Orienteering race 1:23:23 [2] **** 4.85 km (17:12 / km) +197m 14:18 / km
spiked:12/14c slept:6.0 shoes: Inov8 ORoc280-A 2013-08
West Point day 2, Brown Y classic, SL 3.9 km / 100m climb
Cloudy and breezy for most of this, low 50s, with a period of rain (5 or so minutes?) but breaks of sun too. Gorgeous afterwards with mostly sunny skies and temps in the low 70s
Plan was to walk as fast as I could and not make mistakes. I couldn't move too quickly but managed to get through the first five cleanly. For 3-4 I contoured around the cliffs and had to climb up through the rocks below the flag to punch...uncomfortable going up and down but no problem navigating. My first sloppiness was to 6 where I was off to the right and had to loop back. And 7, where I got to the west foot of the proper chunk of rock but neglected to check around the corner. Looked on the cliff just below and when it wasn't there climbed back up and ... Oh, there's the flag. D'oh! Fine from there on in, and I was even able to jog a bit from about number 10 on.
Details for anyone interested-- (map later)
1 - From start triangle (past the actual start) took quickest way out to the road, which I followed to the small clearing/double boulder, then straight to the dot knoll.
2 - Since it looked rockier closer to the cliff I worked my way closer to the stream/marsh. Went below big cliffs before road, and continued around the green patch to the big cliff.
3 - Mostly straight, only deviating to skirt around green/cliffs
4 - mostly followed the trail SE around biggest cliffs, then noticed the blue lines (marsh) at the bottom of the short piece of trail to take me over the spur. Once there I could follow along the side of the hill to the end of the cliff
5 - straight, easy navigationally if not physically
6 - contoured a bit around the steepest part of the hill and went to the left (SW) of the hill near #9, but then didn't follow a good line and had to double back about 50 or so meters
7 - followed the beeline to the north side of the knoll. Don't think that was a 5m cliff (see above)
8 - straight; it was behind downed trees and branches (mapped as med. green)
9 - mostly on bee line again though I went east of the rocky hill and approached from the south side (from which I had seen it between 5-6)
10- straight. Halfway there I saw Phil H-T head in between two big chunks of rock and that's where it was
11- south of mash and then up to the reentrant with trails and in. Saw Dayle L coming down that way
12- back out the trail and turned north. As I was descending I saw Joe go by followed shortly thereafter by PG. Others on green course also had the X so was behind a few on the way to the flag
13-SW-ish to the stream bed after deciding not to drop to the road and then climb back up. Then along stream until series of parallel cliffs then knew it was time to turn down next spur. Had to climb through debris to reach flag but could see it from a distance once in the reentrant
14-back out to the trail rather than climbing over the spur.
Finish- had trouble following the trail in places but managed to descend without damaging myself more. Hope this goes away quickly and doesn't come back. I wore the Active Ankle both yesterday and today.
Nice course; meet was well done. And Glen has another beer glass.
3rd F60. Gail managed to move faster through the woods than me on just about every leg (except 11 where she had an error) and finished about a minute ahead. :-)