Training Log Archive: Mess Engineer

2 hrs prior to this with trips to Bunnings to get twin brother more treated pine sleepers and return trailer since his trailer light connection not working.

Approx 4 hrs assisting twin brother with stairway he is building down his steep block.

From Miscellaneous

Alternating turns on jackhammer and filling up buckets of soil.

Unfortunately to try and keep the step height down within Australian Standard legal limits he keeps having to put in 90 degree turns and landings to go sideways across the hill for short lengths. After weeks of work he is nearly at the lower level of the house but due to the sudden change in ground slope the next step now about 0.6 m under ground (ie horizontal step depth into hill versus vertical step height now much less than the steep slope so keep getting further and further underground until slope reduces again further up the hill).

So we are now right next to a huge granite boulder which either have to jackhammer through (which I think is probably impractical) or add another 90 degree turn sideways and cut down two shrubs. Need a more powerful jackhammer than the borrowed one he is using. Jackhammer barely strong enough for the sandstone conglomerate we have been working on ... based on past experience breaking concrete will need something bigger for solid rock.

C • that's huge! 2

Late yesterday went for a walk down the back bush with Partner and two dogs.

Dogs went 1 metre under fence into Neighbours and started sniffing around excitedly before settling at the base of one tree.

Partner then found about 15 metres up (and climbing) our first ever (that we have seen anyway) Koala. Our dogs are amazing at hunting down animals .... although they then want to kill everything.

From Wallalong Wildlife

Photo not that great since Koala was at a fair height and only had mobile telephone.

C • Total envy!!!!!! 11

17 Controls. 1 Control triplicated as loops. B Loop. Nominal 4.9 km. Distance a guess.

Happy to be the absolute last rostered to Start in Hard 3 Mens C / Womens B today. No following. No chasing Newcastle Club Members. Just got to do my own thing with majority of controls found solo.
Only saw 1 familiar face at my Control 5 (their 10?) where I was wasting time too low anyway.

Either it was the hottest day today or I had run out of energy as struggled up the hills. The NOC member I passed up the hill from my 5 may dispute my comment about struggling on hills however. Wanted to make up for the lost minutes.

Lost time on 5 as too low. Probable 2 minutes. In hindsight obviously didn't read contour lines enough.
Lost minor time on 8 as turned down one track to early and then worked it out and corrected.
Lost minor time on 15 as ended up probably 50 m too north at track and then worked in out and corrected.

Amazed to still be finding new areas on this map at 8, 14 and 15 although some of the others were very familiar from past runs (probably approaching 10 runs here now).

Came reasonably well between Sam and Shane.

Survived my first ever 5 day event but looking forward to not having to reserve energy any more and return to holiday yard activities.

More light activities down the back bush brush cutting a few more tracks and cutting off small branches and removing ground level sticks.

Now thinking about how I will mark these tracks permanently and position some seats down the back. Looking forward to my own private retreat and I think it will look great in time.

Will be working for 8 hours or so at my twin brothers yard on New Years Day on his steep stairway project. He has progressed well since the last time when I went down there to pull out all his old stumps.

C • Do remember.. 2

Between the two of us we raked clear all the newly cut tracks.
The idea of this was to expose all the twigs and half buried branches so they can be pulled up.
Next stage will be driving the borrowed ride-on tractor through there on a low cut to clear it further.
Don't intend to routinely rake these as they will get leaves and twigs rapidly again.

Dogs disappeared about half way through .... and came back 5 minutes from finish. Another mystery canine adventure.

Hard 3B Day 5 - Splits

15 Controls. Nominal 4.8 km. Distance a guess.

Mass Start.
Turned into a "following contest" which made navigation almost redundant.
Nothing to do with maceys good course setting ... just the cards he was dealt.
Only found 2 of the 15 controls myself with the others either being lead to, or seeing the mass of people around it.
Based on 3 past experiences "Stanford Scrubs" is a haven for getting totally lost.

On the way to Control 1 went almost solo (M Roberts ahead) down main track to south and then came up north.
At Control 1 caught up with main group that had cut cross country (S Howe, G Peel, T Tew amongst many others).
Then basically followed group to Controls 2, 3 and 4 but by then we had broken away with the slower pack dispersed behind (however the better navigators rapidly overtook with the next problem!)

At Control 5 about 8 - 10 people were going in what I thought was the wrong direction (S Howe and K Blatchford amongst them) or I assumed they had somehow already found 5 (even though I had not heard the beep) and were heading to Control 6.
I had been lost here twice before as these series of very distinct ponds distract you west when you want to head to the indistinct pond south.
So I went back to the ponds near Control 4 and then relocated to a ditch I had been lost at before.
Totally annoyed I had lost 10 minutes at least (ended up 11:45 with others doing it in 1:30) and was picturing the group being long gone by now.
Then 'happy days' as met Sam Howe again and she had screwed up this control equally. She was also happy too as I was just as lost.
Misery loves company!
We rapidly separately found 5 by heading direct west from the ditch and then on to 6 and then she disappeared (apparently getting further lost on the way to 7).

I found 7 with yet another group OK, then solo to 8.

Caught up with K Blatchford again (swapping stories on the run about how much time we separately wasted at 5) and then played alternating tag to Controls 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15. Second game of KB tag ... the other being Event 1 ... I would have thought she would overtake me easily.

When I got back beaten by 2 - 10 minutes by the usual better navigators but Sam and Shane had an even worse time than me so we were all very annoyed at ourselves. I didn't really care as I expected at least one disaster today.

Only 1 more day to go.

Time approximate.

Using brush cutter to make more distinct the tracks through the back 3 1/2 acres. The wallaby tracks are starting to get grassed over so I cut them about 1/2 metre wide. Partner hasn't been wanting to go through there as worried about snakes and lack of visibility.

Made the tracks curvey to add interest and spent time digging up half buried branches as they would keep getting smashed with the ride-on tractor if I used this instead of brushcutter in future. Pulled out one dead paperbark but not intending to cut out lots of branches or trees to create wide open tracks like around the boundary.

Plan to make these permanent.
May put out more metal stakes to temporarily highlight the path but ultimately get a truckload of rocks delivered and make a guiding edge.

Long term plan is for seating and tables down there to make it my own private bush/park retreat.
May use to set a mini park / street novelty event one day.

Although easy work gave up after 2 hours to save energy for final run tomorrow.

Hard 3 Day 4 - Splits

Never played with RouteGadget splitalyzer before.
Could have hours of obsessive review comparing to others!

C • analysing splits 5

9 Controls. Nominal 5.1 km. Distance a guess. Probably more.

Had Shane Jenkins start 4 minutes before me and Sam Howe 1 minute after me.
Caught Shane at Controls 2, 3 and midway to 8. Ultimately finished about 2 minutes faster than him.
Never saw Sam for entire run and she blitzed me by about 4 minutes.

Overshot Control 1 and got to the main track before coming south again.
For Control 2, I was too high to lose by going down again, so went up the south hill track and then west and came down to the control unlike the majority who came up the hill.

Both Shane and I screwed up Control 3 and must of been within 2 metres of seeing it.
We thought we were too far north on a track crossing the creek so separately both looked south. I ran down to the southern track crossing and came back and lost 5 minutes (overall to Control 3 my split was 8 1/2 minutes compared to Sams 3 1/2).
This was ultimately the major time loss that at the finish put me 2 - 4 minutes behind Sam Howe, Geoff Peel and Tim Tew.

For Control 4 about 15 seconds time loss as slightly high.

No issues with Controls 5, 6 and 7.

Played alternating tag with Stephen Roberts to Controls 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.
I managed to get ahead on the way to 6, and 7, but he kept overtaking and I then would catch up.

Both Stephen and I screwed up Control 8 and probably came out 5 m too south and then went further south into the next clearing looking for it before both deciding we must be wrong.

So two times today I was only just away from the control and then selected the wrong direction to go. However ultimately happy with my run.

C • So it didn't happen! 2

Walking boundary track with wheelbarrow cutting off all low branches to all good clear width to walk around. Filled wheelbarrow and dumped at Fire Pit.

Body told me that I was too exhausted to even manage this (and I felt yesterdays stump pulling in the run this morning!) so with another 2 more 5 km plus XMas-O runs to go decided I better make the remainder of the day into a rest day.

Yes 3 dogs not 2. And not mine.
These were the Neighbours 2 houses downhill whose ZOO of animals (chickens, ducks, rabbits, mice, fish, bugs, dogs) my Partner is looking after twice daily whilst they are on Christmas Holidays.

Used the opportunity for their dogs to have a romp whilst I explored their back 3 1/2 acres (all four blocks in this corner of the estate are the largest at 6 1/2 acres - all the others are 2 1/2 or less I think).

I have now been through all four (mine included) at various times.

This one covered 80% in lantana, with no tracks for access, and divided in half by creek running through it. Partner bailed on the walk due to the lantana and creek. Creek has no crossing points although a running jump allowed me to clear it.

So mine, with a full length boundary track, ZERO lantana, and no swampy creek is my favourite!
None of my 3 neighbours even go down the back of their blocks or utilise the space.
I go down there several times a week.

Hard 3 Day3 - Splits

18 Controls. Nominal 4.0 km. Distance a guess from others Garmins.
Only run here before once at my first ever State League event / first ever SI event which had 14 controls for 3.9 km. On that occassion totally botched it up and spent 15:26 finding the 1st control after coming back to the start about 2 or 3 times. Came absolutely last. Total time was 1:16:00.
After event returned to start and walked to 1st control in less than 1 minute without a compass.
So VERY apprehensive today and took conservative track options.

But today ended up in lower 1/3 of leaderboard only 1 minute behind Sam Howe and Shane Jenkins so was not a total disaster this time. 27 minutes faster than last time!

Got a big metre long stick stuck through my shoelace at Control 13 which I couldn't break (due to a cut on palm of my left hand) so had to spend time unravelling.
Yesterday at Control 22 a stick flung up off the ground and hit me below the bottom lip drawing blood for a few minutes.
So I expect a tree branch to fall on top of me tomorrow.

C • falling tree branch 2

When we first moved in southern boundary track originally did not loop around entire side. So could get 90% of the way around the north, east and south sides and then it stopped. So I hand mowed a strip to get access.
However several large paperbarks within close proximity to fence stop a ride-on > 38 inches wide fitting through this area. So in track maintenance session yesterday decided to cut these down (these would be the first live trees deliberately removed in the 18 months been here).

Periods of Intensity 5 and was working a lot harder than this mornings run.
All hand cut up into 1.5 metre lengths and wheelbarrowed to beside Fire Pit to dry out for a month or so.

11:05 am - 12:10 pm (1:05)
Cut down small (arm thick) paperbark and pulled out by swinging body weight on remaining stump.
Cut down large (leg thick) paperbark and spent a long sweaty time with mattock cutting through lots of roots before it got weak enough for body weight to break off the main root underneath I couldn't get to.

From Wallalong Gardening - Part 2

Break for drink and snack.

12:35 pm - 1:25 pm (0:50)
Cut down second large paperbark. Had to cut overhung branch over fence first (whilst up on a ladder) to ensure no damage. Then more sweat and mattock work to remove.

Break for drink and recovery.

2:10 pm - 3:25 pm (1:15)
Cut down the third large paperbark. This was the hardest as overhung fence and had large vines growing through it. Had to tie a rope around branch and slowly crack the branch with body weight to get it to come down in a controlled manner. Three very large roots which I cut with handsaw rather than smash through.

Break as otherwise won't have any energy left for tomorrows Day 3.

Hard 3 Day 2 - Splits

Event: Xmas 5 Days
 

Time fill prior to the drive to Ourimbah (the drive which ended up taking only 1 hr 10 minutes so I had a few hours to fill in there as well).

9:45 am - 10:15 am.
Backfilled dirt in the two stump holes. May need to add more dirt later after rain when soil has compacted down a bit.

10:15 am - 11:40 am
Using tractor ride-on for track maintenance around back boundary. Ran out of fuel and it died - couldn't restart even with more fuel so had to put in neutral and push back to shed. Will work out problem later. Also a lot of whippersnipping under fence line. Whippersnipping easier option compared to tractor around boundary.

Christmas 5 Days Event 1. Nominal 4.5 km. 30 Controls.
Around Ourimbah TAFE.
Never ran on this map before - lots of path and building detail.
Overshot on the 1:4000 scale and found Control 3 before Control 1.
After this calmed down and started actually navigating.
Only other major time waste was 10 where I ran around the lake to the south rather than seeing the track option to the north.

Hard 3 Day 1 - Splits

Back in Newcastle from Kempsey.
Very happy to be travelling South rather than North.
The North travelling backlog through Bulladelah stretched for km and km and km!

40 minutes
Handsawing off multiple roots off two stumps recently pulled out (with new Christmas handsaw ... very sharp). My chain saw needs sharpening. Very very humid and sweating heavily.

40 minutes
Breaking all clay and mud off root ball with crowbar to allow cutting off remaining roots. Also loading roots into wheelbarrow and taking to Fire Pit. Sweating continued.

From Wallalong Gardening - Part 2

Also icepack on left elbow which is the 3rd day in a row and will probably become part of daily routine.