orienteering race (Kooyoora Pilgrimage Pt 1 ) 54:26 [4] 5.1 km (10:40 / km)
shoes: new Olways
Melville Caves - start was at the bottom picnic ground and the start punch not quite where the triangle was marked, so from the beginning I had to concentrate very hard. Am out of practice at reading rocks! Managed not to be distracted by the fact that it was a beautiful spring afternoon, or that my back was aching, presumably from the road trip, making jumping and ducking the greenness a bit awkward. Went up the road from 1 then across to and down the track then down the green gully to 2, looked at the track option on the long leg to 4 but decided that wouldn't be using my brain enough so picked stuff off slowly but successfully going straight through the green until I hit the creek, then on the vague open approach to 4 wasn't sorry to be passed by Dave Brownridge as this was validation of my bearing.
Held good bearings and picked off stuff quite well through the next few complex legs, occasionally stopping to lift up the line between controls on the map and peer under it to find the boulder I'd just passed. Almost overshot 5 and did look one minor gully (the one hidden under the circle) too soon on 10 although I knew I didn't need to. Was passed by Dave again on the way into 12; I thought he left it a bit low/too far right and sure enough, there was no sign of him at 13 and he finished after me. Fairly satisfied with my navigation - could possibly have taken some faster route choices but lost less than a minute in the circles.
Didn't exactly warm down, but did finally gather the coordinates from the lookout for a multi-stage geocache in the vicinity and having worked out that the final point was a couple km down the walking track SE from the campground, talked George & Blair into coming with me. There were wedgetailed eagles soaring overhead and magnificent views, and the Wallowa wattle at its yellow best made for some lovely photos out across the rocks.