Training Log Archive: GlenT

Jordan Parkway trails. Low 70s, sunny and low humidity - very nice.

Leaser Lake Park. Around the lake plus an out-and-back to explore a couple of trails I had passed on the loop. Mid 70s and very humid (there had been showers earlier).

Abbreviated gentle yoga class.

Trexler Preserve trails.

Evansburg SP, “Short” course (7 mandatory controls to be taken in order was ~6.5k, with six additional bonus controls to be taken anytime). There was a streamer tape and QR code at each site to use the iOrienteering app to record the visit and time. Map was a fairly up to date USGS topo map (the Evansburg o-map was also available, which I took along and used when the topo map didn’t get me to the control). Temperature upper 60s, overcast and a sprinkle.

Visited all of the control locations and found the streamers at all but three of them. Two of those locations were streams which I wandered up and down a bit and then moved on. The other one I didn’t find was a “hilltop” with the highest contour line about twice the diameter of the control circle, so a pretty broad hilltop. The o-map wasn’t much help since the area was all shown as what I interpreted as “thickish vegetation which you can weave through but the mapper didn’t spend time with any details”. I looked around for a few minutes then headed to the next control.

I tried to use the iOrienteering app but after apparently scanning the Start control correctly, I got a “something went wrong” message when I scanned the first control, so that was it for using the app. It’s not apparent to me whether the app does anything other than record time at the controls (and verify the visit), like actually upload results somewhere or record routes (which I’m pretty sure it doesn’t do).

Navigation was OK, since I was mainly trying to use the topo map. Biggest time loss was going from 101 to 102 where I spent about 15 minutes in a multiflora rose jungle exiting 101 and then took multiple attacks to find 102. Overshot three other controls and had to relocate - not having a solid attack point from the topo and then resorting to the o-map to figure things out. Probably spent a total of about 10 minutes searching for ribbons on the three I didn’t find. This was actually a score-o and I was three minutes over the 2:15 time limit. Giving myself credit for the three unfound streamers, I had 19 points (1 pt for each mandatory control, 2 for each bonus control) minus 3 points for being late, so 16 points total. Probably the highest score on the course for the day. :-)

Post-dinner walk.