Delaware Valley Orienteering Association

Topic created by Tom-O on Mon May 27, 2013 at 7:23 pm

Tom-O
Num Posts: 82
Primary Club: DVOA
Fav map: Egypt Mills
First O: 1979

It turned out to be a beautiful evening for the Hickory Hop Night O with the full moon rising over Sand Spring Lake.  This was my first attempt at Night O course setting which can be very tricky.  Things went pretty well.  I think I could have been a little easier on the Advanced runners.  We had a good turnout and people seemed to enjoy the courses.

I want to thank the following individuals for helping make the event possible:

Mary Frank - permissions, Night O reflectors
Control Hanging - Clem McGrath
Electronic Punch - Amy Louden (who worked the entire shift - a huge thanks!)
Registration - Fred Reed
Lighting, Generator, Battery - Ron Bortz
Control Pick-up - Petr Hartman (another huge thanks - Petr picked up all 30 controls!)
Results - Sandy Fillebrown

What a great weekend it was!

Reply by markwalsh on Tue May 28, 2013 at 4:34 pm

markwalsh
Num Posts: 76
Primary Club: DVOA
Fav map: Hickory Run Gould
First O: 2010

Thanks to all who where involved in putting on the Night O..... it was an enjoyable event which allowed us to romp around the forest in the dark relying a little more on our other heightened senses and hopefully adequate light sources.

The intermediate course was well framed and somewhat challenaging for a newbie Night O participant and gratefully not as tough under foot as the following days Shades of Death rogaine.

Temps dipped a bit making running much easier and even a bit necessary depending on how clothed.

Was really cool seeing families hiking about in the forest enjoying the experience.

Can't wait for the next one! 

Reply by Hesketh on Wed May 29, 2013 at 3:49 pm

Hesketh
Num Posts: 30
Primary Club: DVOA
Fav map: Hay Creek Birdsboro
First O: 1972

Thanks Tom for setting this up and everyone that was involved in running the event!  I apologize for not visiting all the controls, but at least I spent twice as long as most people out in the woods enjoying the peace and quiet.  Whenever I saw a flash light I went the other way - because they must be lost?!

This was my First Night O that I can remember! GPS is great it even sees in the dark! I ran/walked in hiking boots and that must have thrown my pacing off!  I put my adventures on RouteGadget!  In searching for the 3rd control on the advanced course, I really liked the stream bed that was only 200 meters from the road!????

To find the third control I attacked twice from the road junction and then from each lake/swamp that I found. I even attacked from control 6 - and came fairly close, but I just couldn't see enough to get the control!  Control 3 will forever elude me now!

I was out there soo long I even had to replace my batteries twice in my head lamp - that is where I have stopped for a while on the GPS trace!  Good thing I had back up and batteries!

Night O' is a good challenge of orienteering skills and proves that I need more! I had a hard time seeing with the light, continuous lens glasses and map.

But the real problem was

1. it was past my bed time and I couldn't think - How could I confuse a stream that goes from one swamp to another that is at least 250 m in length with a stream that is 25 m in length coming from a small lake!
2. I can't count
3. I can't see in the dark
4. It was beer time
5. all of the above