Race Evaluation
Big Blues Ramble 2007: Middle Distance Red
mikeminium
| 1. |
Hesitated +00:10 | took path SW for maybe 10-20 m, then headed straight south through bland, flat woods & dry marshes. In general, marshes were only vaguely identifiable by slightly different vegetation, and perhaps being a few cm lower than the surrounding ground. Picked up the rough open marsh about halfway to the control, and continued south, picking up the knoll and crescent shaped hill NE and E of the control. Not 100% sure what to expect from cryptic description "single tree, ruined", but it was a fairly large tree, leaning at a 45 degree or so angle, with a significant rootstock, all on top of a small knoll, so it wasn't hard to spot when I got close. I took a lot of chances on this course, but executed cleanly. | |||||
| 2. | NW to pick up the seasonal stream and follow into control at junction. These "ditches" were VERY shallow and very dry, making them hard to spot and easy to cross. Vegetation was mapped as white, but seemed more like patchy light green, enough to make me run a windy route and obscure visibility. Saw a couple wandering orienteers. Several people spent a lot of time on #1 and/or hit #2 first. | ||||||
| 3. | +00:10 | headed straight west, picked up a little of the indistinct path, but it was pretty weak, and kept teh lake an appropriate distance off to my left. There were lots of unmapped rootstocks smaller than the control (NW rootstock), and things were getting a little dicey, when I felt I had gone far enough and was beginning to worry that I might pass it, I spotted it a few meters ahead to my right. | |||||
| 4. | connection line went north-northeast across the middle of an uncrossable marsh. I ran north & up the west edge of the marsh. The "path" along the west side was a joke... indistinct at its best and invisible at worst. Straight north from the marsh to another rootstock. | ||||||
| 5. | NW across another minor path, and could see the large cleared area ahead, picked up the smaller rough open marsh, although it was smaller and less open than I expected, I was able to identify it. | ||||||
| 6. | Considered going north into teh rough open, but the weeds looked pretty tall, and teh white forest looked pretty good, so I headed east in the forest, staying out of the rough open. Turned briefly north on teh N-S path, to teh bend at the seasonal marsh and followed the almost invisible marshes ENE into the control. | ||||||
| 7. |
Hesitated +00:10 | east to path, skirted SE edge of very small uncrossable marsh and continues ESE; took longer to pick up trail than I expected. Left trail where it bent south and ran slightly north of due east, picking up the contour shape of the rising land ahead of me. Pit seemed like it was a little higher than mapped, but teh bag was reasonably high and fair so I spotted it as I approached. | |||||
| 8. | +00:05 | choices here... I bashed east thru the green, south on the road and east on the path. Ran the path east past end of clearing to where it started to descend, then I turned southeast into the woods, not steeply enough, though, and had to make a sharp turn when I spotted the control way to my right. | |||||
| 9. |
Hesitated +00:05 | SW, hoping to catch the end of the uncrossable marsh. It seemed like a lot of light green on this leg, forcing deviations from a straight line and obscuring visibility, but I hit the the marsh and spur, which were clearly identifiable. | |||||
| 10. |
Hesitated +00:05 | Most people continued SW around the marsh; after a couple seconds hesitation, I went east then south, crossing the bike path at the north bend and using the chain of marshes to attack the control. | |||||
| 11. | +00:05 | a dogleg back north, crossing the bike path within close sight of the north bend. I mis-read the depression as a hill (the map needs bigger slope tags on the contours) and went a little left of the control, but quickly spotted it. | |||||
| 12. | another dogleg SW to the bike path, ran path to the southern bend and continued straight to the control. | ||||||
| 13. | pretty straight, using the bike path bend as a guide. | ||||||
| F. | through the woods, pretty straight, although teh vegetation obscurred the finish, so I had to estimate direction until I could see the cars in the parking lot. |
Total Time Lost - 00:00:50