Orienteering 1:31:00 [3] 68.0 km (1:20 / km) +167m 1:19 / km
shoes: Icebugs
Unsatisfactory experience at Huntington today trying the Green course. I left #4 convinced I was going n.e. but in fact was going e.s.e. whilst seeing features that seemed right for awhile. After 20 minutes or so of circling around an area 150m south of #5, I walked back to the start. DNF.
First bad omen was punching the Start control and not hearing any beep but only a red flashing light. Repeated, same result. I took off to #1 wondering if Start ever recorded in my dibber.
Second bad omen: went too far left to #1 and took 5 minutes to figure out which swamp was which, finally finding a control that agreed with the map but was #101, not the #31 shown on the map's clue sheet. What's wrong?
Headed off to #2 and doing very nicely, thank you, confirming many fine features along the way, came upon #2 reasonably close, but again the control number was different than what the map showed. Getting annoyed, but figured at this point I'll just tour the map and punch whatever control I find in what looks like the right place, probably be booked as making my own course.
Found controls at locations 3 and 4 but again the wrong control box numbers.
No idea how I then headed 50 degrees off intended azimuth. Saw a green patch that I figured was the pond I was expecting but just dried up. Then unexpected stone walls appeared. I was lost and should have back tracked to alleged #4, but the brain was fried at this point. I knew my race was over, but I stuck around for awhile to search for alleged #5 before turning south to follow any trail going s or se.
Upon checking out Rick looked at my map and lamented that I had picked up one of the green maps that didn't have the revised clue sheet pasted on the front. Eh, that didn't excuse my mistake leaving #4.