Training Log Archive: peterk

Stated course distance of 4.4km

Karst Country - same map as yesterday -just different parts used.

Was going fine up to control 10 with good route choices on the long legs and minimal errors. At 10 turned the map upside down and did a 180. Things seemed to fit and were they did not there was an excuse until things just did not add up any more. It was about this time I was asked twice for help. Little did they know. When I finally worked out what I had done it was back the other way - at least 20 min lost here. A real shame as I was feeling good and coming 10th. Still finished 19th - unforgiving country for many.

C • Yarra Valley? 2

Karst terrain. Actual course distance was 4.5km.

Vague features on the start of the first leg in very open forest, followed by a break in slope and a simple point feature on the slope. Sounds Simple? Well I drifted too far to the left and found a track where it should not have been. I guessed where I was and headed back across the slope with no luck I think I was too high Back to the track and more carefully contouring to the point feature. all taking 11m when it should have taken 3m. It smashed all my misguided confidence and caution ruled from then on. The remaining map was classic Karst which comes with the difficulty of not being sure what was up or down. (I need a higher magnification on my O glasses - note to self). Track options were preferred but logging vehicle movement this week had made interpretation of the track grade difficult. The long leg was sheer bravado, with no clear plan except compass line and hope that I would pick up features along the way. Somehow I survived with about 10m of mistakes in total. I have not seen the final results but before I left it looked like a lot of others made bigger mistakes than I did.

Event: OO Cup
 

Limestone terrain heavily affected by glaciation makes for a complex map. Knolls and depressions everywhere with lots of rocks everywhere, most of which were not mapped as they were just undersize. Tentative start with the first two controls to get used to the map. Everything was going fine until the 5th leg when I just lost confidence in the map and stopped short of the control thinking I should have been there. However nothing fitted anymore. I realised there was no certain features off which to relocate. Eventually found the control by the ping pong method losing 12m. The remaining legs I tried to run on compass but there was continued only 90% certainty in positioning. Finished in the middle with the winner blitzing by 33m

C • Won the Finish leg!!! 1

Early morning walk at the Vintgarski Gorge near Bled Slovenia. Narrow walkway built into the side of cliffs one and a half people wide in places. Beautiful with the early morning mist. Unfortunately one way in and only the same way out.. This was no fun when we were hit by 3 inconsiderate bus loads of tourists who filled the whole walkway and did not want to move over. Some thought was given to lowering the shoulder.

C • No Crowds on these pics 2

Another tourist walk to Slap Slavica or Waterfall Slavica. Many stairs to a waterfall that pours out of a hole in the cliff. It is limestone country after all.

Climb up Mala Mojstrana (2323m) after the climb to Prisnak was aborted due to impending bad weather. We left from the beautiful Visnic Pass (1600m) up the limestone scree slopes. Tough due to slippery nature of the trail. Half way up the clouds start to close in with thunder and lightning as promised by a mountain guide earlier. The wind was light so not bad enough not to continue. The rest of the walk was essentially an exposed ridge climb up the 20-30degree dip slope of a slippery bed of limestone (with occasional fossil). Occasionally cleared to get spectacular views of the JUlian Alps before it started to look threatening. The mist prevented us seeing the alternate way back so we returned the same way. This became quite trikey with the light rain polishing the rock. Fortunately we got back before it set in for the afternoon. A good day but we were both sore the next day.