Delaware Valley Notes from the Orienteering Association December 2006 Briar Patch Vol. 29 Issue 4 The president’s corner Valley Forge Park: Looking back, 225 years old, still changing looking ahead Last year the 2006 turned out to be another administration at great year for orienteering in Valley Forge Na- DVOA land. Looking back over tional Historical Park announced a series of the ‘06 schedule, I see that events construction projects were held at venues from Assun- that began in the fall pink to Warwick and just about every place in between. of 2006 and will ex- To highlight a few that come to mind for me (in no par- tend over the next ticular order): several years. Scout O Championships at French Creek (Editor’s note: DVOA’ers planning to hold events at Valley Forge may want to check in on the progress of construction The Batona 500 A-Event in New Jersey over the next few years. Source: DVOA winning the Mid-Atlantics http://www.nps.gov/vafo/index.htm) Not only were the venues varied, but the formats of- Rehabilitate Support Facilities at Washington’s Head- fered during the year were an orienteering smorgasbord. quarters for Visitor Use They included Canoe-O, Spell-O, Photo-O, Night-O, Re- This project includes changes to existing parking lots. membrance-O, Stumbles and Goats, to name a few. Fall 2006: Phase I of this project included the removal of a Sprinkled in the schedule were a healthy dose of sprint number of trees from the village vicinity; demolition of a walk- events as well. Variety and number of events aside, one way; demolition of the road that runs between the major park- thing stands out: the dedication, drive, enthusiasm and ing lot and the train station; and part of a non-historic wall. talents of our members that made 2006 another great year Clean fill for this and other projects will be stockpiled in the for orienteering. Thanks to everyone who contributed field between the amphitheater building and County Line Road. their time and effort in 2006. Spring 2007: Phase II of the project will include demolition of the existing River Road parking lot and construction of a Now let’s look ahead to 2007. To get the proper perspec- larger parking lot in its place; construction of a restroom adja- tive on 2007, we need to get in a time machine and go back 40 cent to the new parking lot; construction of a universally acces- years (that’s right, 40) to 1967. Do you know… sible path from the parking lot to the Train Station; construction of handicapped parking at the Train Station; completion of un- Who was the President of the United States? derground utility work; and landscaping. What team won the World Series of Baseball? Future: The final phase, which is not yet scheduled, will What team won the Super Bowl? include new plantings, paths and interpretive features. What movie won the Oscar for best picture? Rehabilitation of Park Routes and Parking Lots What two (2) organizations were founded that year? This project includes: 2007 promises to be another exciting year for orienteering Replacing a former connector road between Inner Line in DVOA land. Early in the year, DVOA will host the US In- Drive and Outer Line Drive; terscholastic Championships at Fair Hill. Look at the web site for details. The schedule is filling in with opportunities to ap- Overlaying and/or rehabilitating Inner Line Drive and ply and improve your orienteering skills, catch up with friends Redoubt 4 Road, including related pull-offs, parking lots, and get out there. and drainage rehabilitation and improvements; See you in the woods! Removing Conway’s parking lot, Huntington’s Overlook parking lot, and Washington’s upper parking lot A and Ralph Tolbert restoring landscape of those areas; PS: To check your answers to the above questions, look at p 3. Removing Tower Road and its parking lot and restoring the (Continued on page 10) 2 DVOA Briar Patch - December 2006 Training Tips Aging “O” Eyes By Kathleen Geist Don't Loiter at Most of us will find, or have al- compass (I damaged various areas of the Controls ready found, that above the age of 40, my body, but I saved that compass!) I by Evan Custer, BAOC the 1:15,000 maps require a lot of also found my compass string getting squinting. Are you one of those with tangled in briars and branches. As for Do you want to cut 10 minutes off less agile eyes? Do you lose time due to the glasses, I often found myself in the your time at your next orienteering event? needing to take longer to get the map in woods wearing only the neck cord, hav- One of the easiest ways to do that is to focus, or make navigation errors due to ing lost the glasses entirely. The rem- improve your technique of approaching map-reading mishaps? I for one am edy for this was shortening the cord so and leaving a control. The typical begin- very happy the club is printing more that it was less likely to get snagged on ner finds the control, punches the card maps at the 1:10,000 scale, and I’ve a branch and pull the glasses off. Also, and then, while standing at the control, been experimenting with a variety of I began buying reading glasses at the looks and sees where the next control is, ways to enhance my ability to read the Dollar Store. At $1 a pop, I could better decides what route to take, which direc- maps accurately. afford to lose a pair of glasses, or two, tion it is, refolds the map, checks the bearing to it, and heads off in that direc- I used to pride myself in my fast- or three. tion. Meanwhile, one or two other orien- focus 20-15 vision. You know the say- However, I still didn’t like fum- teers may have come running into the ing, “pride goes before a fall.” Mine bling to get the glasses on and off control, punched their cards, and immedi- came in French Creek, in the dim (running with reading glasses on is defi- ately headed off in the correct direction to woods. On a longish leg I chose a trail nitely not an option!) The next thing I the next control. crossing in the woods as an attack point. tried was a credit card-sized Fresnel When I came to the crossing I carefully magnifying lens. I used a paper punch If you don't do any advance planning set a bearing, paced out the distance, to put a hole in one corner, attached it to before you get to the control, you can and found – no control. I re-calibrated my compass cord, and began wearing easily spend a minute trying to decide where the control should be based on my compass around my neck again. what to do next. Multiply that minute by where I thought I was, attacked again – This made it possible to magnify the the typical 10 controls on the course, and and again – and again, for a half-hour. map and use the compass at the same you have lost ten minutes already. Afterwards, in the sunshine, I rechecked time, though it required some juggling How do you improve your tech- the map. The “trail crossing” on the with my hands. It worked fairly well in nique? The main thing is to plan ahead map was a fence-trail intersection; in the good light, but looking through a Fres- before you get to the control. When dim light I’d been unable to see the little nel lens with its concentric etched lines should you do that? One good time is hash marks that indicated the one line while in the dim light of the woods was when you are running on a trail and the was a fence and not a trail. The trail sort of like looking through a lens navigation is minimal. Another time is crossing I’d actually set my bearings smeared with Vaseline. I’ve seen an- when you are slowly chugging up a steep from was at least 50 meters to the east, other orienteer toting a large clear Sher- hill. Ideally, before you punch the control leading to a massive series of parallel lock Holmes-style lens attached to a to which you are heading, you have errors! coiled cord, but this only works if looked at the next control and have a gen- Well, next I tried using a your pants have pockets. eral idea of how to approach it. Then, compass with a magnifying I finally decided to give up the when you see the control you are looking lens in the base plate. That Fresnel lens after switching to a for, rather than make a mad dash towards worked fine for seeing the details thumb compass. I found that the it (and incidentally tip off anybody else of the map, though it required lens by itself on a neck cord with who is wandering around looking for it), squinting with one eye and only magni- no compass was so lightweight check again which way you are going to fied a small portion of the map. The that it tended to fly behind my exit the control, refold your map, get your problem was, if I wanted to set a bearing neck if I ran, which led to a lot bearing, all while you are still running to or measure the distance between con- of fumbling when I needed to use it.