to the 287 rushing highway all the way to the crescendo of Route 17 in Mahwah where we are holed up in a new, spanking clean Super 8. I have had an inkling of visiting Harriman tomorrow (brought a NAOC 2000 map) but with the weather forecast, it doesn’t seem likely. Parts of the Midwest were wracked with storm earlier today and a watered-down version of bad weather is expected tomorrow.

Geese at Liberty Corner

C • Anatomy lesson 5

Hay Creek - Day 2 Brown X - Splits

Event: DVOA Fall Orienteering Festival
 

DVOA A meet, French Creek North map. Perfect weather. M65, Brown X. I'd give this an A - : good navigation for the most part, some good hunches and some good luck, too. Forgot that "check point" over the hill was a flag but that fell in place with a glance. For 2, started round to L but saw the small, indistinct path marked by a streamer & noted it would take me there. Phew! nearly wasted a minute or so had I failed to note. 3, saw charcoal pit halfway. 4 - went close to tower, got on spine of ridge but then, somehow, got a bit off it -- things didn't match, did not see the first bldr or boulder pair - had gone far enough down, felt like I needed to go due W. There were a few others looking like they might have come fm last good point on ridge - so I went due W feeling very uneasy, pace counted - could not make much of contours, then saw what looked like a reentrant & flag straight ahead. And it was mine. Next 2 went straight & pretty much kept in touch. 7 I noted it was due into the sun, so kept at it & followed hillside contours - maybe saw a reentrant but no charcoal platforms. Finally saw a flag to L about 90m away - was thinking I still had about 100m to go. Investigated - it was a stone pile & went ahead to my point. 8 - went over hilltop, did not see flag but saw runners to right & then could see it. 9 - lost maybe a minute - did not rely entirely on my own plan...a runner ahead distracted, then when flag came due, no flag. Some circling then someone took off & then Peggy D too who had also been about &, phew, that was it. 10 - straight to nearest loop & found an exit from there.

Very lovely countryside around French Creek. Visited Hopewell & Scott's Run Lakes. Geese honking on Hopewell this morning were ever so reminiscent of West Point on a spring morning. Very nice BPOE Lodge dinner with Saegers, Walkers, Rick W & Linda K & Jim A. Interesting place!

Scrapbook




Morning drops

French Creek - Day 1 BrownX - Splits

Drive WIth Beth & Z&M to Pottstown. Left 8a, and in a blink, it seemed, we were on 684, passing Cross River-Katonah but this wasn't to see WP or WPR. Went 3, 495, 290, 90, 84, 684, 287, 87, 95 over GWB, 78, 29-100, 393 mi., arrive 4:30, 2 stops, total about 40'. Passed fairly painlessly talking & listened to "Slaughterhouse 5" which is pretty entertaining. Only slow down was stop & go traffic around noon hour on Yonkers-Bronx stretch.

Guess I've managed to remind myself of past visits to FC & environs but needed maps to recall (& not well at that). '82, '84, '92, '01 & now. Also Lehigh area in '08. There was a time when easy miles-on-wheels was just the way it was.

AM Bower loop w/ Z&M, agreeable temp. Powder blue sky at the PL when we emerged from the woods. 1 truck, didn't see anyone.

SPS wander after work. Low 50s, very pleasant. Stopped at the artificial turf field, did some exercises & admired the surface. Saw one SPSer rolling skiing. I think I'll buy a set of roller skis - can't hurt.

C • can't hurt 4

BHS track around 4:15p - getting dark, 3/4th moon, calm & cold. Walk-run, too late in day for much else.

Nottingcook wander - plan was 60', on & off trail but then decided to look at some of perimeter for BOS stewardship & new view on things. Forgot a compass which would have been quite useful. Got to end of Hope La, then along Bower loop & then into woods. Picked up Peasley development & found a blazed boundary. First, it took me to a granite cornerstone on the O map & then a 90 deg turn. Followed for a while & then another 90 deg turn I think - have not looked at track. Marked a few stones. Finally was following a non-Notingcook boundary...Lyford property vs other. Had not field checked that area so it looked even more unfamiliar than things were looking given fact that I did not have compass & logging either distorted or disillusioned me so that I couldn't "see straight". Finally came upon a lane - did not recognize but only choice was Rosewood if not WH. Out to BBR & back. A cold sunless (early) day, 32F felt like freezing but if it were a snow-covered, sunny landscape, 32F might feel balmy.

Boundary perusal