Elk Neck event
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Topic created by edscott on Sun Mar 24, 2013 at 6:24 pmReally good Brown course today. Lots of route choices, and a good mix of short and longer legs. I'd like to see this venue used more often.
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Reply by KathleenG on Sun Mar 24, 2013 at 6:30 pmI agree! Beautiful day; I really enjoyed the Brown course. First time I've ever been at Elk Neck without making major errors! How about an event when the pawpaws are ripe?
(I've seen them bloom here, and rotting on the ground, but have never gotten to taste one!)
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Reply by Tom-O on Sun Mar 24, 2013 at 8:09 pm++ on more Elk Neck events! It offers unique terrain unlike anything else in DVOA-land and, well, it is tough to beat those views. As for the paw-paws, I think I've been swatted in the face by them too many times. I prefer it when the leaves are down.
This event was actually supposed to take place a couple years ago. John had designed the courses but we didn't get the permissions in time. So the courses were well-fermented (like a nice paw-paw wine). But I think they still worked pretty well.
Thanks to everyone who made the event a success:
Permissions: Mary Frank
Course Design: John Campbell
Control Hanging: John Campbell, Kathy Urban, Dave Urban
Map Printing: Fred Kruesi
Electronic Punch Equipment: Ron Bortz
Electronic Punch Crew: Sandy Fillebrown, Vadim Masilkov, Nancy Sharp
Registration: John Gillette
Start: Ralph Tolbert, John Campbell
Control Pick-up: John Campbell, Petr Hartman, Ron Wood, John Gillette
Route Gadget: Doug Sevon
And anyone else the brain-dead event director might have missed. -
Reply by j-man on Sun Mar 24, 2013 at 10:00 pmThanks so much to everyone involved.Elk Neck is one of my favorite venues, and while it is possible to run there with leaves on, this time of year is much better. I would also like to come back there much more often. It is one of my favorite venues.Kudos to the course setter for making the most of a map which is now 15 years old--well past middle age.The red course was really quite good. Nice and tough.
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Reply by johncampbell on Sun Mar 24, 2013 at 10:18 pm
There certainly is a nice variety at Elk Neck, but it is really due a remap. It would be good place after that for an A meet. Glad folks enjoyed the courses. A special thanls to Tom for doing a great job as Meet Director and much more
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Reply by Nancy on Mon Mar 25, 2013 at 6:22 amI heard several comments that this was a great time of year for an Elk Neck event, and I agree. Good brown course, John: had to really think about route choice on several legs.Added bonus--a profusion of daffodils at #9. And what was the natural-history specimen on (and I do mean on!) control #8?
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Reply by DaveUrban on Mon Mar 25, 2013 at 9:09 amI saw the skull near #8 control and had to hang it up for display. It reminded me of my late uncle Herman; large overbite and horns.
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Reply by anniemac on Mon Mar 25, 2013 at 12:01 pmWow, I missed these wonderful things. I would have really liked to see the daffodils, of course.This was my first time at Elk Neck and I have to say it was pretty tough. I have the feeling that orienteering there more frequently would be a great way to improve! Ed Scott warned me about paying attention to contours, but sadly my tired brain was not working well and I did climb some hills unnecessarily. A good lesson to learn.Thanks to Everyone who helped to put on this well-organized, challenging event. Sunday's green course was a great workout for both the body and the mind!
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Reply by johncampbell on Mon Mar 25, 2013 at 6:15 pmFor those on the Brown course I found a two pointer deer skull near control 10 - obviously the brown course was the one to do for all these natural wonders.
The wild daffodils were beautiful and a much needed boost to persuade one that Spring really is supposed to be here!! I will always remember orienteering one spring in the lake District in UK where the moorland was a mixture of wild daffodils and the bracken just starting to sprout. It was well captured in Wordsworth's poem
I wandered lonely as a cloudI wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed---and gazed---but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils. -
Reply by Hesketh on Wed Mar 27, 2013 at 9:04 pmI had a great time orienteering at Elk Neck State Park. This is my first time using a GPS trace while orienteering. I used a Garmin 310XT and unfortunately I forgot to turn it on until I was lost looking for control 1 and then remembered it would be great to see all the crazy loops I really do in the woods!I ran again with my dog Pepper (29lb Shelty) so some of the route choice on the Red course was to avoid the fight. She loves the trails, but the woods on a leed is problematic at times. Several trees came between us and we stopped in our tracks because of the leed hitting those trees.I really love the Route Gadget to see where everyone else went! Please fill out your route today! I love hitting the view animation button and seeing the simulated mass start! Way to go John Campbell!Looking at both the green and red it was great how the courses were intermingled! very efficient course setting.Looking forward to the next meet.I may even make it to the West Point A meet. It looks like at $3 an event for an epunch rental I should buy one. Are they for sale through the club?
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Reply by Sandy on Thu Mar 28, 2013 at 12:53 pmSI-cards are available through the club. One epunch kit - the one used at Elk Neck - still has several. The other epunch kit is out. Not sure which kit is being used at which events coming up.
