Pine Creek-- Sunday, July 17– A Mostly New LiDAR Map

Join us for our third orienteering adventure on the Bannock Creek LiDAR map. The  Pine Creek venue lies just south of June's Bannock Creek and connects to it. The terrain has similar runnable forest in mountainous terrain.   The Pine Creek terrain is also similar to Gold Rush above the hydro-mined area. Ponderosa Pines and Douglas Fir predominate in what is mostly a runnable forest on southern, western and eastern exposures. Northern exposures tend to support dense undergrowth. 

We are offering three courses. For the advanced orienteer there is a 6K course covering enough vertical to ensure a good workout in addition to the runnable forest noted above. The intermediate orienteer will travel mostly in runnable forest punctuated by numerous spurs and re-entrants. Novice orienteers will venture off-trail along linear features or will search for large prominent features.For those who have run Gold Rush many times this is an opportunity to use the same skills in new and unfamiliar terrain. Due to the absence of suitable trails there will be no truly beginner course. It will be necessary for participants on the novice course to identify features like boulders and re-entrants on the map. If you are a novice and unfamiliar with orienteering map symbols, the meet director and experienced orienteers will gladly give you a brief explanation before you depart on your adventure.

 

All three courses (novice, intermediate, and advanced) begin and end about five miles up the Pine Creek Road (USFS Road 304).

Because cut branches on the ground often make the footing unstable in many places, you should bring sturdy shoes and good judgment about when to be cautious.

In the desire to minimize waste and save myself some printing expenses, please RSVP to me no later than 5:00Pm Saturday, July 16 with your name and intended course choice (and if you want an extra map or two for a larger group.)  My email is jnm2870 AT cableone DOT net.  If you decide to show up impromptu, I expect to have a few blanks on hand and you will get to copy your course the old school way. Alternatively, call me at 208 342-2165.
 

Who: Orienteers of all ages, novice to advanced.

When: Sunday July 17. Courses will be open for starts from 10am – 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: Pine Creek Road (USFS Road 304) at about mile 5  https://goo.gl/maps/PyS6igy5as82

Restrooms are not available. You should be responsible for your own water.

Format: Classic. 
Cost:  $10 per person/team, $5 for a single junior, free to CTOC members (more info here)

You may want to bring: a watch, a compass, a snack, a whistle and a cell phone. (Some compasses will be available to borrow)
A word about LiDAR: Several government agencies have acquired high resolution mapping data for land management. In Idaho many of the LiDAR projects are undertaken for hydrology studies. The process involves a low altitude GPS guided laser scan resulting in a digital elevation model with accuracy sometimes in a range below ten centimeters. These data have been made available free to the public in many cases.

Contours and trails on the Pine Creek map are accurate. The Pine Creek vegetation  has not been mapped in detail. Major areas of dense vegetation are noted in sufficient detail to allow the orienteer to make reasonable route choices.

Director: John Murray