Training Log Archive: cmorse

Event: WCOC Pond Mountain
 

Rainy weekend. Probably no mapping. And not sure I want to drive to Kent for O. Something local? Or call the streak ok with fieldwork in lieu of competition?

• OUSA - Added 19 Joe Brautigam photos to West Point Long album - FB
  
• OUSA - Evalin Brautigam moves up to 2023 WOC Team - FB, IG
  

Focusing on turnover. Slightly misting, but haven't run all week, so out the door I went. 4:17 / 4:44. Little faster (10s) than last week.

Better day today. Woods were dry. Back to yesterdays area and finished up the section of woods bounded by the SF boundary I checked yesterday. I did not endeavor to field check the logging area N of the white trail. Parts are probably ok, but no rush - can circle back to this part later. So calling this quadrant done for now.

Luckily I thought I might finish this one up today, so set myself up with a next board. Next row of quadrants to the north, but shifting back east so only the very western edge is in the logging area - and bounded by a large swamp, so for now I'll just deal with what is east of there.

The first few board I was mapping laurel thickets by hand (white paper) since sometimes the KP vegetation can be off a bit. But I brought up the KP layer and damn, most of the thickets I've drawn so far are very close to the KP vegetation. So now knowing what I can trust, I opted to pre-draft the vegetation from KP into todays block and it only took minor tweaking in the field to the existing areas rather than walking perimeters and sketching in boundaries by hand. A few areas had to be downgraded from medium to light green as they are qute runnable beneath canopy with some zigzagging, but although sparse, they are quite distinct in the terrain. An they do reduce visibility which is also a measure of 'greenness'.

Anyway, a productive day. 0.149 km mapped - almost a 5% day. Just shy of 25% of planned area completed - fieldwork pass at least, will undoubtedly do some test running and refinements later on.

C • Sleeping Giant 2

Event: CSU/NEOC: Nahanton Park, Spring Park-Orienteering Thursday (SPOT) Series #2
 

Forecast: 30% chance showers, radar mostly clear.
Reality: 90 minutes later in Hamden - steady rain and large green mass on radar that wasn't there 90 minutes ago. Dang.

An hours drive each way, so waited it out in the truck and it lightened up an hour or so later. So left the warmer clothes on and headed to the Western side of map. Woods very wet and lots of laurel & logging slash so mostly verified edges of SF land following boundary markers. OSM limits were quite fictitious. Further west I got, crappier the woods became. Active logging area and lots of slash debris left behind. May just put a broad swath of thick undergrowth and a text note that it is cursory field checking. I wouldn't send courses in there, so will probably focusmy mapping efforts in nicer areas for now.
Mostly linear so will tally area another day when I make it more of a block effort. Constantly wiping tablet dry meant trying to work in laurel not worth the effort.

Another day, another board - finishing up yesterday's block. Some laurel, some marsh, some fight. The "fight" was mostly light/medium density, but almost all of it was of a very pointy nature - so I opted for fight over heavy undergrowth. Basically don't go there and don't set courses tempting people to go there. Could have started the next block west, lots of logging slash, so rather tackle that mentally fresh. 3 hours is about where my brain fatigue starts kicking in when mapping.

Quick tidy of the grass closest to neighbors. Letting a lot of the rest of the yard go meadows with some mown paths. Will walk that area somewhat frequently with a bottle of glyphosate to keep invasive at bay.

Some marshes, some laurel thickets, but generally productive once I got down there (had an AM appt) A few light sprinkles, but overall nice conditions, though green woods are greening up fast.

Awake early again, might as well get up and prep that basemap grid.

• OUSA - '23 WOC Team Announcement - Web, FB, IG, AP
  
• OUSA - What’s it like hosting a meet? - FB (NT blog share)