Orienteering 4:00:00 [1] **
Exploring the Mansfield region with Bent, Gazelle and Gazette in anticipation of next weekend's winter adventure race. A fresh layer of snow made all the trees more beautiful, and a chilly wind kept us moving at a good pace. It's been 3.5 months since I've navigated on a 1:50 topo, so it's a good thing we did this, because my brain was a bit slow to make the transition. After overshooting our initial "control", things went smoothly. It was a great day to be out with good friends. The only downer was accepting the inevitability of at least one very long, steep hill in the biking section, which we'd known about from reviewing the maps, but it was a lot worse to see it in person!
Wildlife report: 5 deer, 3 grouse, 1 Siberian Husky, 1 very upset barking poodle wearing a cute red sweater