Orienteering 1:55:07 [3] 5.0 mi (23:01 / mi) +280m 19:37 / mi
I didn't have high hopes for this weekend since I haven't really been doing anything for quite awhile. I was mostly focused on the AGM and the Board meeting, which is probably why I couldn't fall asleep on Friday night.
Start - 1: Hit the stream below the control; recognized the hilltop and lone tree, but still curved too much around the hill. Saw the marsh, knoll (with a control on it) and trail all at the same time; turned and got the control.
1-2: Hit the trail by the knoll and ran down until the flattish spot; contoured, marking the "ponds" as I passed them; up and over the little spur to the control. Initially, couldn't decide to go up and run above the slope on the intermittent trail or contour. Still not sure.
2-3: Great execution. Just ran on compass, crossed trail, crossed stream, hit the broad reentrant SW of control spur; up and over.
3-4: Couldn't decide right or left; opted for left. Luckily, there was a deer trail almost the entire way on the other side of the marsh/swamp. Counted stream crossings; ran up the last stream, crossed to ridge on other side. The control was hard to see from that direction. I should have stayed on the other side of the stream until the end; I think it would have been so easy to see the control from that direction.
4-5: Just up and over. Hit it right on.
5-6: Many disasters! Plan was to run up spur to trail, turn right, pass water spot, go below boulder field, into control. Reality = ran spur but dropped down to stream and crossed; hit trail but the big one; thought I was on the other one, turned right and saw water, but everything looked wrong. Drank some water (which was actually not in the place marked on the map), spent about 1 minute trying to figure everything out. Finally realized what I had done and ran south to almost the next water stop. Dropped down west of the marsh, along the flat spot, but then nothing matched. Couldn't identify the boulder field; saw a control but couldn't place it, kept walking very hesitantly in the right direction. Saw folks on my course, so thought I must be close. Just kept walking and finally found it. Yuck!
6-7: More disasters. Went low, got caught up in unmapped green mess! Climbed a little, crossed the stream, saw Charlie De., tried to hold my line, but was probably too low already. Crossed some more streams, literally ran into Charlie and hugged him, with apologies, then found a control...not mine. It was Charlie's. Figured out I was too low, I was at the little intermittent stream by the knoll just SW of the marsh by the OOB area. Climbed up to #7, seeing #8 along the way.
7-8: Fine...knew where it was.
8-9: Silly leg. Ran up to the trail with the last bit being much steeper than it looks on the map; ran to the second water stop; used the depression as an attack point.
9-10: Ran right back out to the trail...I was *done* with the woods! Ran the trail completely around to the stream crossing and down into the control.
10 -11: Nice execution. Ran on compass, around the darker green, until the spur jutting out; then followed the edge until the cut-through. Easy.
12-13: One final bad thing. Got pushed too far to the right, and saw the road! By then I was so exhausted, just went to the road and around. Lost one spot to Peggy on this leg. Blah!
12 - F: turned and saw uphill finish. Might have said a bad word.