Training Log Archive: ndobbs

Shavers Creek Environmental Center, PA

It snowed overnight, so we waited to call the Center to make sure it was open and the roads ok before heading over to the other side of the ridge south of PSU.

Brian S had left maps for us at the desk, so we got those. Yay. Except. Local orienteering is more compass and pacing exercises. At least, the post locations were given by bearing and distance from the previous point. There was a master map, so I guess we could have worked out which control on the map we were headed to. But the map didn't really seem like it would be helpful.

After doing my first compass and pacing exercise in many, many years, we wandered up and had a look at the birdies. The barred owls were spectacular, as were the horned ones with 359ºrotating heads.

Went for a jog, grimacing most of the time with the sore knee, plus I kicked my ankle where there isn't much by way of skin, so that hurt too. Then came back and saw dead chicks jump down the throat of a bald eagle perched on someone's arm. Cool.

Long drive back to NY, but we had a nice lunch in Milheim and did some Amish-spotting.

Apparently PSU students are brilliant. A few years ago March 17th was during Spring Break, so they decided to celebrate a little early, and State Patty's Day was inaugurated. And since it was fun, they retained it, even when March 17th is not during the Break. So they now have two days when everyone in town gets to dress in green and drink inordinate quantities of cheap alcohol and consider it fun. Ingenious!

I don't usually expect to see green socks and miniskirts in a snowstorm before breakfast.

Forgot to say, but on Thursday the weather was really quite pleasant, we had lunch sitting on a bench outside on campus. It didn't last long.

Drove up the ridge south of town on route 26, into the cloud. Stopped at a trail and went for a jog. Stony terrain. I fell rather inelegantly and turned around. Made it back fine, but knee is displaying the usual bashed knee symptoms, and have a couple of patches of skin missing.

Maths and dinner were good. Beer was also good. Back in the hotel now, waiting for the State Patty's Day riots to begin.

Didn't sleep particularly well last night, then up early to drive to PSU. Radiolab was excellent, the hookworm stories the best. Anyone with allergies/asthma looked into that?

In the maths dept, I started the process to log on to wifi. About halfway through the 16 pages of instructions (I kid you not), I renounced.

After dinner and a couple of beers, we switched bars, or tried to. I only had my fancy french licence with me, so got refused entry to one place.

2.75$ a beer where we ended up!

C • Glad you went 1

Sent off my membership renewal, along with dues from 4 new individual members and three families. Easy.

C • should've asked you to do mine too 3

Wow. 6.30 yesterday, sat down in the armchair and rested, eyes half-closed, for an hour. Then figured I may as well go to bed. Got up maybe three times during the night, finally got out of bed at 9.30 am. 14 hours?! Still feel a bit woozy today.

C • nice 3

Climbing with Mark, Peter, Steve. I've been worse. A little annoying to only make it to one step below the top of the 5.8 I started with. Fun.

Damn, wasn't paying attention! It's Pancake Tuesday and I haven't had a pancake party.

C • pancakes 4

QR is up for yesterday's wonderful inverted corridor. Thanks, Jagge!
And the version with a semi-transparent corridor, so you can see what wasn't on the map - https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UkRdsZANuwBu...

Collected some of the streamers from yesterday. Then did a loop on the trails. Body is tired.

C • Streamers 1

If you go down to the skogen today,... http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/...

C • ...and noone missed him... 2

Putting out streamers.

First loop, Marek had put out streamers.

Lots (well, relatively) of people out training today. Two from HVO's NJ section, two from climbing, three from work, then three plus three kids kind of through work via chenritzo.

Here is what was on offer. Four loops, progressive difficulty. Marek did the lot, and Peter and Angela did loops 2,3,4, which is great! Steve and Gabi separately got lost from 14 to 15, first time out. The families did the first two loops in a group.

I think this is a good way to do stuff for beginners.

C • three plus three? 6

Jagge's elite training two.

Inverted corridor. More later.

Route (counterclockwise)
This was great, it made me concentrate! I felt like I was drunk doing the quickroute, trying to follow a line and not sway from side to side too much. It seems like a very good exercise. Blue Mtn has good enough visibility and enough distinct objects for it to be not too, too hard. I was really not going fast, and it really should be possible to do this fast. But I'm not sure I can do anything fast at the moment.

QR is a bit off in places, as always here. After running along the trail a bit in the SE, I left the trail where the big cliff/hill thing is on the left. I don't think I ran onto the map until past the little spur/hill with the boulder on top. Then I was bad. Then I ran to the boulder, stopped and double-backed (didn't go past the boulder). Slow and hesitant going down the slope. Compass would have reassured here. In the northeast, the route should be a millimetre or two east of the cliff.

C • glad you thoght training wa... 3