Day 5, also at the Lindvallen arena. OK run, at least as far as accuracy was concerned. Really lost no time looking for points. Some RC and hesitancy and loss of map contact but nothing serious. Just slow: the terrain was soft, bumpy, marshy/wet or quite packed with stuff to trip on. Leg was weak before 1st point.
1- was long and a good challenge. Started out w/o good map contact, did not get any really until first bit of marsh & path. Soon got in the right marsh (took some convincing) and it became straightforward. Saw the small blue pond, most helpful.
2 - just pay attention; 3 similar - when I got to far side of marsh, I noted the small spur on line & read contours from there. 4 - Read everything, care not to get on wrong side of knoll system about halfway along. Ran right by the boulder/SG. There was a flag at the boulder. #4 marked the end of orienteering. Used the path system toward #5; by then there were lots of orienteers and tracks. After the bldg, I left a bit early from the open area, went down into the woods and was confronted with what appeared to be a huge knoll - which was the elliptical one, maybe 16’ high, mapped as 5m it was atop another contour line so straight up in front of me. Rather foolishly went over, following others, vs around. Got up on the form line point knoll too far right, saw nothing but went toward the well-concealed flag. 6-9 was just a run-in on muddy paths. Walk-jog for most part.
Felt ok about the run from nav standpoint. Felt that way for the entire 5 days. The O-Ringen is so big, a phenomenon actually, but can’t lend itself to the best of courses, particularly for the shorter ones, returning the many, many to the chute in a consistently challenging fashion. Jeff finished 31st in H65, which was my very same position 5 years ago.
Five years ago to the day, a Friday, July 29th, 2011,
the bags were packed and I was ready to go.
Time travels and we must travel along with it. Then one day we part company.
Map