Orienteering race 1:55:47 [4] *** 7.34 km (15:47 / km) +189m 13:59 / km
spiked:10/12c slept:7.0 shoes: Inov8 ORoc280-A 2013-08
Red course at Huntington SP, temp around 50. 5.9 km straight line
Sloppy on the first two; to one, I didn't cross into the woods at the trail bend but kept going a bit to the line of light and medium green west of the control. Ended up being pushed around by vegetation and coming down the spur a bit north of the control. To 2 I got off line and turned the wrong way on the big trail (should have just crossed it) then headed east again. Thinking I'm at the southern small trail bend I start checking cliffs but eventually realize I'm too far north and go back to bike trail to positively identify the big boulder, then in. I'd been out 24 minutes by the time I punched here.
Rest of the course was much better. I stayed fairly close to the beelines except 10-11 where I swung west through the whiter woods and passed by the unique feature between the big trails, about 350m north of 11. It's a form line hill/pile of rocks with a ditch/earth bank between it and the hill west, like it was dug out for some reason. Definitely man-made. 11 was one hill south but not a problem because they were so close together. From 12 to finish I found a place to cross into the field, where I figured I could keep jogging as I angled up the hill, rather than taking the trail past the start and then having to walk up the hill to the finish.
Nice course; thanks to Joe and Earl for the design, and to Donna for sitting out in the cold breeze at the finish.