The last weekend of February was a busy one for me. I decided kind of last minute that I’d do the 2025 finale of the Fudge-series. The next day I headed up to Holderness NH for an Orienteering Meet hosted by Up North Orienteers (UNO). I was a founding member of UNO back in 1995 but had not been out for an O-meet since 2013! Part of that was due to my ongoing ankle woes (arthritis) but also eyesight issues. I had bought a pair of bifocal running shades and used them a few years ago when running and map reading while running the Trustees of Reservation properties. I hadn’t used them in a couple of years but figured they be fine for reading an O-map. I got in a 7 mile run with the gang in Chelmsford and then hopped in the car for the 90 minute drive.
I got there a little before the meet was supposed to start but they had some issues with one of the controls not being hung or hung in the incorrect spot. I had plenty of time to change into proper gear and stay warm in the car until it was time to go. I had signed up for a shorter course but somehow got the map for a longer course. No problem, I was hoping to run 4 or 5 miles. I think I was the only one on any of the courses using snowshoes, everyone else was out on skis.
The snow was amazing and they do a fantastic job of grooming. The big question would be how were the snowshoe trails and could I cut through the woods to save time on a couple of legs. The course I had would be 16 controls that I would visit in order attempting to use the shortest possible route. In ski (or snowshoe) O there isn’t a lot of technical orienteering it is more a matter of knowing exactly where you are at all times as you will see so many intersections and it is easy to lose track. I was very careful about thumbing along (keeping my location on the map marked with my thumb) and grooved along in the early going. I wasn’t going very fast (sore from racing the day before) but was steady. I got a nice shout out from a skier on his course as he flew by at one point. It was great seeing people out in the woods having such a good time. I made a huge mistake on the 8th control and a leg that should have taken me 2 or 3 minutes took 10! I momentarily lost track of where I was and then convinced myself I was somewhere that I wasn’t. I finally got that control and then finished out the course. I was happy to see I got 2nd place on the course and first snowshoer (only one). A big thanks to everyone who volunteered to put this meet on, it is a lot of work but much appreciated. I enjoyed my 60+ minute romp in the woods. It closed out another 90+ mile week for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment