World's Hardest Night-O' at Pawtuckaway.
My route, except for around #9, and around #13 is a guess.
So there was discussion beforehand, knowing that JJ likes to keep statistics about such things as who has finished every edition of various events, there was discussion about how if you didn't get all the controls, you would severely regret it in the future. JJ did offer various scenarios for skipping controls, but the underlying message was, anyone worth anything better get them all. At least that was what I was thinking. And I was afraid I might be in for a long night.
Ross was clearly the class of the field, plus he had the biggest headlamp. I had chatted with Ernst, and he claimed he would walk the whole thing because of a bad back. And I figured I would walk the whole thing. So JJ says Go and Ross takes off, and Ernst takes off after him, and I take off after Ernst, trying to keep him in sight as long as possible. So much for truth in pre-race plans....
In company all the way to #1, fortunately, because when I left the trail heading due east looking for a boulder in vague terrain, my immediate thought was that this was really dumb. But at some point someone stopped just to my left, and lo and behold, there was #1.
Lucky again to #2, was probably going to go too far, but I heard a little noise to my right and figured I had better check, and over the little rise was #2.
To #3, on compass, in control of distance all the way, company of Jim Arsenault and Brendan, At the bottom of the steep slope Brendan spotted it first.
To #4, I got across the marsh first and was all by myself on the approach, but was a little too high and too far. And about when panic was setting in, down the hill just behind me came a couple of lights, heading right to #4.
#5 was pretty easy. Thick woods all the first part to #6, then a straight shot to the control, someone else there ahead of me. I think at this point Jim turned to go to #10, skipping 7-9.
#7 was a pain, because the forest got really bad for the last half, thicker than shown, rocky. Took advantage of Brendan here again.
To #8, he went a little left, I went a little right, no sign of him until just at the control, he was just ahead of me. But on that one I was in control all the way.
And then #9, mega-disaster, 32 minutes. Was careful, dropped down the last slope, thought i was just about right, but didn't see any control. Nor did Brendon. So we circled a bit in the immediate area, maybe 3-5 minutes, and then Brendan said he was going to bail out to the pond. Which seemed unnecessary to me, figured I could relocate, but I couldn't. I think i was SW of the control. Never saw Brendan again, but before too long there was another light, Ross this time. And after a bit he said he was going to bail out to the pond. Which I did too, and found the pond, but had a hard time telling where I was along the pond. And pretty soon no more sign of Ross, and I was getting pretty frustrated. And I looked at the rest of the course, and man, the rest looked easy if I could just find this dumb control. So I was trying and trying and trying to find something distinct in the terrain and finally I'm heading up a hillside going NE, at least 3 lines of climb, and I see where I might be, if there is a big boulder on the top of the little knoll on top. And there is, and other stuff matches up, and and I do the next 100 meters to the control, no problem. Why was it so hard 30 minutes earlier? Argggggg.
Well, off to 10. On the compass all the way, kept hoping to hit the bike trail, didn't for a long time, but I had good control on my distance and knew right where I was going. No problems.
To 11, ok until the end, tried to make sense of the bends in the bike trail, should have just stayed on my bearing. Still not bad.
#12 was easy, nice big features. #13 was easy too, you're just about done, I thought, and then blew it, badly. Hit the cliff just NE of the control, then missed the point from there, circled all around, tried to relocate, finally heading back NE to get back to the big reentrant, saw a light there, and it was Ernst. A bit of consultation as to where we might be, correctly done, but then I headed back down to the cliff, he went elsewhere. Got the control this time, and clean the rest of the way, Ernst in a couple of minutes later.
Finished, but not with much dignity, a double disaster is still a double disaster.
And also incredibly dehydrated, I'd been sweating away, it was still warm, but hadn't carried any water and there were no water stops on the course.
But still, finished. And a podium position at that.... :-)