June 30, 2013

All Golden!

The latest installment on the Gold Rush map saga started out both sunny and damp.   It had been raining off and on the previous evening, but the day dawned with clear blue skies.   However, by the time of the first starts, dark clouds overhead threatened to wet things down again.   Luckily, although the clouds stayed around for most of the day, the rain itself never materialized, leaving instead excellent running conditions.

The beginner course, a standard loop, only had one taker this time, with Alden Koenig blazing through the course with an excellent time.

The second course was a 21 control score course.   Controls could be visited in any order, each was worth 10 points a piece, time limit was three hours, and there was a 10 point per minute overtime penalty.    Three competitors were able to snag all 21, and two others missed out on 21 only due to not seeing the control (code 37) on the upper-right corner of the map.   A number of other competitors had difficulties on control code #42 due to an unmapped logging track on the ridge just to the west of the ridge that the control was on.   And, of course, John Murray pointed out (correctly) that control #43 was placed 20 meters south of the control circle.    Even with these problems, everyone had a great day.   Jerry Stewart enjoyed it so much, he even stayed out on the course for smidge more than his allotted three hours!

Special thanks to my co-director Jeff Black for helping with both pre-meet control placement, setup, and post-meet pickup.  And thanks to Bill Leahy for helping with setup and post-meet pickup.   And thanks to both for keeping me company at the delicious post-race meal and bull session at Trudy’s.

Jeff also posted a bit of his photography from the meet on the ctoc-boise yahoogroup . Enjoy!

Next month we return to the mountains with a meet at Bogus Basin.  See you there!

And last but not least, the results…

Andy Hill

BEGINNER      (2.69 km, 60 m climb)  
Name Time
Alden Koenig 33:25

 

Score (optimal route: 8.680 km, 350 m climb)      
Name Time Controls Score

Sergey Velichko

78:12

21

210

Jason Quinn

100:17

21

210

Greg Davidson

115:13

21

210

John Murray

149:30

20

200

Bill Leahy

168:05

20

200

Melanie Schuster

173:01

19

190

Nellie Pryor & Company

176:04

12

120

Shanda Doughman

177:50

12

120

Kerry Davis

135:02

11

110

Zack Clayton

121:00

10

10

Mikayla & Chris Rose

94:34

9

90

Jerry Stewart

183:02

12

90

  

June 25, 2013

Redefining Downhill at Bogus Basin -- Saturday, July 20 -- Downhill Course on an Expanded Map

Join us for our second orienteering adventure at Bogus Basin. This year's Bogus Basin Meet features all downhill courses on an expanded map. Well, if you are an advanced orienteer you might find a little uphill, but not very much. Advanced and intermediate orienteers will encounter obstacles and terrain where the best route choice will call for some uphill travel instead of following the contours. 

All three courses (beginner, intermediate, and advanced) begin in the southwest corner of the Pioneer Lodge parking lot, the same location as last year. The finish will be at the Nordic Lodge. That's a net drop of more than 150 meters. Please consider volunteering before or after your run to help shuttle participants to the start.

The map includes most of Bitterroot Basin, all of the terrain serviced by the Morning Star (#2).  This location provides a mix of timber, meadows, and various other vegetation on mountainous terrain familiar to Alpine skiers. If you plan to tackle either the intermediate or advanced course, be sure to bring gaiters or some other protection for your legs. Bogus Basin has brush. Full leg cover will prevent a lot of otherwise difficult to avoid scratches or worse. Also, because cut branches on the ground often make the footing unstable, you should bring sturdy shoes and good judgment about when to be cautious.

The advanced and intermediate courses are shorter than our usual offerings. Nevertheless, we are estimating best performances on both the advanced and intermediate courses to be around 90 minutes. The beginners’ course is truly downhill on two-tracks and trails. At 2.06K it’s a little longer than the typical beginners’ course.

Who: Orienteers of all ages and abilities (beginners to advanced)

When: Saturday, July 20. Registration begins at 9:30am and continues to 12. Courses will be open for starts from 10 am – 12. Courses close at 2 pm. You may arrive within this window to try a course, as participants start separately a few minutes apart.

Finish and Parking Location: Nordic Lodge parking lot.  
http://goo.gl/maps/ZdCNi

Restrooms available at the Simplot Lodge.
 Format: Classic

Entry fees: $5.00 per map for non-members (individual or group). Free to members of the City of Trees Orienteering Club.

You may want to bring: a watch, a compass, a snack, a whistle and a cell phone. (Some compasses will be available to borrow)

Directors: Sergey Velichko/John Murray

June 10, 2013

Time for the Gold Rush!

Just a reminder, it’s time for the annual Idaho City Gold Rush – this upcoming Saturday, June 15th!   Start times will be from 11-1, but, given the current forecast I would recommend getting there as early as possible – the woods warm up quickly!   Format will be “classic” orienteering, with the usual Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced courses (at 8.5km, the Advanced course is a bit short, but it still has 20 controls of orienteering goodness).

Courses are set, maps are being printed, and I’ve been doing my “no sheep” dance (although the woolly locusts have been spotted at various locations on the map).  The woods are green and beautiful, and flowers are in abundance.   Come on up and enjoy!

Start will be about two and a half miles up Bear Run Road (note: this is not the start area by Highway 21).   From Hwy 21 in Idaho City, turn left on Main Street, go three blocks, turn right on Bear Run Road, and follow the road to the meet site.   Leave the sports cars at home – there’s a few ruts and potholes along the way.