Training Log Archive: BigWillyStyle

Classic @ Catalina SP. This terrain was far less friendly than the first day, but still enjoyable in its own way. Much rock and cacti abounded, and for some reason I found myself fighting my compass at times, which, for example, led to me bungling the second control impressively, losing some 10-12 minutes searching in an area some 500m from the actual control location.

Also lost time on 14, and took a critical hit from a cholla on the way to 18 - the worst cacti encounter I've had. I veered left to go around two large cacti in my path, only for my right knee to collide with a smaller, unseen knee-high cholla when I pivoted back to the right to correct course. Two of four pods were readily removable, but the other two were quite large and embedded deeply enough that I could not remove them with map and compass. Luckily, the backside of these pods were free of spines such that I could get a decent hold to pull them out with brute force - until the pod itself proved to have a lower breaking point than the spines' hold in my skin, and came apart in my hand. However, I had then undermined the integrity of the spines' base so that I was able to divide and conquer, removing the pods in pieces, a smaller number of spines coming free with each piece.

Blue - Splits