Training Log Archive: CleverSky

Upton State Forest, Red, 6.9 km, 7th. I'd been to Upton three times before, in '85, '88, and '92, on the old Bob Lux version of the map, and I didn't realize it had been remapped (well, a small part of it) by Marcello four years ago. Unfortunately, this was maybe the worst time of year to hold a meet there, because it was a complete jungle. It's probably a jungle all the time, but right now it's particularly lush. Low visibility, sometimes I was looking for boulders that were hidden by surrounding undergrowth that was taller than they were, and a couple of times I got to a point where I couldn't make any forward progress (one of those I couldn't back out, either!). At least the rain held off until just after I finished.

First problem was on #2, when I got through the green found the boulder but no flag, kept going and saw that I was too far, and then looked more closely and saw that the circle was centered on the stone wall bend, not the boulder. I saw Phil as I was starting this screwup, and then not again for a long time.

Stopped too soon on #4 and checked some incorrect boulders because I couldn't see far enough ahead to realize that the ground kept rising and I had another hill to get to. Failed to see the trail on the left going to #6 and went straight, but got caught in a lot of green, didn't come out where I intended to, and took a while to realize that. Should have gone directly to the trail on #7, but I thought the woods looked better (I was wrong about that).

There was a tiny trail that I didn't see amid a bunch of rock detail going to #9, instead I took the trail and then went though the white woods which turned out to be a sea of ground-obscuring knee-high ferns. Took forever to get to the trail on the way to #10. Walked right past the huge boulder at #12 without seeing the boulder, but fortunately looked around just after passing it and saw the control.

A long sea of green on the first half of #13 (that was where I got stuck). #14 and #15 I spiked, but the boulders were hidden by undergrowth. Finally caught Phil just before #17. Right around the marsh going to #18, and he found a better line, but we both got to the vicinity of the control about the same time (vague area), and he spotted it first. #19 was just a chore.

The first half-dozen controls were awful, but I was doing okay for the latter part of the course.

splits

Nancy wanted ice cream after that, and the nearest place that the phone knew about was JJ's Ice Cream, so how could we not?

Climbing Mt. Watatic to watch the moonrise. About ten other people up there as well.

Back down the longer, less steep way, with a side loop up to the north terminus of the Midstate, In The... Dark. Dim when I started down, but I had my flashlight on for most of this. A couple of cars still in the parking lot when I got down, and four in the other parking lot.

WBNW, In The Dim. Played hooky from work today (Nancy and I finally went on a sailing trip that I bought at a charity auction about five years ago), so I would have felt bad if I didn't get some exercise. The first part went as I planned, then I took a trail I had seen before and had a guess as to where it would come out. It turned out to be less distinct than I expected, and popped out on the main trail at a place I hadn't even noticed before. Looped back up and took the Friends DH trail instead of Rock and Roll. I thought it was just going to bypass part of RnR, but it was completely separate (although at one point I think they run parallel just a couple of meters apart), and is probably a little less gnarly. It popped out where I was expecting the first trail to do so. On the way back, when it was getting hard to see, I spotted a dark shape up ahead on the trail, and correctly guessed that it was a porcupine. I had to slow to a walk because it decided to hustle along the trail for a while before finally climbing a tree.

Pawtuckaway, Blue, 6.9 km, 220 m. Feeling not all that hot again, but I figured I'd better do something longish considering the Highlander is coming up in a month. Very little running, mostly walking, in part because it's typical lumpy New Hampshire terrain where you get a branch in the face every couple of meters. Navigated quite cleanly (should be possible when walking). I missed the dam slightly to the right on the way to #7 (a mistake I've definitely made in the past), and on #10 I got most of the way there and then just had a little trouble figuring out what was what in the vicinity of the circle, and spiraled in to it. The rest was all fine. Next to last place, I think. Shorter than the night-O, and one less control, and I was barely faster then in the dark.
splits

Picking up six of the canoe-O controls, with Nancy (I saw all of the ribbons, but two of them Nancy went to get in her boat while I went to get another one that was on land).