Xmas 5-Days Orienteering

This year's 5-Day orienteering carnival was in the Jindabyne region, using the same maps as the Easter Carnival.

Left home on Boxing Day feeling sore and out-of-sorts. Sore knees from the trail run the day before; sore neck from sleeping badly (I think); dehydration(?) headache; and tired and generally below par. Got about halfway along the Murray Valley Hwy before calling it a day. Veged out under a tree before pitching the tent to escape the flies.


Gang-gang cookatoos crunching seeds at the rest area

Next morning, drove through to Cooma for the first event. Big group of us staying in a lodge at Jindabyne.



All courses Red 3, Women's B (W35).

Day 1: Mt Gladstone

Start time: 16:19
Course distance: 4.9 km
Actual distance: 5.9 km
Time: 1:35

Very hot. No water left at the first water stop - I was wearing the fuel belt with 500ml water, but I was hoping for a top-up. Walked because of the heat, and had a straightforward run. Sore, hot feet in my orienteering spikes with hot-spots across the top of the smaller toes.

Day 2: Glenbrook

Start time: 08:54
Course distance: 5.2 km
Actual distance: 7.1 km
Time: 1:49

Crap run - just couldn't read the map detail. Very rocky terrain, and the contours just looked like a bunch of squiggles which I couldn't make sense of. Debrief with John afterwards, which helped. Wearing Trail shoes instead of spikes, and feet were a lot happier. Shoes covered in screw grass seeds. Hot.

Day 3: Cootralantra Creek

Start time: 09:00
Course distance: 5.0 km
Actual distance: 5.9 km
Time: 1:30

Same map as yesterday, but course looped in the opposite direction and went further out. Had a much cleaner run, and it all made more sense. Still very hot, even at 9 o'clock. Still walking. Terrain included a lot of open farmland, covered in grass which was going to seed, and millions of flies and grasshoppers. So we all ended up with our shoes (and socks for those who didn't cover them up) covered in grass seeds.


like at any sporting event, there's a loo queue

Day 4: Buckenderra

Start time: 09:16
Course distance: 5.1 km
Actual distance: 6.5 km
Time: 2:04

DNF'd. Hard, technical map. Hot, windy and dry. Millions of flies; and too many controls hidden out of sight amongst the rocks. After control 11 (out of 19), I'd had enough. I was getting stressed (heat and frustration), my head was tensing up, and I wanted out. Headed back to the finish by the shortest route I could find, and it still took half an hour to get back. As I clambered over the last fence into the finish area, another orienteer came up to me with a cup of water. I must have looked pretty bad at that point, and started to feel a bit weepy.

Had a swim in the lake and lunch under a tree, and felt much better afterwards.

Day 5: Wainui Bay

DNS. Same location as yesterday, but further north around the west side of the lake. I'd decided that I'd had enough of battling heat and flies, but went down anyway to be part of the action and pick up my map. Tried to look sympathetic as everyone came in hot and bothered and covered in scratches. No regrets that I didn't go out.


Lake Eucumbene at Buckenderra