Gloomy Sky, Muddy Tracks, Dripping Trees - Nostalgia!

Orienteering continued this Sunday with a convenient 30 minute drive to Plenty Park, in not-so-convenient steady rain. We had arranged to amuse the children while Mark and Susi set off on their courses. We visited some control sites, investigated the dripping roof of the barbie area, fell over with starshapes in the wet grass, collected sticks and stones from all around, and all before ten thirty.

We handed Claudia and Max back to their parents and prepared for our courses. The rain by now was persisting down and threatened to become an important factor in our progress. Gloomy sky, muddy tracks, dripping trees - I was becoming almost nostalgic for the Old Country. Almost. My Big Boys course went well until halfway, when increasing foggy vision through my glasses forced me to regularly dry them on my shirt, itself becoming increasingly sodden.

Of course, this couldn't go on and with only a couple of controls left, I found myself unable to read the map at all. Navigating by guesswork was never going to lead to a happy outcome and so it proved at control 13. Seven minutes inside the control circle, using my patented ever-increasing-circles technique, led me eventually to the elusive flag.

Overall, my result was a good one. My Clever Watch told me that 8.2 muddy kilometres distance with 220 metres of climbing had been covered in 73 minutes. A scan of the results showed several of my contemporaries ahead of me, although not by much, and certainly less than seven minutes! Cést la vie. Next time, of course, it will be different. Perhaps the weather will be more considerate.