Day 4, tidy little map, easy to handle size-wise. Good run, nearly free of mistakes. Late starter but still a lot of activity at start as well as everywhere. Slowly increasing expectations since I have not exacerbated anything. I can feel a slight achiness in the hamstring but certainly not discouraging - now, 4 days under the belt. No ice to be found from that point of view. Had no goal other than to do my best, stay focussed etc. Ended up 16th.
QR
1. easy enough but.... Saw the bldr (w/ control) - then grn as well as rocks - things got a little funky - went over a RF which has to be the one on line 55% of way, now crossing broad white area - see 2 bldrs in terrain but not on map. Should have dismissed as 2 dot knolls but did not (had had some distraction/LOC loss of concentration - maybe 1' before - to do with the 305 - so sl baffled. Saw a lg RF straight ahead, reasoned (?) if it weren't mine, go beyond. It was where, direction-wise, I was supposed to be going. Got right up close, a cp, #112, mine - another good seat-of-pants start!
2. st W, dot knolls hard to read but could see RFs/black symbols, lv to port, get on top, spot bldr, take careful bearing, into reent to cp
3. Focussing better - could see lg cliffs, leave to left, depart at big bldr just N of eastmost part of cliff. NW by reent, yellow knoll onto open area on spur, careful bearing, runners ahead, ck for what I'm looking for - reent - down a bit, it's there.
4. Worst control - simple down the 3 RFs along the knoll into reent. Well, to much down, see 2 bldrs, spot them on map, take a bearing up & drop into reent w/o too much damage. 45"?
5. N to line, then little path to W off SVT til nearly on top of spur. Then up to height - could not figure out reent, got to top, looked wrong way...hmm..out of corner of eye to R, a ruuner leaving, a splash of the right color - 15"
6. st, hard to keep contact but spotted little yellow knoll 65% way to R of line. Down tiny reent, see bldr/cp.
7.Down thru bad footing, R on ride& across, looking for knoll (now see dep) - anyway, keep to compass. See height across slash grn, up, right by reent halfway, just E of grn spot. Careful bearing, to gp of 4 bldrs, and then more care to cp - could see bldr just beyond - got nr it, looked right to cp.
8.NE thru grn to path, to bldg, to blue ditch to lake shore.
Long, hot run in - some wasted distance, could have thrown in another cp. 14th when I looked.
Felt good about this except for 4. Nearly an A, A+ swim in lake immed. following. So few adults in the water...kides, kids, kids.
String O reward...
Itsy bitsy spur