Race Evaluation
US Classic Champs: Green L Day 2
walk
| 1. | Started bad - cleared Day 1 splits at Start without a record. Pretty foggy morning. Trails to road bend to hill top and in. | ||||||
| 2. | +09:00 | Disastrous leg #1 - Started ok - Up water course. Planned to go all way to end of R split but saw yellow going R leading to reentrants into feature. Looked very straight forward until I got into the vague yellow veg, vague reentrants and rock clusters everywhere. Then extra water courses that didn't fit plus a bag that wasn't mine --- It was my #3 but didn't realize at the time - DUH! Finally bailed up to road, taking a while to actually get a fix on location - much further W than thought. Fixed location off parked cars at junction on edge of map by seeing the water course below as I attacked, about 150m from where I thought I was. Into control as Goodwins approached. | |||||
| 3. | +02:00 | Compass following Peter, but he went too L so corrected and in. | |||||
| 4. | +01:00 | Up spur past deep cut for road. Followed features up nicely into control, passing Terry on way. | |||||
| 5. | +01:30 | Over to big water course, L around cliffs, along border of open space and rocks. | |||||
| 6. | +17:00 | Major disaster #2 - Plan was to head to hill top and attack down edge of reentrant. Think I was too R and hit a high point in spur SW of top instead, then passed control 27 (?) on rock cluster thinking was in rocks NW of control and attacked SE. Crossed water course/open reentrant and up onto open spur with nothing that looked right. Tried to take bearing on a major rock formation to S but was probably looking off map. Headed W to edge of a big reentrant and was staring off into space (?) or something as Peter Goodwin came by. He was kind enough to ask what i thought I was doing. Looking for 6. Well I just came from 7 if that helps. Headed to where he seemed to come from but couldn't find 7 but eventually found 27 again. This time figured correct location and went to control feature though evcen then took a while to find bag, buried in amongst the rocks and trees. Was hardly on the E side as the clue said, but between the rocks. | |||||
| 7. | |||||||
| 8. | +02:00 | Followed Walter out of control but stayed more R heading directly toswitchback road, to open area and then to bag. | |||||
| 9. | +03:00 | Over to water course to reentrant due E of bag. Straight was probably faster but having been burned already twice, wanted good solid routes. Footing wasn't the greatest, loosely packed sand, but still fine. | |||||
| 10. | Down reentrant and in. | ||||||
| 11. | Punched 10 with Lyn and followed her in direction of 11, trying to keep up! E to trail, to open area after bend and in. | ||||||
| 12. | |||||||
| 13. | +03:00 | NW to road though confused by open area in water course before road. Up to road, around to bend, across 2 trails at hill top above and bearing down through rough rocky area. Checked boulder cluster with bag and lots of people milling about before trying to work way down through rocky area and found bag - phew. | |||||
| 14. | Follow herd. | ||||||
| F. | Down streamered course chasing after Bob Bullions. Not gaining at all until final straight and made a big surge and passed him at line. May have been able to run some legs faster, but general frustration and malaise had set in and was "just finish" strategy. Disappointing result for both days, esp US Champs. Still good area, good meet, good map and printing. Certainly will want to come back to redeem self and try to learn to adapt to different terrain better. |
Total Time Lost - 00:38:30