Orienteering 1:30:00 [1] ***
Hilton Falls West with Coach Hammer, who helped me to interpret the many kinds of mapped rock features in that terrain. I now have a much better understanding of the types of rock that are intended to be portrayed by various symbols, and of the amount of subjectivity that goes into mapping this terrain. I've been relying on the rock features way too much, it turns out, and the same with the marshes. It's best to depend on cliffs, trails, or hills with at least two contour lines - preferably close together. Large boulders are sometimes useful, but aren't as reliable as some other features. The existence of a rock feature on the map can be helpful, but the absence of a rock feature on the map is not always useful information, i.e. you shouldn't say, "I see a boulder, so I can't possibly be here because there are no boulders marked here."
I'm thankful that Hammer managed not to giggle - and even shared some helpful pointers - as I navigated to different points. I usually got close enough, but sometimes lost confidence within a short distance of the control. (I didn't always have flags to find.) A few things that will help in this terrain:
- Stop and take more real bearings, instead of doing so much rough compass.
- Choose routes that are safer than what I've been choosing, even if they are longer. Relocating takes longer in this terrain, so avoid situations where you have to do it.
- Hold compass flat in the palm of my hand.
- Run around small hills, since they are often covered with slippery, lumpy rocks with big cracks in between them.
- Look up AND look down AND look at the map. Simultaneously. Oh boy...
Hammer is clearly in pain, so I insisted on very little running. I'm still logging the whole thing because I like to keep track of all my orienteering time, since there is more to it than just the physical training.