Training Log Archive: GlenT

Walk to Start. Missed a turn so bushwhacked to get back on the correct trail.

Haystack Mountain Advanced 2 course using UsynligO - set up by Greg A (Thanks!). 5.9 km straight line distance. This area has better visibility than Lost Lakes and many more rock features, so the navigation is somewhat easier (but still challenging). More rock underfoot (lots of rocky ground could be mapped) and some blueberry (shin high mostly, thigh high in places towards the west of the map). Cliffs are well mapped, many boulders are mapped (but some significant ones were not on the map). Marshes were not as obvious as on the Lost Lakes map.

My orienteering was OK. I struggled to see the feature on the two form line spur controls so spent a few minutes on each of them wandering about to get the you-found-it tune (also spent almost a full minute standing on the spur at the second control waiting for the tune). Got confused by unmapped rock features going to 9 and searched for about 10 minutes until I used direction and distance hints from UsynligO to find it (I had stopped short). Parallel errors on 10 and 20 for a couple of minutes each (Had a where-the-heck-am-I-moment at 20 when I saw a >2m boulder in the terrain and there were no boulders on the map anywhere close to where I thought I was. As I headed towards a trail to relocate the happy tune played when I passed a hill ~100m from the one I had been on with the unmapped boulder.) Hit most of the other controls pretty well, usually getting the happy tune after spotting the feature and before actually getting to it.

Decent summertime weather. In the 70s and mostly overcast but still humid. Spotted one snake tail as it slithered away - too quick to identify, one small toad, a deer and several spider webs (mostly in the face).

Finish to car. Ran about 300m of this to catch up to Janet, otherwise just a walk.

On roads from home. Up a hill, down a hill. And some flatter stuff.

Anniemac’s gentle yoga from last week.

Event: RESCHEDULED North American Orienteering Championship
 

Jacobsburg SP. Still warm (mid-80s in the late morning) but I’m getting used to it. Drink water, sweat a lot, drink more water. Took a hard fall at about the 4 mile mark when I caught my toe on a root (technically it was a hard landing, I guess). We’ll see what still hurts tomorrow but right now my left hand/wrist and left big toe seem to have the most damage, although nothing requiring professional intervention.

South Mountain Preserve in Emmaus from Ithaca St. Got out early (before noon) but it was already in the mid 80s. Mostly in the woods and shaded - no inclination to push the pace.

D & L Trail north and south from Giving Pond Recreation Area to the Rt. 32 crossings of the Trail. About 50% shaded, which was nice since it was well into the 80s and humid.