Orienteering 1:41:00 [3] 5.4 km (18:42 / km)
shoes: 2014 icebugs
Met up with Phil, Ken, Steve Richardson and Steve Tarry to run a green course at Earl's trails.
This is a hard place to orienteer anyway, for me. some intricate topography in the E, lots of confusing trails, lots of sticks in the face. It had been a sunny day, but darkened up considerably as I was arriving, and looked like rain, so I wore a contact. The contact bothered me more than usual, in the sense of not feeling completely comfortable with where I was putting my feet, just the visual disturbance of it. And then I guess it was somewhat warm and humid. Anyway, after getting out to the furthest point on the course I was pretty cooked and my back seized up enough that I laid down for a while to stretch, and then decided I just needed to walk back. I was tired enough and distracted enough that I got the map upside down and wandered off for a bit, I think under the clues.
The first half was pretty good, though. We started out at about a minute or so intervals. 1. I went down the spur right of the line, then headed north the last 150 M from the knoll on the spur (3:35). 2. I remember this leg from 2014 and remembered that it was further than I had thought then, too, so kept slogging along and it was pretty apparent when I got there. (6:06) Somehow I had caught and passed Steve R, and he was coming in as I left. 3. Once I got W to the trails, Steve scampered by and receded from view. Cut across a few trails and took the trail around to the left until the bend just S of the circle. Easy, but not much left of those two rootstocks anymore (10:02)..4. Mostly trails, switching off a few times, and climbing to do os. approached from the upper branch of the trail S of the control, went to the bend, then the flat spot with the little spot of stony ground and in. Pretty slick (15:31). 5. Tried to go WSW to the junction, but apparently too far right, and that reminded me of last time, too. The junction was further away than I imagined. Then just paying attention and following trails. Saw Steve R leaving as I approached. (4:20) 6. Reasonably straight until I came to the big long knoll, cut around the west end and in. Saw Steve again leaving via the same route. (3:34). Straighter up and over the first hill, but cut around to the N on the second hill, approaching along the slope. (1:50). 8. NW to the big trail, along that for a while, the down the reentrant and got on the spur. I saw Steve again leaving the area.(3:23). 9-F. I attempted to go back out to the NS large trail, but somehow got mixed up and wandered for a while before realizing my map was upside down. Not much more and my back got stiff enough that I was done running, and then I was tired and sore enough that I just wanted to get back. Alas, another 53 minutes doing that. By then I was pretty cooked, hard to drive home.