in: PG; PG > 2008-07-13;
| # Posted 2008-07-15 01:20:30 | |
| j-man: | I really think you need to give Land of Vikings a second try. While I wasn't there for the first event, I was involved in the courses/vetting team for the second, and can assure you that the actual vegetation was far worse than any competitor was supposed to encounter on the (ultimately) greatly circumscribed courses. I had one experience there that was the most disheartening episode I ever had while knowing where I was on a competition-grade orienteering map. If you want, I could arrange a tour. |
| # Posted 2008-07-15 21:04:43 | |
| Charlie: | Yep. Land of the Vikings is the thing that comes to mind immediately when one mentions crappy vegetation. As I recall remarking to J-J generally contemporaneously, "I wouldn't orienteer again at Land of the Vikings if it were on Doyle Road." |
| # Posted 2008-07-15 21:38:57 | |
| kissy: | Agreed. I was just talking to Don about Land of the Vikings, and he said that the best thing about that meet was the bar, in the shape of a Viking ship, about 10 steps from the finish line. |
| # Posted 2008-07-15 22:18:49 | |
| jjcote: | There are a number of meets that I'm really glad that I got to experience, even if they had negative aspects (like the 1989 US Team Trials by Fire). And some wonderful places that I'm glad that I had the opportunity to run. But there's one map that I missed out on (both times!), and I have no regrets about it, based on what I've heard: Land of the Vikings. |
| # Posted 2008-07-16 01:05:19 | |
| GregBalter: | The first use of that map (before the tree leaves were eaten) was quite good - Mark Dominie was a setter and it was just mapped, so the vegetation was accurate - I did not finish one day - did not have GU knowledge then, but I loved the courses - winning times were around 110 min on Blue both days.
This ROGAINE's bad spots featured some variety of crap: large and small fallen trees in cross pattern with raspberry and blueberry bushes and some 5-6 feet tall maple saplings in your face. |
| # Posted 2008-07-16 05:26:29 | |
| PG: | I remember Land of the Vikings. It was awful. Huge areas of serious prickers. But you could make reasonable progress through them, in exchange for a reasonable amount of blood. I finished the first day but I chose not to run the second day.
This spot in the rogaine was much worse. There was a sense of helplessness, not knowing what to do, not knowing which way to head to get out of it (it was dark, lots of saplings too, visibility was about 10 yards at most, usually much less). And a sense of vulnerability too, because if either one of us had slipped and wrenched a knee or an ankle, it would have had quite serious consequences. Looking on the bright side, perhaps now I'll be very mellow when I happen to get entangled in some dark green area -- oh, this is nothing like the rogaine.... |
| # Posted 2008-07-16 07:12:46 | |
| walk: | Lyn and I had a similar experience at a rogaine near Utica quite a few years ago - middle of the night, last control on the way to the HH which was mis-located and we never found it. Took the direct route to a trail straight into a section of downed trees, saplings, brush, very ugly stuff. And like you, could see nothing as the greenery blinded the headlights. We spent a long time climbing over tree trunks trying to get free. Bad memories. |
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