Orienteering 1:24:26 [3] **** 7.79 km (10:50 / km) +119m 10:04 / km
spiked:12/13c slept:8.1 weight:204.2lbs
Summer Short Series: Prince William Forest, VA. Ted Good set the first event of our summer training. It was in the extreme NW of Prince William Forest. We started off Joplin Rd. (Rte. 619). This area has some of the best open forest of the park, with low, subtle slopes. The Blue course got here in the Royal Romp but only Red had even got close. I did the 7.6K, 110m climb course in 7.789K;, 119m. I went straight at most controls and only missed spiking one. Besided the being accurate in the technical terrain, I was happy that i ran though it pretty well. I hadn't been running much lately; primarily due to being busy with work and the Jug Bay course setting.
S-1 - I started from the telephone pole and I was the first starter. I was a bit fickle on this leg. After getting across the power lines, I realized I was a bit further east than planned. Instead of going around the green on the west side, I went around it on the east side. I came in from a little lower than intended.
1-2 - I went almost straight. I got to the first stream, then ran west along it to avoid the unmapped light green. I found a gap (animal track?) in the green and crossed before the confluence, but instead of going straight, I contoured around the ridge. Dropping into the valley, I noted the position of a rootstock below and though it was the mapped one. I kept going and found the dot knoll.
2-3 - Going mostly straight, I saw Oriana Riley headed toward #2. I crossed above the root stock and contoured to it.
3-4 - I first got to the tip of the southern intermittent stream, then up thorugh the gap in vegetation by first getting to the subtle reentrant west of it. The vegetation seemed to close-in. I came out and ran just north of the next intermittent stream. I bounced off of the mapped deadfallI thought I'd seen the mapped rootstock west of the one with the control so I kept going. With lighter deadfall around and seemingly some other rootstocks, I kept going to the next rootstock on my bearing and spiked it.
4-5 - Straight the whole way. I thought I was just north of the line at the first stream, then lower in the next moon shaped reentrant. I had to force myself to keep to the bearing getting to the stream; I had a tendency to bear left there. After crossing the stream, I thought I was a little high, juding from how long it took to get across the next subtle reentrant. Near the end, I slowed a lot, keeping my eyes peeled. I hit the circle just north of straight and was happy to see the control.
5-6 - Straight mostly. I went just north of the first 2 rootstocks, north of the mapped intermittent stream end, over the middle of the knoll, then across the light green spur. A bug was buzzing and chasing me through all of this and all the way to the control. I did drop south of the line, coming off the east end of the broad spur before the stream. I just about contoured in from there. I'd been to this control before when I did some vetting for the QOC Royal Romp event.
6-7 - I initially went straight and crossed the stream after the mapped water pit. There was light unmapped deadfall on the north side of the stream that slowed me. Keeping straight across the next stream, I didn't see the depression. I was getting hesitant but realized to keep going when I saw the deeper reentrant.
7-8 - I was getting tired. I got to the ridge going straight. I'd counted 2 spurs so I just noted them while continuing straight. I got a little concerned about being too low since I saw some deadfall that I though might have been the rootstock. Seeing nothing in the direction, I dropped to the control. It was hard to see from a distance since it was in the ditch.
8-9 - I counted the spurs that I had on the way to #7, but lost contact after that. I went more slowly until seeing the 2 rootstocks SW of the control, then right to the control.
9-10 - Straight. I did some walking up the slope, but even doing that I wasn't in good contact with the map. I'd been to this marsh control before (when vetting) and knew it to be kind of at the top of a saddle. I was read the SE part of the knoll/ridge as a reentrant and wondering why I was climbing. Some slope tags might have helped but a different cutting of the control circle (hiding a small part of a contour) might have also. I was right on target at the cairn so I felt better about continuing to go straight. I hit the marsh on the SE end, going on the east side of it to the control.
10-11 - Straight, reading all of the contours along the way, I was pretty much on the line.
11-12 - Going straight, I got to the rootstock east of the spur. Given how I'd been following a bearing for much longer distances today, I should have hit it from there but I think I thought the rootstock was too small and got distracted by the greener mess further away. I missed going south of the control. I turned back and saw it about 25m away.
12-13 - Straight. I mostly walked across the power lines again but got to running again on the other side. I could see it on my line ahead from a good distance away.
13-F - Straight but I got closer to the marsh than I thought I should. I cut left until hitting the verge on the edge of the forest and stopped my time there presuming it to be the finish. After getting through the verge, I realized I was still a bit NE of the finish so I started my watch again and ran across the road to the control flag on the fence (past the finish).
It was a fun course. I was happy that no one caught me and that I was accurate in the forest. We ended up eating at IHOP after the Montclair Restaurant and the El Paso Mexican Grill were too busy. 18 of us ate together--many of the best navigators in the club.