Map and route.Green course at Gay City meet. Had the estimable company of Bill for the ride out. I could say fresh back from his tour of Romania, but given jet lag, perhaps fresh is not the precise word.
A lovely day, a bit on the warm side, but not humid, no bugs, generally very pleasant. Clicking along for the first part. An encounter between 1 and 2, probably with the same dog who lurched at Bill later in the course. Clicking along for the first four, but pulled up just a bit short on the way to 5 and got puzzled by an apparent unmapped rock. Not until later did I see it lurking under the purple line. Anyway, couldn't make sense of it and lost a good 5 minutes or so scouring the hillside before finding a boulder and cliff that made sense and hitting it directly from there.
Then another fiasco going to 6, passed the small pond, thinking it was the small marsh, and couldn't make sense of why I was climbing a hill and why I wasn't finding a trail. So circled around for a while before heading S to the trail and then understanding it. OK from there. Another 5 minute fiasco.
Fine to 7, but the charcoal platform was a fair amount farther down the hill than I was expecting it, and I lost several minutes wandering in a tight circle before heading downhill and finding it.
No problem finding 8, but a lot of problem maintaining a line. Went way too far down the hill, then up along the trail further than I had intended. Easy from there.
9 was fine,although pretty hard getting through the ferns and rocks in the first part of the route.
Got close to 10, but a little off to the left and had to hunt a bit. Couldn't maintain a straight line at all going to 11, kept getting turned around by stone walls and by barberry. 5 minutes there, too. 12 and F were fine.
Nice course, very tired at the end, doesn't bode well for surviving the Highlander next week, but confirmed that I will be walking it.