Orienteering race 1:22:43 [4] 5.2 km (15:54 / km) +185m 13:30 / km
West Point Classic
For the third time in two days, I blew #1. Biggest gaffe yet. Immediately to road, then up to intersection with dirt road just SE of control. Went in on a bad bearing, got confused, found Brown control on fence by small swamp. Never looked at compass (BAD) and relocated improperly. Eventually, my brain caught up with me and I worked my way to the control. 6:44.
While getting ready, I had seen several green runners come through the parking lot. I just couldn't see my way to doing that and I went NW and then hugged the fence. At first that was good, but then it got gnarly. I climbed early, using the two cliff systems that were NE of the control as handrails. From the second I was able to contour/pace count in perfectly. 10:41.
Climbed too much and was just below the cliff system N of the circle when I saw the reentrant and saddle. Down two contours into the control. 5:14.
Back up the same track I came down (How I hate that!) into the saddle. Got drawn to the knoll just SW of the circle, but realized my mistake and headed in. 2:57.
More or less straight to 5 following what seemed like a deer path when I could. Saw saddle, then control. 3:01
Down hill through rocky ground to the edge of the swamp. Counterclockwise around hill mass, then backwards along the 8-9 line and down the road to the gate. While drinking, I was caught by two women. Down the spur, I saw the cliff mass NW of the knoll and turned in. 8:47.
Straight to it with one of the women, using clearing to get altitude correct. 2:07.
Up hill due S, then turn at the fence and run to the gate. Skip water and head straight in, searching for reentrant to right as I approached. 4:23.
Veered a bit left and hit fenced in cleared area, cut south back to line and once I was between the hills, I saw it right in front of me, albeit, a good bit higher than I wanted to climb. 6:19.
Slightly N of E towards the radio tower. Through end of stony reentrant and up to W corner of tower. Around tower and down road until I saw the access road cutting in from the left. Then gingerly down the grody stuff, passing Robert Buracynski on the way. Hit reentrant and followed it down to flag. 8:53.
Up hill so as to pass N of compound, having bad memories of having tried the green S of that compound during last year's middle. Stopped for quite a while for water. Bearing in to control as a small group punched simultaneously. 6:38.
Down hill and around through rocks. Thought I saw the double-rock, but when I got there, NO control. Headed on, but saw what looked like a second spur, so I turned back. Passed by Susie DeWitt, Sharon Crawford and some other woman as I retraced. Eventually decided that retracing had been a mistake and headed forward, coming to the control the same time as Robert. 8:38.
Out of control to right side of reentrant. Planned to drop into reentrant with control very near the circle, but I was on the wrong spur. Headed down and hit the green just above the trail and road. Fortunately, I was able to figure things out quickly and headed right to control. Again, punched just ahead of Robert. 4:36.
Down to trail any way I can get there and then run as much as possible to the go control, telling myself to look at/check off nothing on the way. 2:48.
Run in, but get caught for a second at the road junction. Pull out map, determine that the right fork is correct, head up and see the control about one step later. Listen to folks telling me to run harder. :52.
A pretty sloppy race, but it was nice that all of my mistakes were less than five minutes. So I probably got out of a West Point weekend with a total of fewer than fifteen minutes of errors - a new low.