I was asked on Facebook if I used a MT bike during this event. I did not! :)
It was just a very good run for me, maybe the best I ever had in Umstead. I ran all the way, didn't make serious mistakes (there was one where I lost 50 secs or so and another where I lost 10 secs), but everything else was clean and close to optimal.
It helped that there were no major hills and the forest was pretty much open. Ken and Terese designed and set very fast, relaxing course, which nevertheless required some precise orienteering. All of that helped me.
Here is my route:
#1: straight, had the parking lot on my right, continued in the same direction until reached the re-entrant with the control
#2: wasn't going to loose any elevation early, so kept on the slope until I saw the side re-entrant, crossed the big re-entrant there, used the trail for a little bit until I saw the earth bank, left the trail there, crossed the earth bank, went around the green patch and to the control
#3: took compass bearing and went straight, hit the dry ditch and followed it north, but didn't see the control and passed it. Reached another dry-ditch, turned back and got the control (10 secs lost there)
#4: there was too much staff on the map before the control, so I decided not to micro-manage and went north thinking that I'll decide what to do later when I reach one of the major features on the other side of the road. Ended up reaching the trail north from the big re-entrant and decided to go around all the gullies using the trail. Did so - probably wasn't the best choice, though.
#5: was going to go west while staying on the hill and reach the powerline south from the control, but ended up on the wrong hill - north from the control... Naturally went north to the re-entrant looking for the control, but it wasn't there. Stopped and double-checked the map, realized that I could have made that mistake. Crossed the hill south and got the control. Lost about 50 secs there.
#6: went east, keeping the elevation. Then used the long gully and dry-dicth as a handrail to reach the stone wall - my attack point. From there went east and then north-east to the re-entrant with the control.
#7: north, around the green staff, then down the slope to the control using the re-entrant as a handrail.
#8: decided not to mess with vegetation by the creek and went up, proceed along the slope, used the field corner as an intermediate check point, proceeded further around the side re-entrant, noticed small gully, from there cut to the bigger gully and dry-ditch and used it as a handrail to the top. From there went north and then east to the re-entrant with the control.
#9: crossed the big re-entrant, went over the hill and then proceeded along the slope to the side re-entrant with the control
#10: decided not to go up and around and went straight across the big re-entrant, then across the top part of the next re-entrant and finally down alongside the re-entrant which went south. Used the open slope to go down, crossed the creek west from the earth wall, walked up, then south till I crossed the dry-ditch. From there saw the knoll and from there the pit.
#11: went south, crossed the trail and went around the mess with gullies. Didn't want to climb all the way up, so used top of the re-entrant instead of the stone wall as an intermediate point. From there went south, planning to hit the gully near the control and did so.
#12: took compass beating and ran down hill until I reached the road a bit west from the creek. Used the trail to cross the creek and then a bit more. Then attacked the control from the trail.
#13: east, crossed the road, then went around the first re-entrant. Then went down while continuing south-east. Crossed the creek at the bottom of the second re-entrant and proceeded along the creek on the flat surface until I saw the ground rising. The control was there.
#14: again avoided vegetation by the creek and went up, then ran south-west using the distant creek as a handrail of a sort. Crossed the other creek and continued in the same direction. Crossed the trail, then road and figured I was going to be on the left of the control. I was. I also got lucky and saw Tanya by the control, so I simply ran there at full speed.
#15: didn't go back down, but stayed on the hill and went straight toward the control. Crossed everything and kept going. Saw re-entrant on my right and then the opening in front of me. Took the control.
#finish: was rather tired and decided not to cross deep re-entrant before the finish, so went around using the trail.
Ended up with 1:05 on 7 km - very good time for me.
(click on the image to enlarge it)
Huge thanks to Ken and Terese for the great event!
