Possum Trot IV

Control 5 to 16

(From Orienteer Kansas discussion pages)

Control 5 to control 16: http://www.geocities.com/okansas.geo/trot2000/part2.html

I skipped 7 and 8. Everyone (or nearly everyone) made the same decision. I took the road to 6. At 5, I was together with Dan, Rich Ruid, and Dave Frie. I think Mook was ahead of us at this point. Rich and Dave went straight. Dan and I took the road. On the road Dan asked "are you skipping 7 and 8?" I told him that was my plan. The 6th control was in an area that was a bit diffuse. The area was fairly flat and there was not much detail -- but, the control feature was big. I didn't have much trouble finding it. But, I think others spent some time wandering around. It was an area you didn't want to wander. The vegetation was thick and it was hard to hold a straigh line. I saw Dan and Herb near 9. The next time I saw anyone was at 12. As I was leaving 12, I saw Rich coming in. Apparently Dan was also there, but I didn't see him. When I came to the water stop between 14 and 15, I was told I was in the lead. I was surprised. I decided Mook must not have skipped 7 and 8 (it turns out he did). Rich was just a bit behind me -- I'd seen him 12, 13, and 14. I didn't seem to be getting away from him. I didn't think I had a chance to out run Rich. But, I felt I had a shot to get away from him if I could just get out of sight. On the way to 16, I decided to take a chance by heading back to run along the lake shore. I thought there would be an un-mapped trail (from people fishing). It might be a good way to get ahead of Rich. It turned out there was not much of a trail. I didn't gain (or lose) any ground on Rich. On my way out of 15, I saw Mook heading up the hill after the water stop.

-- Michael ([email protected]), December 04, 2000.

From control 5 I headed straight for control 6. The vegetation seemed to be mapped like I might anticipate until 100m before the control. I figured though that I could get myself into the control circle alright, but the green was tough. After a bit of meaningless thrashing about in the circle, I headed to the road, ran to the bend nearest the control, and headed back. I thrashed around a bit more, then got the control. I had been slightly uphill from the control. Now there were plenty of people about and some people ahead of me. I'm not sure just how many. I planned to skip over controls 7 and 8, and so I ran a bit south of the line to 9. I was on the trail south of the line for a ways, then blindly over the hill (the vegetation was such and the map was general enough that paying attention to ones course in the green areas was a bit hard. It was easiest to pick your way safely through the thorns with eyes on the vegetation, then relocate as you get into the white). I didn't see anyone else until nearing control 15. A little to the left of the line to control 10 ... all of the sudden I was in an open field...running through buildings... a puppy started following me into the woods... not! Going to control 11, I came across a large reentrant along the way. I was confused for a bit and swung a bit towards the lake before figuring out that the feature was mapped as quite shallow (it was the reentrant between two cliff features on the uphill right between 10 and 11). Fairly straight to number 12. The clue sheet said rocky ground or something, but the control was on a small cliff. Straight again to 13 and fairly straight to 14. Straight towards the bridge to number 15. It didn't seem like I had been running very far at this point. Both Mary and Snorkel asked me if I had skipped any controls. I told them that I didn't know whether I had or not, although I knew for a fact that I had skipped already. It just didn't seem like the sort of thing that one discusses in the middle of a race. I passed Snorkel on the way into 15. He looked like he was ready to pop at that point and I learned later that I saw some of his last pain-free steps in the '00 Trot. Snorkel's ankle blew out shortly after punching 15. To 16 I ran around the bottom of the cliffs halfway up the hillside after leaving the road. The control and its feature sure seemed to be long ways up on the hill. Spike was up ahead of me somewhere, but I couldn't see him through the woods. Rich was up there too, somewhere, but I hadn't seen him on the course. No panic at all though. The Trot is a long race and this puppy was far from over... Well, technically speaking, I suppose it was over for Snorkel.

-- Mook ([email protected]), December 05, 2000.

On the way to 6 the lead group finally relented and the thick vegetation separated the runners. I took the trail most of the way so I would have a good attack point at the trail bend. The strategy paid off as I was in and out quickly while many wasted time trying to relocate in the dense woods. Leaving 6, I decided (as did just about everyone) to skip 7 and 8. I would have preferred to keep one in reserve, but the distance saved was too great to pass up. The route to 9 was also thick so I picked up the trail at the creek crossing and followed to where it turned southwest. I then had only a little more green to push through before hitting the open area that led to the control. I had been by myself for the leg, but coming into the control, I met Gary Thompson. I ran directly at 10, 11, 12, and 13 and hit them cleanly. Interestingly, Gary (who never uses a compass) was following terrain so we would split leaving each control, but then meet again at the next one. On the way to 14, I drifted left into the thick stuff and paid dearly for the mistake. By the water stop after 14, Gary was a minute ahead of me. I was surprised to learn I was in sixth place because I hadn’t actually seen myself pass anyone. It must have all happened in the low visibility surrounding 6. I thought 15 was easy, but apparently it wasn’t since several people made the parallel error of hitting the small pond instead of the quarry. I didn’t realize it at the time, but Gary was one such victim and I passed him here.

-- Eric Buckley ([email protected]), December 06, 2000.

5 to 6 .450 km 3.00 km 9:58.91 28:49.15 22:10.91 min/km 9:36.38 cum min/km BOOM. However as I finished the run and Mary asked 'How did you do?' I had had so much fun (or was so tired) I forgot about this error. Ran with others across the road and was focused on the trail bend to the northwest of the control. As I ran across the first trail, thinking about going in on a straight line, I decided that was poor thinking and veered to my right to the trail. At the trail bend however, I didn't even take a bearing and went roughly off to my left. Ended up wandering around to the east of the control. Like Mike said, not an area to be drifting around it. After a bit, I decided to relocate, ran north to the clearing, down the trail to the east again, and this time took a clean bearing. Probably lost over 5 minutes here. Saw some others finding the control who I'd seen drifting about when I was. 6 to 9 .360 km 3.36 km 5:37.21 34:26.36 15:36.69 min/km 10:14.99 cum min/km Using the trail to the south to help through the rough area. Remember the difficulty I had in this area at the '97 Intercollegiates (had been reviewing the map as part of training). So south out of the control to the trail. As I was running south along a trail, I passed someone running north. Only hoped we would not cross again going in opposite directions. Crossed the creek and rough compass from the trail bend (seems I don't learn too well about taking bearings). Slowed down as I got closer, maybe looking a bit soon. Then bumped into the reentrant and turned left. Keeping an eye out for the lone tree. Wow. It looked better than expected with the small ditch at the edge of the woods. I was surprised later at how slow I was, but I had a good feeling of not having made a mistake, only having gone slowly and carefully. Alone the whole while. 9 to 10 .735 km 4.095 km 6:19.89 40:46.25 8:36.86 min/km 9:57.37 cum min/km Plan: to catch myself on the open area. Instead, I went further left of the line and ran by the corner of the open area. Plan still usable. Grabbed a swig of water and noticed my water bottle seemed to not want to stay closed and already it was half empty. Mental note: will need a better way of carrying water next year. Cross the reentrant and I'll pretty much bump into the next reentrant with the control. Looking back, this start of going up and down may not have been the wisest. No problems attacking. Still no company. 10 to 11 .555 km 4.65 km 4:35.61 45:21.86 8:16.59 min/km 9:45.35 cum min/km Plan: straight and watch the features. Didn't go far enough to the right and entered the reentrant east of the reentrant junction. Saw the cliffs and headed slightly to my right. From the reentrant junction climbed the other side and rough compass over the large spur to the small spur. Having fun as the errors are few and the map is delightfully accurate for me. Oh, and the woods are nice, too. Still no company. 11 to 12 .480 km 5.130 km 5:42.99 51:04.85 11:54.56 min/km 9:57.44 cum min/km Plan: use the tip of the clearing as an attack point. East out of 11 and ran past the fence corner. Instead of changing direction slightly to contour, continued east and ran just past the buildings. About this time decided to try to eat as I figured running in a clearing would allow this. However, got distracted and at the clearing tip went due west, rather than northwest. Saw someone off to my right as I climbed below the cliffs. At this point, also, I coughed and choked and got dry bits of Luna bar up my sinuses. Yech. So time lost was due to eating, I guess. 12 to 13 .4125 km 5.542 km 4:54.54 55:59.39 11:54.04 min/km 10:06.11 cum min/km Plan: use the clearing corner after going rather straight. Leaving the control meant actually climbing the cliff. Not the most fun. Memory is hazy now, but pretty sure I went straight, passing by the edge of the lake at the bottom of the reentrant. Coming by the house, I slowed and walked and found the control. As I was leaving, Dave Frie saw me leaving the control and headed back to it commenting on his poor visual skills. ("I'm blind.") I had time enough to assure him. ("That's OK.") 13 to 14 .495 km 6.038 km 4:56.22 1:00:55.61 9:58.42 min/km 10:05.48 cum min/km Plan: rough navigation to the reentrant. Went to the left of the line, crossing the first reentrant and bumping into the boat parking lot. A bit surpirsed to see it, thinking if there were boats, then it should be water underneath them, not concrete! Paralleled that, crossed each reentrant and climbed uphill on the far side, paralleling the reentrant. Slowed down before the ditch, expecting it sooner. Dave caught me. 14 to 15 .4725 km 6.510 km 5:40.64 1:06:36.25 12:00.93 min/km 10:13.86 cum min/km Decided to go by the water stop. Rough compass... no, roughly following Dave, out to the road. At the water stop took time to refill my water bottle, despite it's penchant to empty itself. Then parallel error on the track that leaves the parking area going southeast. Figured out my error maybe 5 to 10 paces along and changed direction up the hill. Over the fence and after Dave into the depression. We had a brief discussion about whether my move was a tactic to distract him, as well. He was off and away by the time I was done punching. The last I was to see of anyone for a long while. 15 to 16 .525 km 7.035 km 6:25.66 1:13:01.91 12:14.59 min/km 10:22.87 cum min/km Plan: contour from the road bend. By the time I got down to the road, Dave was gone. Left the road and crossed the reentrant and tried to contour. Slow going and at one point found myself drifting up the hillside trying to avoid junky woods and then reluctantly deciding the way was again better below me and going back down. Sigh. Finally got to the reentrant and followed it up to the ditch (which was vague) and on up past the area where no ditch is mapped (and no ditch was) to the re-emergence of the ditch with the junction. Still enjoying how I'm finding controls, even if a bit slow. Looking now, maybe to the right of the line would have been a less taxing and faster route.

-- Fritz ([email protected]), December 09, 2000.

Oops. Left out the leg of 4 to 5... 4 to 5 .255 km 2.55 km 1:59.72 18:50.24 7:49.49 min/km 7:23.23cum min/km No brainer. Recall crossing the creek before exiting the woods. Still using other running significantly.

-- Fritz ([email protected]), December 09, 2000.

Here's a water bottle idea, Fritz. On Sunday I ran in the BubbaGoat, which was 12 km with no water stops. So I figured I might want to bring a bottle along, and I picked up a 24 oz bottle of PowerAde (and replaced the contents with something more appealing). The bottle had a funky rubber valve in the lid that lets the liquid out when you suck, but nothing will splash out. (There's also a dust cover that flips over the top, but that broke off when I opened the bottle.) I made a handle for it out of a few nylon cable ties, similar to the fancy neoprene handle thing on another bottle that I had left at home. Worked very well.

-- J-J ([email protected]), December 12, 2000.