Training Log Archive: RLShadowIn the 1 days ending Sep 18, 2010:
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Saturday Sep 18, 2010 #
Event: ROC - Highland Park - NOD
Orienteering race 17:44 [5] *** 2.3 km (7:43 / km)
spiked:10/11c shoes: Montrail Mountain Masochist
NOD Sprint at Highland.
Pretty happy with my run; no big mistakes, and I seemed to be able to keep a pretty good flow going.
#1: There seemed to be multiple ways of getting to #1 (including even going out to South Ave., which would take you almost to the control), none obviously any better than others, so I picked one and went with it. I went up the trail that starts just south of the small building, then across the road and through the field, using the manmade object to figure out where to head.
#2: Took the road to the N-S trail across from the Arboretum, but didn't take the trail at all, kind of angled towards the fence, then to the corner.
#3: Headed on a rough bearing, spotted the western tree from the trail, angled in towards it even though the control was shown on the eastern tree (just in case it got placed on the wrong tree! which happened last year), continued to the eastern tree and the control.
#4: Back to the paved path, continued to the junction, took path to the left. Was going to cut in more directly to the control, but I realized that what was mapped as "open with scattered trees" was more like "open with scattered thickets", and I couldn't just go wherever I wanted to go. Stayed on the path a little longer, then headed to the spur, about where I thought the circle was, but no control. Hunted for a very short time and found the flag, lower on the control than I thought it would be, and semi-hidden.
#5: More or less straight line; no issues.
#6: Up to path, followed path along, to the higher of the two flights of stairs, then headed towards the circle. I got to one pretty obvious reentrant, but no flag. Kept going west and found a smaller reentrant with the flag. Control seemed to be placed right, but the map doesn't show much in the way of the first reentrant I came to -- slight curve in the contour line, but I think it was more of a reentrant than indicated on the map.
#7: I decided to minimize climb by going to the right, around the hill with the green. Crossed the path, saw the spur, starting looking for the control, unsuccessfully at first, then saw it higher than I had expected. Reading the full clue, which said upper part of the spur, would have helped. Also, it seems like the circle was shown further from the trail than the flag was placed.
#8: Pondered staying high and going down later, or vice versa. Decided to go down the steep hill right away, since the control was along the fence at the bottom of the hill -- seemed more certain navigationally. It was a bit scary going down that hill, basically grabbing on a tree to slow myself down, then finding another tree I could grab onto next. But once I got to the bottom, no problems getting to the control. In retrospect, it might have been better to get on the trail, since that goes almost all the way to the control, and would have avoided the very steep descent.
#9: Followed the spur up to the clearing, then to the road, across the road, down to the small clearing, saw the spur, and then the flag.
#10: Out to the road, stayed on the road about halfway down the straight stretch, headed in towards the reentrant. I could see the entire reentrant, but no flag in site. Finally headed towards where the circle was, and found the flag, definitely NOT in the reentrant, but on the road side of a small ridge between the reentrant and the road. No major lost time, so can't complain too much.
Edit: ccsteve pointed out that the control, when I got there (it had been moved), actually DID match the location of the control circle, it just didn't match the clue. I was mis-reading a contour line as a reentrant, when it was in fact the low ridge that the control was located on the road side of. To be consistent with the "reentrant" clue, the control and the circle needed to be about 40 m south of where they actually were located.
#11: Across South Ave., up trail to small clearing on top of hill, looked for the right-most of two trails, but only see one trail! Not a good sign, but I take the trail anyway. I quickly realize it is going into a reentrant, while the trail I wanted was on a spur. Back to the clearing, still no second trail, but I plow through some woods, and finally come to a trail, which no longer appears to go all the way to the clearing. According to AP, I only lost 19 seconds on this control, but it seemed like more than that.
Pretty happy with my run; no big mistakes, and I seemed to be able to keep a pretty good flow going.
#1: There seemed to be multiple ways of getting to #1 (including even going out to South Ave., which would take you almost to the control), none obviously any better than others, so I picked one and went with it. I went up the trail that starts just south of the small building, then across the road and through the field, using the manmade object to figure out where to head.
#2: Took the road to the N-S trail across from the Arboretum, but didn't take the trail at all, kind of angled towards the fence, then to the corner.
#3: Headed on a rough bearing, spotted the western tree from the trail, angled in towards it even though the control was shown on the eastern tree (just in case it got placed on the wrong tree! which happened last year), continued to the eastern tree and the control.
#4: Back to the paved path, continued to the junction, took path to the left. Was going to cut in more directly to the control, but I realized that what was mapped as "open with scattered trees" was more like "open with scattered thickets", and I couldn't just go wherever I wanted to go. Stayed on the path a little longer, then headed to the spur, about where I thought the circle was, but no control. Hunted for a very short time and found the flag, lower on the control than I thought it would be, and semi-hidden.
#5: More or less straight line; no issues.
#6: Up to path, followed path along, to the higher of the two flights of stairs, then headed towards the circle. I got to one pretty obvious reentrant, but no flag. Kept going west and found a smaller reentrant with the flag. Control seemed to be placed right, but the map doesn't show much in the way of the first reentrant I came to -- slight curve in the contour line, but I think it was more of a reentrant than indicated on the map.
#7: I decided to minimize climb by going to the right, around the hill with the green. Crossed the path, saw the spur, starting looking for the control, unsuccessfully at first, then saw it higher than I had expected. Reading the full clue, which said upper part of the spur, would have helped. Also, it seems like the circle was shown further from the trail than the flag was placed.
#8: Pondered staying high and going down later, or vice versa. Decided to go down the steep hill right away, since the control was along the fence at the bottom of the hill -- seemed more certain navigationally. It was a bit scary going down that hill, basically grabbing on a tree to slow myself down, then finding another tree I could grab onto next. But once I got to the bottom, no problems getting to the control. In retrospect, it might have been better to get on the trail, since that goes almost all the way to the control, and would have avoided the very steep descent.
#9: Followed the spur up to the clearing, then to the road, across the road, down to the small clearing, saw the spur, and then the flag.
#10: Out to the road, stayed on the road about halfway down the straight stretch, headed in towards the reentrant. I could see the entire reentrant, but no flag in site. Finally headed towards where the circle was, and found the flag, definitely NOT in the reentrant, but on the road side of a small ridge between the reentrant and the road. No major lost time, so can't complain too much.
Edit: ccsteve pointed out that the control, when I got there (it had been moved), actually DID match the location of the control circle, it just didn't match the clue. I was mis-reading a contour line as a reentrant, when it was in fact the low ridge that the control was located on the road side of. To be consistent with the "reentrant" clue, the control and the circle needed to be about 40 m south of where they actually were located.
#11: Across South Ave., up trail to small clearing on top of hill, looked for the right-most of two trails, but only see one trail! Not a good sign, but I take the trail anyway. I quickly realize it is going into a reentrant, while the trail I wanted was on a spur. Back to the clearing, still no second trail, but I plow through some woods, and finally come to a trail, which no longer appears to go all the way to the clearing. According to AP, I only lost 19 seconds on this control, but it seemed like more than that.