Discussion: The Rocky Mountain Goat

I am pleased to announce that a preliminary course design has been conceived for the Rocky Mountain Goat and a subsequent test run has confirmed that all the pleasures of the terrain that any desire could harbor are there, bared for the taking. A few small details remain to be finalized, but the basic concept is in place and confirmed. The course will contain 19 controls scattered over 12.1 kms. Some people will no doubt wonder at the relative paucity of controls, when comparisons of courses offered at other events earlier this year (in regions perhaps more desperately equipped when it comes to the fine race terrains) would suggest that 50-60 controls at least would be more appropriate, but as is always the case at Laramie Daze, we are going for quality, not quantity, here.

The design also features 2 fence crossings, 3 passages of "moose" terrain", a nice selection of geologic anomalies (including a nearly indiscernible shallow depression control (something special for the moody orienteer?)), north lines a kilter to the paper, and a good amount of newly mapped terrain that has never seen prior use.

And if the ranchers will just leave things alone for another 6 weeks, there will be plenty of cattle to run by--for that genuine western feel.

Here's a sneak peak at the map. I couldn't quite decide what scale to map for, but I didn't want to omit any of the exquisite details in the terrain, and given the expectation that we will be hosting numerous World Cups and other WRE races in the future here, I compromised and selected 1:600. If only there were a place where people could discuss appropriate map scales ad infinitum--it would have been helpful. But I think I pretty well nailed it anyhow. The most important thing of course is legibility. The black areas depict the tens of thousands of boulder sized (and smaller) rock features that I found. I sure hope I got them all.

When looking at the map, many REM songs come to mind, but the one that really sticks out is "It's the End of the World As We Know It".

From publiken

It's gonna be one mighty fine race!

If that's 1:600, then I'm extremely impressed that you can fit a 12.1 km course onto a piece of terrain that's 48 meters across with only 19 controls. I would have expected that at least 250 controls would have been necessary.

No, no, 1:600 was the survey scale requisite to capture the proper amounts of detail for a truly modern orienteering experience. The race map will be at a fairly normal goat race scale.

The course for the Rocky Mountain Goat has been finalized, and race details as well as information about the other Daze races are available here:

https://sites.google.com/site/laramierangeorientee...

Jealous.

Details suggest that those geologic anomalies have strange gravitational effects..
Trees typically begin falling within 3-5 years of beetle kill and continue to fall for the next 10-15 years
Is there a special symbol for falling tree?

I have tried hard to spot and map some falling trees. Mapping them would be easy, I think. Spotting them, on the other hand, has proven quite difficult. I have not abandoned hope, however, even though it may well prove to be the case they turn out to be an entirely theoretical feature, existing only in equations, but never in reality...

Some people might appreciate this piece of the terrain description:

No thorns, poison oak or ivy, deer ticks, or lyme disease.

Cheers.

What is the map symbol for a falling tree?

Technically it's not 100% absolutely strictly ISOM, but the symbol favored locally is the Wyoming Bucking Bronco. Yee-haw!!!

Bill & I are really looking forward to Laramie Daze, and if it is the start of The End Of The World As We Know It........we feel fine.

I do most of my field surveys at a scale of 1:1. I am amazed at the efficiency of a Swampfox, and others who can do these things at 1:600. This must be why the Swampfox has made so many more maps than me.

I know this is a little off topic, but Swampfox why didn't you tell us swedish singer/songwriter Sofia Talvik was playing at the Crowbar and Grill in Laramie, WY on September 1st at 9PM? It's part of her 2 year USA Driven' and Dreaming tour. People should definitely check her out! It's solo acoustic guitar and her voice for this tour, very mellow. Cost is probably free or cheap. Samples of her music, etc. can be found at:

www.sofiatalvik.com