Training Log Archive: GlenT

Event: DVOA Fort Washington
 

Sprint 1 at Fort Washington SP. Three major errors on the “easy” course. Ugh! Lost 4 - 5 minutes. Hot and humid.

Sprint 2, which started off with a micro-sprint (16 controls on a 1:500 map, mostly on trees in an open field) and then 6 more regular sprint controls on a 1:4000 map. A little sloppy on the micro-sprint but no big errors and managed to get them all in the right order. Did OK on the normal sprint part except for a couple of sub-optimal routes and some confusion getting from the last control to the finish.

Sprint 1 - Splits

Sprint 2 - Splits

Event: QOC Cunningham Falls
 

Walk (and climb) to the start.

Platformpalooza at Cunningham Falls SP near Thurmond, MD. Green course (5.7k, 210m with 12 of the 13 controls being charcoal platforms). Map is mostly from Lidar (which apparently picks out the charcoal platforms really well) with limited field checking and addition of some rock features and rootstocks (but many things in the terrain are not on the map). Green (mostly mountain laurel) identified from the Lidar is mapped and seemed to be fairly accurate. So, this was a quite challenging exercise. Also very physical since there is a lot of deadfall, plenty of climb and rockiness underfoot. And, it was raining with a downpour(and a thunderclap or two) as we walked to the start and then only light rain or sprinkles while on the course and then another down pour after I finished. So, some HTFU orienteering.

An OK run with lots of careful compass and pace (which is not one of my strengths) plus careful reading of contours and vegetation plus some guessing about whether features in the terrain were actually on the map. Lots of hesitation on most of the legs just being sure I knew where I was (or reestablishing where I was). Lost 5 or 6 minutes on the 2nd control mistaking unmapped features for mapped ones, finally relocating on the sharp stream bend NE of the control. Lost about 3 minutes on control 8 (which I approached via control 9) when I misread the contours and headed to the wrong platform, from which I easily relocated.

Highlight (?!) of the day was an encounter with what I’m 90% sure was a timber rattlesnake. He (or she) was coiled on the forest floor (pretty much on the line between controls 6 and 7) and seemed pretty lethargic (didn’t buzz the rattle even though I nearly stepped on it). Yikes.

Thanks to Jon Torrence for making the map and setting the courses, as well as the QOC team who made the event happen.

C • Snake friend 1

C • DNF's 3

Green - Splits

Stroll around the “inner loop” at Woodland Hills Preserve, a golk course which is being allowed to return to nature and is now owned/managed by Lower Saucon Township. Mostly open but with some patches of woods and several small ponds. There are two loop trails comprised of either mowed grass or remnants of asphalt golf cart paths. Lots of birds, at least one deer and several ticks.