Training Log Archive: levitin

Event: DVOA French Creek State Park North
 

On a car trip from MA to VA, I stopped by DVOA-land and orienteered at French Creek North. First time at French Creek. I was not impressed by the mapping (lots more junky light green than was mapped) or the terrain. I admit part of my difficulty with the map and terrain came from never having seen it before and first inspecting the map while on the clock.

Still, some things I expect the locals are all familiar with, besides the obvious one ("What is a charcoal platform, and what does it look like in the terrain?", which I think I have *some* idea of, having seen half a dozen controls placed on them.) The "streams" required a vivid imagination. The rock seemed to be contextually mapped.

Rootstocks were mapped, but sometimes I found obvious and/or huge rootstocks, sometimes I wasn't sure. Charcoal platform symbols I thought should have been oriented uniformly with the point facing north, but I thought some triangles were in different orientations.

Midway through the course, my L calf cramped up. Still quite sore 10 hours later. :(

All in all, it was good to be out in the woods, even if the O was frustrating at times.

Upon further inspection of the map, and reading some other threads on Attackpoint, it appears that the symbols for charcoal platforms are oriented so that the point of the brown triangle aims down slope. That is, downhill on the prevailing slope upon which the (level) platform was built.

Oh.

Green - Splits

Reservoir loop, no Crusher. Pace felt brisk. HR part of Garmin failed midway.