It was an organized event - $7 for a nice detailed topo map of the park, $2 rental of the electronic punch. Pretty good deal, considering the effort it takes to place all of the markers, make all the maps, etc. Kudos to the guys at DVOA.org for a long-standing fantastic job.
I feel very fortunate to have such a strong organisation setting up events practically every weekend in my area. I've spoken to others in various places in the world, and it is rare to have such a strong orienteering organization.
So I met my friend Chris at 10 at the park - we both got lost on our way to the park, which isn't a good way to start an orienteering event. It took about 20 minutes to get ready and start the course.
We were going to do some mountain biking up at Jim Thorpe, but the weather forecast was sketchy and it is a long drive to do unless you can expect really good conditions.
Anyway, I chose the green course which was only 6.6km. Chris chose the red, which was 10k I think. The first control point was easy, but it took me a minute get my bearings and so it actually took 3 minutes instead of one minute to find it.
The second control point was on an embankment near the edge of a small stream. I walked right by it because I was distracted by another guy coming further upstream than I thought it should be. So I went to where he was coming from, instead of looking where I thought it should be. After a while I retraced my steps and found it, but wasted 12 minutes instead of 3 minutes.
The next 2 control points were fairly easy, but I really struggled on the 5th control point, taking a full 35 minutes to find it. I wasn't alone, there were about 6 people on the hillside looking for this well hidden marker. Finally I took a compass reading from a well marked boulder, and found it hidden in a brier patch.
My knees, hamstring and left foot were killing me at this point. I figured a month off of training, I wouldn't have too much trouble, but I felt like I had made no progress since Ironman.
The rest of the control points went pretty well, however going from the last control point to the finish took me 7 minutes instead of 1 minute because I started following another racer instead of looking at my map!
It was a fun experience. Great to get out in the wilderness, get some fresh air and test your skills. Unfortunately, orienteering season is almost over. Maybe I can do more of this next year when my broken body is healed.
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