Training Log Archive: bl

Event: NEOC: Northfield Mountain Little Troll Cup
 

NEOC Northfield Mt. 2 event w/ chase start put on thanks to Jeff & Judy Saeger & others. Arrived late, in a bit of a hurry, picked green, drew my course as pre-printed copies had been used & put the start triangle on the wrong (adjacent) trail exiting the power line which proved quite confusing at the start of the leg. Was also slightly distracted by a reporter who was after a photo of an orienteer starting & I was it. Lost maybe 2' on #1, maybe 3/4ths minute on 3, maybe 2.5 on 6 - it was raining moderately hard at that time & the woods looking pretty indistinguishable & no AP - just a stream crossing some 50m before, assuming going straight. This course really went up til time to go down - was quite OOB early on. I'd give me a B. Reminded me of Mt. Tom and Holyoke range slopes w/o the detail.

Chase finale. I started first, not many starters for that matter on green. Phil was less than a minute after me. It was an easy first leg except for the potential confusion of an unmapped building that had me wondering if I'd gone too far. TP noted it was inside the uncrossable fence so another way of looking at it was that anything inside the fence was visually superfluous. Glen started on the red course at the same time - I was not aware we had the same first three points, a revelation which proved a bit useful after the first. Hit #4 straight on; 5 caught all the right trails to a nearby stream junction and pretty much same for 6. Not a technical course - didn't lose any time. Had a rain shower around #2 as well - kept on waiting for the sunny day to declare itself for good.

Indeed it was a day of on & off showers. Drove to Keene, then S on 10 to 63. Going home, stayed on 63 - lovely views to the west. Northfield town center was a mile long yard sale. Drove by much of the rails-to-trails path Beth & I biked last August. Was at Northfield for a trail race May, 2011 as well. 170 mi RT, in a nice direction - a fitting end to May. Now onto too-soon June...or is it none-too-soon June...?

Qualifier: Green - Splits

Final: Green - Splits

Hopkinton Greenway with Beth & dogs. Dropped them off at Kimball Pond cabins & parked car halfway around at Sweatt Woods parking on Old Stage Coach. We both went CW & she got to car about 3' before me. I dilly dallied away some 6' missing turnoff for Old Stage Coach. Sprinkles & splashes of sun, too. Green mansions, for sure and lots of fresh leaf fragments and a few trees on the ground - must have been a short-lived blow.

TGIF - Kiefner away thru 6/17, meaning some regular appearing at work.
Northfield Mt. NEOC O tomorrow for some fun & games.

Event: Boston Park Series: Menotomy Rocks
 

Same as yesterday with the usual suspects. Cooler, still gray & wet. Another wood stove pm.

5pm outing around Bog Meadow. Dreary, dreary day - cool, a few showers, just plain gray. No energy to speak of, partly weather & end-of-day start.
Am a boat slave now as well - thru around 6/20, so psychology has changed some. Had planned on going to Hopkinton for the perimeter trail but even that seemed far. Z&M got their money's worth today.

Took a 4pm drive to New London as way of Memorial Day treat. Looked for Per's place on Shaker Rd but did not recognize drive or remember #. Next time, give notice. Drove around Pleasant Lake thinking of runs around it in '97 to 2000 period. Then thru Colby-Sawyer, along Main St., thru NLH then west on County Rd. to Sunapee shore before getting back on 89. NH granite.

Charlie's accomplishment

To S/F

Return

CSU training at BB courtesy of Alex’s efforts. Went to the pm session, maybe 11 total attending. We had a remote S/F in the woods, mass start, five loops, any order, skip any number of loops if wished etc. I did four, omitting the longest. It was sunny w/o humidity. This part of BB is such a challenge keeping map contact, esp now that leaves are near full. The rides are no longer distinct. Maybe 2/3rds of the legs I was in control - found all the streamers but a few times due to presence of (an)other(s). #17 was a big miss. Did not take water to S/F which was a mile away but, w/o the option available, have to say I did not miss it. The S/F was usually easy to find since it was populated with one or several orienteers in bright colors thru the green. When I finished, they’d gone & I was expecting someone’s presence to make it trivial. Nothing but empty forest & ran a bit by it (streamer gone). I was pretty sure I was in the correct block, went to the spur & spotted Giovanni’s hat still there in a tree (which I carried out). Dancho, who caught up with me on the path, had the same experience. Turned out Giovanni had not forgot the hat - he had not yet finished his longer loops. Hope he found the finish.

Very nice training opportunity thanks to Alex.

M,C,R

Butterfly loops - Splits