Hiking (Trail) 12:51 [2] 0.53 mi (24:15 / mi) +122m 14:07 / mi
slept:7.5 weight:193.5lbs
QOC: Cunningham Falls State Park. I walked up the hill to the start of QOC's Platform Palooza event. It was a good warm-up. The skies were sunny, the temperatures were in the 70s F, and the humidity was low.
Orienteering 1:45:59 [3] **** 7.6 km (13:57 / km) +346m 11:22 / km
spiked:19/21c
QOC: Cunningham Falls State Park. Conditions were much better than the previous events held here. This time Sam Listwak set the course, giving Jon a chance to run. I enjoyed the day though not everyone did. I knew what to expect. I tripped a lot and had to walk a lot. We didn't have long legs like the Red course did. My only real errors were being distracted by other controls.
S-1 - as it would be for much of the day, running was done in stops and starts. There's enough debris on the ground so as to make it difficult to get into a rhythm. I spiked this going straight.
1-2 - I was being cautious not to drift off on the wrong ditch and for my footing. I went straight and spiked it.
2-3 - I loosely followed the ditch and spiked it.
3-4 - After a step or 2 of going toward #1 again to use it as an attack point, I went straight. I did see #1 off to my right and another person converging from that direction. I spiked it.
4-5 - I went straight, dropped down a little bit to use the cairn midway, then attacked from there to spike it.
5-6 - I saw at least 2 of the charcoal platforms on my way down. Once across the stream, I contoured and was reading my way into #6 well. However, I got distracted and decided to checkout #11 which was visible below me. I lost time but tried to run a bit uphill to makeup for it. I got to #6 from #11 just fine.
6-7 - Starting straight, I cut right to get around the green. I used the mapped vegetation to follow it around and into the control.
7-8 - I went a little to the right of the leg line. Up high, I was on target but got distracted with a different course control on the stream. I thought it was early and off to the left but like at #6, I ran to it anyway, just to make sure. From there I went in well.
8-9 - I ran straight and was able to checkoff things along the way. I spiked it.
9-10 - Sam warned me about the unmapped chunky rocks on this leg. There was a cow path for part of the way. I spiked it.
10-11 - I was able to run much of this since it was going downhill. I checked off charcoal platforms and some of the big feature contours to zero in and spike it. It didn't seem to help much that I'd already been to #11 once. I came in a little lower than planned but close enough to still say I spiked it.
11-12 - This was the trickiest control of the course. I started straight but seeing the green ahead, I went around to the right where it was clearer. Reading the contours and looking for an opening, I found one and came up right at the control.
12-13 - I recall a similar leg from a previous year. I used the reentrant align myself after getting through the green, and then spiked it. I was able to run once in a while.
13-14 - This felt physically hard after the earlier part of the course. I crossed the stream near the lower bend and then hit the notch reentrant on the line. Passing right between the double rootstocks, I got to the next platform and then to the control, spiking it.
14-15 - I was a bit cautious going down. The unexpected green wall wasn't that bad. I stayed on my line and emerged to spike the control.
15-16 - After crossing the ditch I decided it wasn't worth staying on it. I kept straight, using a few contour features to zero in. I passed above the rootstock for easier running.
16-17 - I started throwing caution to the wind as I sometimes get excited toward the end of a course. I really had a good way left but it seemed like things were winding up. I drifted right a bit but slowed as I did. Upon seeing that I was too close to the reentrant, I corrected and had to climb slightly to the control. I still consider this a spike.
17-18 - There were a few unmapped ditches along the way. I ignored the first 1 or 2 before seeing the mapped one. Seeing the rootstock zeroed me in on the control on the platform behind it. As I was coming in, it sounded like someone was ahead leaving the control.
18-19 - After descending to the streams, I wasn't sure if I'd drifted to the left. I continued my bearing, finding a lot of streams and some marshiness. I kept going and spiked the control.
19-20 - I ran straight and soon saw David Onkst ahead, just before we got to the control.
20-21 - Dave initially led but we diverged. I was on the right and he on the left. I started to pull ahead and lost sight of Dave. Emerging in a field of grasses and mile-a-minute vine, I found an elephant track. Taking a right fork, I stepped in a hole but escaped still running and uninjured. I hit the roads and punched.
21-F - Straight, I tried to run a little faster but didn't really manage a sprint.
Orienteering (Control Pickup) 53:41 [2] 2.08 mi (25:49 / mi) +615m 13:27 / mi
spiked:5/6c
QOC: Cunningham Falls State Park, MD. I picked up controls that I'd already been to during the Blue course. From #147 to #134, I was a little sloppy, relying more on the vegetation than bearing; I tried to keep the thicker vegetation close on my left. That leg was straight down to a flatter area and not a leg that I'd raced. The flatter area had more un-mapped stuff in it and was thicker, so I had trouble. Using the streams, I did manage to find #135 first. From there it was straight to #134, then back to the car.
After finishing up, David Onkst and I had a chance to grab a bite to eat and talk, and we don't get to do that much. We'll get another chance when we go up to the Hudson Highlander in October.