Training Log Archive: iansmith

Event: CSU Park-O: Pine Hill
 

I set the fourth Park-O of the 2010 season at Pine Hill south, starting from Medford High School. I chose to set Peter's Hill and Pine Hill this year specifically because I find it very challenging to set courses there.

Many thanks to Bill Pullman and Alex Jospe who set and retrieved the beginner course respectively. Also thanks to Ross Smith and Eric Benson, who retrieved part of the advanced course. I must also thank everyone who refrained from killing me in the aftermath of control 12, which I set near a dense thicket of green briar.

I'm generally happy with the course; Pine Hill south is not a kind place to orienteer. I like Ian, but Control 12 should have been perhaps 100 meters farther north where the vegetation was passable, and I would have set control 6 elsewhere had I vetted because the reentrant for control 6 was vague.

Ross and Eric set out to retrieve seven controls after Michael Commons returned. When they took longer coming back than I expected, I set out with a flashlight to run a trail loop and see if I could find them and lend aid if needed. This was foolhardy because even if they were in distress, I was unlikely to accomplish anything. A piecemeal search effort does little but provide a vague sense of purpose. They returned a few minutes after I left, and all was well. The time from this exercise was that which I spent setting and retrieving controls and running around looking for Ross and Eric.

C • Nice job 1

To and from Medford HS.