Training Log Archive: Charlie

Back up at Bosco Ragabo today, a bit late getting there as our bus had some trouble on the way up. Arrived at my start (10:42) as the 10:44s had already moved up, so had to jump the line to get off with my group. Still slightly drizzly, but quite foggy, and the most trouble I've had navigating in quite a while. I kept getting close, but just not having the right sense of the circle. Looking around for a while, going someplace else and attacking back, finally seeing it around a little knoll from where I had been. Happened on 1, ran right into the spot I was expecting it at the same time as two others, but nothing there. Wandered for a bit, tried this and that. Then rattled enough that I started to two at a 180 for about 30 seconds, before doubling back and otherwise fine on that. Then 3 I had read all the way in, up in the saddle looking for a depression, but nothing. After some thrashing around went and relocated off a road, came back to the same spot, but there it was, just a bit further right in the saddle than I had been looking. Really thought I was losing it going to 4, right up a pretty distinctive reentrant, not seeing it, not seeing it, and finally there it was behind a tree. 5 was ok. 6 I had a parallel error and was headed from 8 to 7, before I realized I was supposed to be going to 6, and then thought I was headed from 8 to 6 before I settled down, for what was really a pretty easy control. Short control to 7, but again couldn't find the pit. Got past it to a pretty distinctive rocky gully, came back looking for it, wandered a bit, went back to 6 and attacked again, same result, and then suddenly it popped up, half a line lower than I had been looking. Similar sort of stuff on 8 and 11, but not as serious. Just really ugly. But physically I held up better than I have in a while, so that's something to be pleased about.

After the race we took the buses further up the mountain to the edge of the lava from the 2002 and 2005 eruptions. Fascinating big black chunky stuff, right next to grassy pine forest. Saw some interesting photos taken at the time of the eruption in time sequence. Beautiful photography, very interesting, but I guess I would have been scared to be there.

Stage 4 Bosco Ragabo