Training Log Archive: cedarcreek

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Night O' at East Fork South, set by Mike Minium.

Sort of a wake-up call or a smack up-side the head. I had a blast. First Night O' in forever. I've cycled my battery packs twice in the last 6 weeks getting ready for St. Louis.

Lots of lessons tonight. I have set in this area a lot, and I was a little disappointed it was so short (2.8km) and in terrain I (thought) I knew pretty well. I waited until it was nearly completely dark, and started. Got 1 no problem---missed a little to the left, but it might be the map. I really messed up halfway to two. I wasn't careful checking my compass as I left the hairpin turn, and got turned 45 deg to the left. I realized the reentrant wasn't nearly deep enough, but I couldn't figure out why. In 15 seconds or so I figured it out and took off toward 2. I went down the spur looking left, bu it was really hard to see, and much farther from the trail than I expected. Spend 2 or 3 minutes going to the left, up to the trail---saw a decrepit root stock and went way down the hill to 2, finally. Straight to 3, missed a bit right. Missed 4 to the right---be really fussy picking your angle as you leave a trail. 5 no problem except hard to read the map. (I didn't see the left route along the lake---worth a try.) For 6 I spent 20 seconds trying to figure out the trail in the middle. Finally saw a faint unmapped junction and got on the northernmost trail. 6 same as 2, and much easier the second time. Nice technical leg to 7. A little hesitant finding the old trail/stream crossing, checked to the west a little and then right up to 7.

Totally screwed up 8. The right thing to do was set the compass and just go straight. I would have been done in 2 minutes if I'd done that. Instead, I saw the opportunity to cross one stream and get on the right spur and right up to 8. Got caught in a 90-deg off parallel error. I meant to get on the bent spur just NE of the circle for 7. Got on the spur N of that one. Took 2 or 3 minutes to figure out. Saw how to get to 8. Down to stream junction (the wrong one)---pick the right spur (wrong spur) and right up to the...second kinda parallel error. Saw 'the flag' ran to it---crap it's a trail marker and there are a whole bunch of them in a line---because it's a main trail---but that didn't register---crap. Back 20m to look---nothing lines up---back to main trail. Realize my error, take another look at that major trail, see a funky trail junction. Nothing. Nothing. Oh---I know what this is---It's the start triangle of the 2005 Flying Pig Sunday Long---that I set. Pick the left fork, 50m cross the ditch, ignore the trail, straight in, hesitate--walk a bit---There it is. Run in.

The big lessons were---
Stop being so cocky about night O'.
Don't be dismissive even if you know the area.
Use the compass even on (especially on) trails.
Be extra careful to leave the trail at the correct angle.
If you're not expecting a major trail (or some big feature), and you find one--stop to think about why.
Take a magnifier.

I'm not so upset about 7-8. I am usually so slow I rarely get the chance to relocate. Three times in one event is kinda unprecedented for me. I blame the uncut circle around 7 just a tiny bit. I would have had a better chance to get it right if that circle was cut on the north side. Maybe.

Total blast. Awesome fun night O'. Even the 2.8km was awesome---I was going fast enough to make mistakes and it was awesome practice with the intentional parallel error set-ups.

Event: OCIN Camp Stonybrook
 

A fun Green course at Camp Stonybrook GSA, set by Mike Minium.

It's getting harder to do new things at Stonybrook, but this course did okay---it had some interesting challenges. Most importantly, it wasn't all terribly green. There was a nice mix of open woods, fields, and of course, the honeysuckle.

I kept seeing people I haven't seen in a while, and it just made me smile.

C • splits 2

Picking up a few controls from the south of the map. I'm still shaking my head how much fun I had Sunday.

Incendies (1): The translation from French is "Fire", and the movie is partly set in Quebec. This is a movie based on a play by Wajdi Mouawad. I have a working hypothesis that movies based on plays have more ability to shock than other movies. I don't know if it is because film traditionally had an ethic of self-censorship or business-censorship and plays were cheaper to produce and producers were willing to risk shocking viewers, but it just seems like a lot of these adapted plays have hardcore emotional hooks that survive the movie-making process. Sweeney Todd is an obvious example of balancing unspeakable horror with believable characters who are surviving in a city that eats its dead, but even something tame like Oklahoma has themes of rape and murder through Jud Fry. Incendies is surprisingly watchable with just a little serious violence, but it really punches you in the gut a few times. I heard two reviews of this movie, and both reviewers felt the "reveal" was gimmicky. I didn't, but I don't have finely-tuned critical reviewing skillz. I'm still digesting the ending, but whether I decide I like the ending or I don't, the rest of the movie makes seeing it completely worthwhile.

OCIN Stonybrook 2011 Green - Splits

Event: Ontario Orienteering Championships