Orienteering race 1:26:27 [4] 6.13 km (14:07 / km) +234m 11:51 / km
shoes: Columbia Romero trail runners
Green Course at Cole Hill State Forest, local EMPO meet set by the indomitable Phil H-T. The day started off rainy, but a fine day for orienteering by the time I started. Cole Hill has a lot of different features and nice open woods to make for all the orienteering fun you could want in one course.
No major errors --
1 Likely a suboptimal route to #1, maybe lost a minute.
2 Almost right on, hit the stream about 20m to the right of the control
3 Intended to go straight on the line but got off too far east and saw the intermittent streams, maybe a lost minute
4 Went straight for it and did pretty well though I tripped face first over a bit of ruined wire fence (it was mapped...), which simultaneously took off my right shoe and made me drop all the accoutrements strapped to my hands and head. Lost a minute. Saw Janet F (on Red) headed up the hill as I recovered
5 Followed the stone walls all the way, easy.
6 Followed the trail then attacked from the trail/stream crossing (big bridge there) -- I remembered from last year that this is a nice little trail to run down. Got there a bit before Janet F
7 Long leg -- went right, intending to stay south around around the marsh end by the park boundary, hesitated a bit since the marsh was larger than mapped and I wasn't sure if I could get through (veg a bit thick, etc). Janet F led the way, about 50m of water walking and then followed the bottom of the hill side till I could see rock features, then compass shot right too it.
8 Pretty much went straight for it, but stayed along the edge of the long marsh towards the end and attacked from the corner.
9 Just went around the marsh tip, no problem
10 Followed the indistinct trail (I think there a few more meanders unmapped around there) to the large trail by the park boundary
11 Had fun cutting down the slope
Orienteering (control pick-up) 50:01 [1] 2.55 km (19:38 / km) +69m 17:17 / km
shoes: Columbia Romero trail runners
Picked up 11 controls, mostly white and yellow. Amusingly Sue H-T was still out on green when I left, and one of green's last controls was one I was supposed to pick up. Luckily I saw Sue not far before that control and saw her run off down the trail towards it. I eventually caught up with her and saw her running down the trail away from the control, just as I had done when I ran the course. So I tuck into the woods to get the control, pick it up and start walking out. Sue runs in and needs to punch it; she had overshot! So like a true sportsman I ran back to the stone wall and replaced the control.