Wheaton - Dec 17, 2011

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Course: Red [19 controls; 7.4 km; 135 m]
Time: 2:21:04 - WinSplits - RouteGadget

Happyland (PWF) - Dec 11, 2011

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I'm not sure what happened. Everything after I got my map is a bit of a blur. I got off to a bad start and from there it just got worse and ended with a DNF. It took me almost an hour to find the first two controls. After finding the first one I had to cross a broad stream that seemed to be at least knee deep. I spent at least 10 minutes looking for a place to cross before I gave up, doubled back and crossed at a bridge.

After that it got a little better until It came time to search for the 7th control. It took me about 35 minutes to find it. I was about ready to give up when I spotted it. I found the 8th control without too much trouble. It was the last control I found.

I gave up and started to head back while looking for the 9th control. It took me roughly 45 minutes to get from the 8th control back to the start.

All in all not a great day for orienteering, for me. I wonder how I would have done on the red course. Possibly no better. I feel as if I just wasn't there mentally. I was going through the motions but that obviously wasn't enough.

Course: Blue [19 controls; 8.4 km; 245 m]
Time: DNF (2:45:55) - WinSplits - RouteGadget

Manassas - Dec 4, 2011

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The red course at Manassas wasn't too difficult navigation-wise but it was one of the longest red courses I've ever done. Still, it wasn't terribly challenging because there are no steep hills to climb. There are a few water hazards and a few thick patches of woods but that's about as difficult as it gets at Manassas.

The weather was unseasonably warm for early December. There was a lot of people there but I didn't run into quite as many as I thought I would when I was in the woods. There were a few times when a whole pack of people seemed to converge on one control at the same time.

For the first time since the Spring I used a Garmin GPS watch to track my movements. In the past I haven't been too impressed with the results. This time the file that the Garmin produced and the digital map lined up quite well, by my estimation, and I didn't see the need to make any adjustments.

Red [19 controls; 9.4 km; 70 m]
Time: 2:39:40 - WinSplits - RouteGadget