XC Skiing - Classic race (Orienteering) 1:52:00 [3] 14.7 km (7.9 kph) +222m
Attack the Trax Ski-O race at Highlands Nordic
'Bent, Goose, Coach LD and I drove up to the race together and ran into snow north of Hwy 89. By the time we got to Stayner, it was a full-on blizzard with huge snowflakes blowing around. The forecast had said "flurries" so I was a little worried about the light clothing I'd brought. I had no alternative outfits due to the need to wear green on St. Patrick's Day.
Tarno and Mrs. Tarno gave us maps, then we could go to the start control when we were ready. We had Map 1, Map 2 and a "Matrix" map where all controls were mandatory but they could be done in any sequence. The Matrix could be done after Map 1 or Map 2.
I'd planned to ski classic to maximize fun - for someone who prefers classic, that is. I'd brought my skate skis in case I was struck by an overwhelming urge to be competitive but that didn't happen. With 15-20 cm of new snow on the trails, it wasn't going to be a fast day for anyone anyway.
Map 1 went pretty smoothly. I bushwhacked and cut between trails in a few places - another way to maximize fun. The snow stopped and the sun came out early in Map 2, I think. There was a long leg and I was congratulating myself on finding the perfect place to bushwhack to pick up the orange trail on my way from #2 to #4. I was a little surprised that nobody else had done the same thing. Then as I came out of #4, I saw 'Bent and Goose coming out of the Hawberry Loop. They should both be ahead of me. Hmmm.... So I looked harder at the map and noted that I should have gone from #2 to #3 and *then* to #4. Doh! So I got in some extra distance as I bushwhacked across the thorny expanse of the Hawberry Loop field, then skied all the way back to punch #4 for real. About 5 minutes lost there, says Mr. Garmin.
Last but not least, the Matrix was uneventful other than a little icing up when I skied through slush. Coach LD defended her Attack The Trax female masters title - well done! Goose was top masters and 2nd overall behind Sudden. Great job! Because Map 1 and Map 2 were so similar to the 2011 version of the race, I was able to compare my times. Considering that conditions were faster that year, and I skate-skied in 2011, which was faster, I wasn't too disappointed at this year's time - 1:30 vs. 1:17 for Maps 1 and 2 (excluding this year's Matrix). Maybe next time I'll even visit the controls in the right order.
So much fun!! I wish we could do this more often.