The memorable thing about 1998 is that you were supposed to be doing a Rogaine a couple of days later (in the torrid conditions), except your partner Fred ripped his knee open at Pothole Lake, leaving you without a partner.
The excellent anecdote from 1996 is that on the second day, you and I had the same start time, and the other people starting with us (Mike Ball among them) got to see how the experts mentally prepare for an important race. Steely concentration? No. Meditation? No. You were relating to me the story about how at the bowling outing the night before, you had scored a PR at pinball by a factor of something like 10000+, due to the score inflation since you had last played as a kid. This conversation continued right up until the moment the starter said "Go", at which point you and I both turned over our maps and charged off toward our respective first controls without hesitation, leaving the others bewildered. So fine!