Training Log Archive: boyle

Event: Trailhead Summer Solstice Meet 4
 

Ziggy joined me for some of the run at Greens Creek.

5, 6, 7, 8, 21, 20, 9, DNF10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 17, 19, 22
with handicap 94.8% 6/25

humidex 28

Since the score-O was largely a trail run, I expected a much faster log speed across the course. However, as I think about my control-to-control strategy which was up-and-down every potential re-entrant en route to the feature which actually hosted the control, I shouldn't be surprised by the pace.

From control 5, I watched Andrew leave north early and I did the same. As soon as I could see Greens Creek on my right, I simply went up and down (sometimes on all fours) every coulee until I found controls 6 and 7, though I wasn't happy that the #70 was actually #41 at control 7. At control 8, I took out the new compass for the first and only time (Coleman, Wal-Mart, $6; my earlier $6 compass died last week after eight years of use) and checked a simple east bearing. After nearly losing my shoe in the mud of the stream bed, I again headed right, going up and down every single re-entrant until stumbling on controls 21 and 20. Back across the stream, straight west to control 9 but that seemed like too many re-entrants after the crossed trail.

I stood atop knolls near control 10 and saw nothing, soon abandoned the search like many others. I returned to the knoll, after the event, I still saw no control flag but I was welcomed by a family of skunks burrowed into the knoll. Fortunately, Ziggy was already back at the car.

Andrew flew out of control 10 circle and I was back on his tail. Trail run, trail run and then after control 12, I knew where the valley ended and went overland as an experiment against Andrew's trail run. I caught him at trail but had no energy left to keep pace. Interestingly, we both left trail after control 13 and headed straight south across deep gully. I knew there were unmapped trails over there. Perhaps Andrew also did. It was nice to have updated vegetation on the map approaching control 14. I saw Andrew leave and then come back to punch after me. I let him pass me en route to 15, confirming that 10 wasn't found. To not follow Andrew directly, I took trail farthest east but then got bogged down in hiker traffic and ended up on Tauvette road which probably wasn't a bad thing.

Control 19 resulted in additional re-entrant hopping.

GC27B0D

WMBEW

After three events in the summer score-O series, I'm sitting seventh (75.3%) but there are so many good orienteers yet to run their three scoring events.

GC27BJ2, humidex 31

WMBNBA, humidex 28