Training Log Archive: bl

Event: West Point A-meet
 

AM DP on Lake Pop map, 35' with dogs. Found a control with manual punch, left out ? even 2 years? I was in very same vicinity '08. Walked over to it. Cadet training course? Read the tag: "Please do not remove - map and compass course". At the very instant I released it, someone shouted "I found it". I was sure I was the only one within "miles". Was a raft leader-type fellow doing an O training course.

Spring green

Middle: decent run/energy, B+ performance. Confusion at start and a few legs when map contact just suddenly disappeared... but only circling was on # 9. Was doubtful about the hamstring which held up just fine. Nice terrain & nice use of it.

Not 10' before start, noticed I did not have my e-punch! Lost on the ground somewhere. Dave Urban noticed my frantic circling, approached: "are you looking for a blue e-punch?". Thanks, Dave! Sunday, after the long, I found someone's e-punch on the ground in front of refreshments. Taped it above the results. Was gone later so it must have made its way to its owner.

C • epunch 3

Sprint around Round Pond - interesting course. PG started 1' behind, I knew he was starting not much after but exactly how much I did not care to know. Ran by the first control &, in returning, PG had punched it. Rest of course was a mixture of his being ahead, some alongsdide, once behind and with a few other runners in the latter half of the course making for no significant loss of time. Forgot to stop watch, learned another 305 item.

Very nice dinner at Schades in HF with Beth, Ernst, BP, Jim A, Hans B and later sitting round MJ's lantern til 9pm (!), much of the conversation was about skiing! Quiet, restful night camping.

Faces in the crowd, sprint



Sprint finish



Evening light on water, Popolopen

PM DP down to what turned out to be Wilkins Pond. Could see water thru the trees from the campsite & went that way. A mystical early spring moment with the spring green of treetops and intense emerald of grass along the shore.

Mystical image


Flood plain house for sale, inquire below

Middle Green Y - Splits

Sprint O/Br/G - Splits

Drive with Beth & dogs, Hartford, Warterbury, Danbury congestion - thru Newbergh. Camping on a knoll @ Round Pond at site w/ MJ & Ethan Childs. 6 hr, 260 mi. Free shared site for us resulted in a $15 junior team contribution as suggested by MJ.

AM DP aound the Sandbox, keeping Mocha from rolling in anything - her
"Queen for a Day" at work. Spent night in tent (#4). Followed Beth out in
dark - eventually had to make a few suggestions as I wanted to go to bed.
Never did rain, just wind, warm. Heard one round of coyotes then dawn. Tent
stake bag chewed - fortunately not tent. Vowed not to leave behind at all
- chewing rodents can be disappointing! Heard the owl call my name as I
stepped out of car last night - from a nearby tree, three times. Wondered why.

Pine Hill House, from the front door


On the one hand, mundane - on the other, fairly special


Some of Beth's daffodils

Warmup/down

CHS track - 1:48,1:42, 3:26, 3:25,1:42, 200 walk, then rain & wind
brought all to a close. Had Mocha at the track watching.

SPS, hi 60s, stretched & walked on track & grass. Legs flat from yesterday.

PM DP at the Sandbox, dogs found it hot. No tracks but saw a snapper being prodded by the side of Allen. Angry sky in the west, warm front on the way.

"What I'd do for the beach."

Home from work, second time this way. Mid-50s, gray, birdsong, buds, greening grass, nice enough by the road. OK energy, no hamstring noise. A lot of hills. Saw the sofa that had been in a front yard on BBR for nearly a week (through at least 2 rains). It had been reincarnated in another front yard, sitting on a trailer, 2-3 miles away.... One can only wonder what the driving force. Thought auto lap was on; forgot I'd turned it off for the O weekend.

Usual at the TI, more E than T.

Nice PM DP with Beth, gentle April drizzle, half on cart track, half creative thru woods.

Noted 36 mi thru today...hmm, more robust than I felt I'd done. Looked back over the week and noted an 8.0 mile walk in some 20'...ojala que! 0.8 was more like it.

Faraway series, photos from elsewhere, #62

A hike along the Na Pali coast, Kauai, Memorial Day weekend, 1971



a scan of a 5by7" print from Jan., '77. Slide scanner on hold due to computer changes & software challenges. And am clueless why it does not link to the larger picture - as it has done for more than a year. Technology has a mind of its own - and is in need of psychoanalysis.

AM DP, just missed the mist. Found some curious, almost troubling, tapes marking something (but not straight as in a boundary) in the nearly 6 acres of buffer to the east. Have felt it's not available to grow a house due to wet lands & boundaries but one never knows. Unless, of course, one inquires.

Boojum Rock, warm, 70F! Bad day.... 4 problems right off the bat added up to "aw heck...". The first step from the start, somehow got stuck/half-tripped on an old branch, stretching the right hamstring as I did not care for it to be done...on literally the first step. Then running along the path, noted the e-punch was not around the wrist, string dangling. By the time I recovered from 1 & 2, I had run by the left turn, not helpful. Finally moving along ok still on way to first control, look at the compass for a bearing & see a bubble as big as a nickel, big enough to run roughshod over the needle's ability to find North. I didn't see 1 to 4 (particularly 4) as adding to the challenge! Anyway, went to all -a few provided interesting feedback in needle deception and how I did not deal with it. Used to have training w/o compass & that can be ok. Seems the compass is more useful where vis is diminished & one can't readily sort out cliffs, contours - or if just plain flat & green. Did not have control descriptions where they should have been - only on map. Hot & scratchier than I recalled - was in shorts but not crucified - which did not seem reasonable given the day.

Getting to be QR mastery time. Looking at GPS trace, can see how screwed up I was able to get in a few places w/o compass. (6 and from 17 home, in particular)

Removed 2 pieces of OH thorn from right forearm when I got home.

C • Hams, 2

Feeling sad about my dead and dying compass collection.



Dead compass still life:
Bubble visible in most recent compass. One to "southeast" broke in Scotland in a fall - first run I used it and 2 controls from finish. Paid 60 Scottish pounds for it (near $80). One with a flower poking* thru lost its bezel but can't recall when or circumstances. The one somewhat hidden has a broken bezel. I once called about repairing these - felt I got a run around. Time to re-pursue.

* (PP&M, "Where have all the flowers gone?")

C • Psst..... 2

Green - Splits