Take to the Woods!

Greetings fellow Orienteers,

This Sunday, June 13th, we will have our first orienteering meet in the woods this year. Come on back to our Gold Rush map in Idaho City (our big A meet was here last June), or work on your skills in the green for the first time. This, as they say, is what it's all about! Courses will be available in beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

Give yourself a good hour or so to get to the meet start from downtown Boise. Head up 21 towards Idaho City, and when you get there:

1. Turn left on Main street, just before the visitor center.

2. Go 1/3 of a mile and turn right on Bear Run Road. (A building with a very large collection of signs is at this junction on the left.) This road is quite passable but has many potholes currently, some probably with water. Take your time, especially as some ATV's and motorcycles use this road.

3. Continue north, more or less, on Bear Run road. About a mile down the main road will veer left, but continue straight (or right) on Bear Run, following the signs indicating Pilot Peak and Lowman.

4. Another mile later continue straight at another junction, still heading towards Lowman.

5. Continue for one more mile, passing a large parking area on your right (this is called Lycow Flat) and continuing a little bit further to where a slightly rougher road goes right and the main road goes left. Turn right which should put you right in the start area. Signs, controls, and our club shelter should be easy to spot. If parking is cramped you can also park just up on the left fork.

If by some unfortunate circumstance another party has occupied this area, I'll make the new start area as obvious as I can along the same road at or before that point. I'm expecting that Sunday should be pretty clear, especially given how wet it has been up there this year.

The course will be open at 10:30am, and you can start until about 12. The course will close around 2pm. If you plan on tackling the advanced course an early start would be much easier for control pickup and such.

If time and logistics permit we can meet up at Trudy's afterward in Idaho City to discuss route choices and exchange stories of the day.

This is a beautiful area, on our best club map, in great orienteering terrain. Come on out and brush up your skills - it's worth the trip!

Jeff Black