Training Log Archive: bl

DP, dry, cool, breezy. Nice day in the making. Dogs bound for kennel - can hear Mocha's teeth chattering already. No camping weekend on the to-do list.

Sandskrit

All terrain (no brain) vehicles, indeed.

Slope line presentation:
I made this up last fall. It's been collecting dust on the desktop. I thought I'd put it to use.

At the UNO October A meet in NH, the use of in slope lines in some places was very helpful, one might even say crucial - as in clarity versus confusion. The first jpg shows a highlighted portion of the map with insufficient use of slope lines. There is a large hill in a larger reentrant under the right part of the oval. The second jpg shows the first version of a short leg on the green course using the map as depicted in the first image. A runner going from 1 to 2 in the terrain climbs out of the depression, crosses a 20m wide ridge and drops into a reentrant where visibility was minimal (say 10m) due to dense pine trees. The runner might just expect to keep dropping (except the control description says “spur”). The third jpg shows use of slope lines clarifying what is up and down (as well as circle cutting to better show the first depression). The fourth shows the blue leg on the same day with the course line covering a crucial slope line (and part of another, halfway to #2) which had good reason to cause interpretation confusion especially with only a quick glance. This was an oversight on my part as course setter. I didn't think to look at everything covered by the lines connecting control point circles. The fifth corrects the situation.

Slope lines aren't very often important in New England but in this piece of/type of terrain they were. Maybe they are the unsung heroes of the symbols legend. Details are endless in the pursuit of “perfection” and keeping competitors happy (or at least from complaining).

Of related interest perhaps, the copy of Birkhead sent me (next week's USOC meet map) has no slope lines. There are some earth banks (with tag lines) and one large depression but no slope lines per se. The addition of some would make sorting reentrant from spur a bit more speedy in some instances (for what it's worth). And might it not be beneficial for those with less contour reading experience?

When working man finally took note of a handed-down calendar, Friday became notable. All creatures great and small could stand tall.

Bear Brook after work - got there about 4:30, checked a water stop location, then 3 blue controls north of Podunk Rd., then a brown and two reds to the south. Lastly, visited a small clearing by a large path - 305 gps-mapped path was supposed to be just west of the clearing. It didn't feel right - I wasn't so sure but was pleased to see it was in actuality. GPS is lovely. Lovely evening too, nearly moon full noted on way home.

SPS XC at noon, went thru the a,b,c's of the process. Dry! Miserable wet Lee remnants departing.

PM DP with Beth along. Decent ATV sandskrit.

PM DP, very rainy period. No dog transport car so outback thru waist-high wet fern in wimp mode - later knee-high blueberry. Haven't been atop the contours there in a few months. Always more trees uprooted, lying flat or hung up. Much cleaner back in '06-7 when mapping - a greater # of strong winds at work, evidently. Got to PL, jogged smallest loop, came back on road barking at dogs to keep them off the road. Raining pretty hard at end - dreary but the bright event was the doing of it. Got some intensity '2' in.... Could light a wood stove tonight for cozyness - wouldn't be too hot.
Local microburst.

Noon at Memorial field for stretching & walked a bit. First lap on track was 5:05 and then 4:40 - hard to believe 4x that walking pace would accomplish a 4:40 mile - seems doable but it most certainly isn't!

DP, cool, quiet except for distant crickets. Moose tracks. Dogs demanded a treat before getting in car....

PG was quite right about ice cream - last half gallon went in three nights. Tell Beth "don't buy anymore for now" then look longingly, hopefully into the empty freezer. One of few addictions and "buy one get one free" is only at the Stop & Shop.

Going to remove post-op red flag but ITI smoulders.

DP with the omnipests. Gray humidity but a breath of cool breeze now & then. Moose tracks in the Sandbox. The human profile is so bullet-riddled it's hard to make out. Spent about 2' digging in sand for bullet lead...pondering how far into sand a bullet might travel. Did not find any.

Last night, made it to Rollins Park but got tired of waiting for Mitt (knew what he would say would be offensive, simplistic anyway) - went for the ambiance. Z & M enjoyed stretching out on real grass & receiving attention. Some 20' devoted to military tribute (singing etc) as it was Tea Party-sponsored. Highlight was that Beth & Mocha returned unharmed! A tree branch some 25' long and 4" diameter at the base fell (not a zephyr stirring) some 40' (my est) - heavy part missing Beth & Mocha (plus 2 others) by less than 2'. By the time she realized, she put a hand out, brushed it - but too heavy to change its path. 0.5 sec later or so, it slammed into the ground. Might have killed either - good chance of that for M, significant injury for Beth. Both shes were "objects of attention" for our remaining 35' or so.

"I don't like being an object of attention" she said. Better in this fashion than in another.

C • Suggestion 3

Back to BB with Beth to finish off. Some drops but not really wet. Saw Jim Arsenault's MV. Highlight was finding a horse! Had been told that one was missing since yesterday - ran off from Hayes field. The last 2 cp's I was visiting were near the fishing pond. I'm certainly not expecting to see/find a horse, esp in these rather big, thick woods. But there it was (almost as big as a moose), right on a straight line to cp 256, standing on the side of a knoll chewing leaves. Had a halter but I could see I was not going to lead it out some 250m to the road. I am not comfortable with horses but had to make a pitch. Let me pet/touch it, took a few leaves from my hand. How surprised I was when it followed me across the small brook and then into the marsh. It sank quite far in and had misgivings but I coaxed on & shortly she was on dry ground then on the road. Had yelled ahead to Beth to find a rope. Right away, the horse was off, down the road toward the camping ground. We followed in car, Beth getting out several times. Finally, it let her get close & get hold of the halter. Beth walked it to the campground, about a mile distant. I had turned a truck around who went back to Hayes field where owners still were, 4pm. Shortly they were at the campground, the young lady sobbing with relief. She & mom: all hugs:). They had some dismal expectations - even a kit to put down the horse should they have found it injured in the woods. All's well that ends well. I didn't know horses would pay any attention to me!

Eventful weekend: first get nearly zapped, then be a heroine:-).

Starting out


Closing in


A walk in the woods


Happy ending

C • nice story 6

Course checking with Beth for company. Hot, 84F in shade at end. Went to north section and then south of Podunk Road. Changed some yellow and orange cp's to keep everyone happy. Green mid-course changed as well for same reason. Beth enjoyed the perspective of an off-trail walk in the woods, occasionally in the tree tops or so it seemed. Dip at the swimming area after.

South side of road, more white woods. This place goes back 30+ years to when I was trying orange and then maybe red the next day. Back one more time & will be up to date.

Plan for the day was to hang around, go to meet and greet at 4p...meet Rick Perry at Gordon Humphrey's Republican mansion in east Concord. Beth invited as she is an independent. I was going to be a polite party crasher...ie, keep my mouth shut, just observe. Imagine the distress when I read about the event in the Sunday MONITOR this am! Seems she had the wrong day. So plan B was BB. Plan C might include witnessing another buffoon (a creationist baboon?), Romney who will make an appearance in Rollins Park in an hour.

Just plain serene - Hayes Marsh


Fungi of some kind


Amidst green and yellow mansions