Spring Meets Promise Open Woods, Fresh Smells, Bright
Sun
Clark Maxfield, Club News Editor
The seven orienteering meets in the Chicago area this spring will
offer variety and challenge, a chance to reacquaint yourself with
the beautiful natural areas around the City, and the opportunity
to get in shape, and become better at using natural features to
find your way in the woods.
Before we begin a detailed summary of the spring local meets, a
few general comments are appropriate. Spring weather in Chicago
is often warm and delightful, with bright sun cutting through the
bare branches, the smell of fresh earth in the air, and an absence
of bugs and poison ivy. Until the last frost, usually in early May,
most trees and bushes will remain dormant, making walking and running
off-trail directly through the woods and fields much easier.
But this is Chicago, and winter can always reappear. Bring a nylon
shell jacket and perhaps a polypropylene undergarment for good measure.
And in a backpack, include a change of clothing and a warm sweater
so that you'll be comfortable on the way home.
All meets start with a Beginner's Clinic at 9:30 a.m. for those
that need a review of the fundamentals of the sport, and the first
start times are usually handed out by 10 a.m.. Competitors may start
anytime up until noon. But if you plan to take more than 2 hours
to complete your course, please get there early since controls will
be picked up beginning at 2 p.m.
Five courses of increasing length and difficulty are always offered...see
course descriptions elsewhere. Generally, it is a good idea to start
with a course you know you can complete easily; if you want more
"O" after finishing, you can always mark your map with
the next harder course and go out on that one too! No charge for
seconds! But be sure you check out at the Finish before driving
away...we keep tabs on you and will start a search if you haven't
checked out within 3 hours of your start time.
Registration is $8 per punch card, with a $3 discount for Club
members. Extra maps are $2 and compass rentals are $1. The Club
long-sleeved Hanes tee-shirt is only $15 and sales benefit our Mapping
Fund. So without furthur ado, here is a run-down on the local meets
this spring:
March 9—Lincoln Park, Chicago
Clark Maxfield, Meet Director
The first meet this spring may be a bit cool. But it will be held
in downtown Chicago where warm restaurants, bistros and cafes are
not far away for warmth and refreshment after your short run. Although
it will require orienteering skills such as map reading and route
selection, the terrain is simple, flat and open, so it will give
you a early-season chance to get some exercise and have some fun.
But because it will involve crossing busy city streets, this meet
is not appropriate for children on their own.
Urban or "park" orienteering is a new concept that has
become popular in Europe over the past couple of years, as the sport
tries to become more known and accepted by the mainstream public
and media. Top orienteers from around the world are paid to appear
and run short, fast courses through city parks for the enjoyment
of the spectators, much like an inner city marathon, criterium or
bike race.
For our first Park event, we will keep the activity quite simple
and low-key. The meet will be a Score-O event with only a Long and
Short course. As a Score-O, you will be given a specific amount
of time to visit as many control locations as you can and return
to the finish, without coming in overtime. More distant controls
will have more point value than nearer controls. Overtime will be
penalized at a rate of 5 points per minute overtime. Winners are
determined first by their point score, and then by their run time
in the event of point-count ties.
Afterwards, the event participants will be invited to retire to
a local pub for a bit of socializing, lunch, and libations. Since
it has been several months since you last saw these people, everyone
should have some catching up to do. Sign-up sheets will be available
for those willing to volunteer to help out at local meets this year.
And the National meet schedule will be updated, so this is a good
place to plan car-pools and traveling companions to distant events,
such as the Cincinnati A-meet at the end of the month, and the 12-hour
Indiana Rogaine in April (see Orienteering
Calendar).
Bring a pencil!! Since no standard orienteering markers or punches
will be used at this meet, participants will be required to mark
their scorecard with a pencil, using information found at each control
location. This is our first meet of this nature, so there may be
a few glitches. If you a looking for a more finished product, skip
this meet and come to the March 23 Swallow Cliff meet.
Meet Registration will be held in the small public park on the
southeast corner of Clark and Belden Streets. Participants will
then run/stroll along city streets to access Lincoln Park itself.
In addition, some control features may require reentering city streets.
Directions:
Public Transportation:
Because of difficult parking, use of public transportation is
highly recommended.
Take Brown or Red "el" line to Fullerton station (with
your bicycle if you wish—bikes are permitted on the "el"
all day Sunday) Transfer to Fullerton bus if one is waiting, otherwise,
walk/bike east on Fullerton to Lincoln Avenue (one block). Turn
south for one block to take a left on Belden Street (John Barleycorn's
Pub on corner). Walk east 3 blocks to Clark Street and Registration.
And bring pencils.
Driving:
Bring pencils; exit either Lake Shore Drive or the Kennedy
Expressway (I-90/94) at Fullerton. Drive west/east to Lincoln Park
on the lakefront where parking is available in the Park on Lakeview,
Stockton and Cannon Drives. Also a public garage for paid parking
is available on Belden Street east of Clark Street, one block south
of Fullerton and across from Registration.
March 23—Swallow Cliff Forest, Palos Hills
Clark Maxfield/Natalia Babeti
Located on the ridge formed by the lakeshore of the pre-glacial
Lake Chicago before Niagara Falls was formed, when the Chicago and
Illinois Rivers carried most of the water from the Great Lakes,
Swallow Cliff Forest is on some of the steepest terrain in our area.
A high east-west ridge intercut by steep-sided ravines and reentrants
runs the length of this map, and allows some interesting courses
to be set. Should you run up and over the big ridge in front of
you, or follow the meandering trail around the reasonably flat valley?
And how accurately can you follow your compass once you get to the
top of the broad, featureless plateau...? Can you dependably continue
300 meters and hit the small side reentrant where the control is
located?
While White, Yellow and Orange courses will be located in the trail
network to the east and north of the start, the Green and Red advanced
courses will cross the road and plunge into the extensive Cap Sauers
Holding map to the west.
Directions:
Public Transportation:
Take Pace bus #381 from the 95th Street Terminal (in the middle
of the Dan Ryan Expressway) on the Red elevated line at 8:30 a.m.
Get off bus at end of line at Moraine Valley Community College and
walk west on 107th Street one mile to turn south on Hwy 45 (96th
Avenue) which takes you across the Sag Channel. Turn west again
on Calumet Sag Road (Hwy 83) for a mile, then turn left on 104th
Avenue and up the hill half a mile to Registration. On the return,
ask someone in the parking lot to drop you at MVCC where return
buses depart every 30 minutes all afternoon.
Driving:
From the north, take LaGrange Road-South from Stevenson Expressway
(I-55). Exit at cloverleaf just after crossing the Sag Channel on
Hwy 83-West. Turn south on 104th Avenue (next left) and then follow
orienteering signs into the first parking area and follow the trail
south to registration. This is the overflow lot; the lot near the
Registration shelter at the top of the hill has limited capacity
and will be full by 10 a.m. Do not park on 104th
Avenue!! The Club will be cited by Forest Preserve police if
congestion or dangerous parking occurs. Please co-operate.
April 13—Country Lane Woods, Palos Park
Tom Favale/Carl Larsson/Gary Klaben
An orienteering clinic will be taught today beginning at 10 a.m.
by Carl Larsson and Gary Klaben. Both Carl and Gary have extensive
orienteering credentials. Carl grew up in Sweden as a very competitive
orienteer at an early age. And Gary attended West Point Military
Academy where he was a member of that prestigious orienteering team.
We are fortunate to have them instructing Club members for the cost
of a normal entry.
Various orienteering techniques will be presented and practiced
including:
- pace counting,
- running a compass bearing,
- fine and rough navigation techniques (sometimes called red-light,
green-light orienteering), and
- corridor orienteering.
These techniques are important to master if you are going to develop
your skill to move through the woods in a fast, efficient manner,
and are discussed elsewhere in the newsletter. This session is especially
intended for adventure racers who have only recently begun to orienteer.
Normal White, Yellow and Orange courses will also be offered. After
training, advanced runners will be given a combined Red/Green "control
picking (many short legs)" course on which they can practice the
skills they learned earlier. The meet today will not count toward
the Club Championship, so plan to come early, and take your time,
running repeats on the same legs several times to develop your skills.
And then, for the remainder of the season, you'll be a better navigator
and more confident orienteer.
Directions:
Public Transportation:
Take Pace bus #381 from the 95th Street Terminal (in the middle
of the Dan Ryan Expressway) on the Red elevated line at either 8:30am
or 9:30am. Get off as the bus turns left at 88th Avenue about 40
minutes later. Walk west on 95th Street about 1-1/2 miles to Country
Lane parking lot on left.
Driving:
From the north, take LaGrange Road-South from Stevenson Expressway
(I-55) approximately 4 miles to turn right at the traffic light
at 95th Street. Proceed west about a mile to enter the Country Lane
Woods parking lot on your left.
April 27—Poplar Creek, Schaumberg
Richard Gaylord/Bill Bollig
A Pink Course will be offered on this new map along with the standard
courses. A Pink course is as long as a Red course, but as easy as
a White course....it is perfect for your runner friends who have
always wanted to try the sport of orienteering, but didn't like
dealing with complicated compass courses and route choices. Invite
them to come with you today! The Pink course is also good for people
who just want to go for a nice long walk, with a purpose.
Poplar Creek was a famous summer music venue with a widespread
reputation from the sixties all the way to the nineties, until Sears,
Roebuck Co, anxious to leave the Sears Tower in downtown Chicago,
made the owners an offer they couldn't refuse. Many a youngster
had their first concert experience at this somewhat antiseptic outdoor
music theater. Jefferson Airplane, Peter Frampton, Whitesnake, Bon
Jovi.....
Well, the music may have died, but the orienteering is just beginning.
Although the Sears campus is on the north side of the Northwest
Tollway (I-90), the large forested area on the south side of the
Tollway is the Club's newest map, thanks to Rich Gaylord and Joe
Sehnal.
Directions:
Public Transportation:
Very remote and difficult to reach—bring your folding bike!
Metra train arrives in Bartlett at 9:30 a.m. Jog/bike north on Oak
Ave to Hwy 20. Jog left then right and continue north on Bartlett
Road; left on Bode Road; right on Sutton Road for the last mile
into parking lot on west side of Sutton (6 miles from station) On
the return, ask someone to drop you back at the station.
Driving:
Northwest Tollway (I-90) 19 miles west of O'Hare to Exit 11—Sutton
Road-South (Hwy 59); proceed south 1.5 miles to turn right into
parking lot a mile south of expressway. Registration is at second
(western) shelter.
May 18 - Palos North/Country Lane, Palos Hills
Gale Teschendorf/Dugalic Dragovan
First Annual "Curse of the Goat" CAOC Billygoat-style long-O
This is going to be a Long, Long race on the combined
maps of Country Lane Woods and Palos North, which comprise a triangular
area 4-1/2miles on a side! The winning time will be over 2 hours,
and most orienteers will probably be out on the course at least
4 hours. The event will hopefully challenge both in-shape orienteers,
and our Adventure Racing membership. A somewhat shorter Green course
will also be offered, along with the standard White, Yellow and
Orange courses. See article elsewhere in this edition of Chicao-O.
This will be a Billygoat-style event, so there will be some differences
in the rules for the meet: A mass start will occur
at 10 a.m. for both the Red and Green runners. And the course
will officially close at 3 p.m. Following will be
allowed, and competitors may skip any two controls of their
choosing. A special Curse of the Goat T-shirt will be awarded
to all who finish the course in under 3 hours.
Directions:
Public Transportation:
Take Pace bus #381 from the 95th Street Terminal (in the middle
of the Dan Ryan Expressway) on the Red elevated line at 8:30am.
Get off as the bus turns left at 88th Avenue about 40 minutes later.
Walk west on 95th Street about 3-1/2 miles to turn left on Wolf
Road, and then south to Registration at Pulaski Woods.
Driving:
From the north, take LaGrange Road-South from Stevenson Expressway
(I-55) approximately 2miles to exit on Archer Avenue-West. Proceed
southwest approximately 4 miles to turn left on Wolf Road at intersection
with 95th Street. Continue south on Wolf Road to parking lot on
right for Pulaski Woods.
June 1—Deer Grove Forest, Palatine
Michael Collins/Drew Bolda
In addition to the five standard orienteering courses, this meet
will feature geocaching, a sport described as "treasure hunting
with GPS." Geocachers use published coordinates (latitude and
longitude) to find weather-proof containers (e.g. ammo boxes) to
exchange items with one another. Today, however, they'll be looking
for the same controls as everyone else.
Instead of getting a map with the controls locations circled, they
will get a blank map and a list of the coordinates of each control.
They'll then have up to three hours to find as many of the controls
as possible. Or, they'll also be able to choose to run a particular
course (white, yellow, orange, etc.) with GPS instead of a marked
map.
We tried this out for the first time at the Snowgaine in January,
and it worked great. For more information, check out the geocaching
website. There will be folks around at the start who will be
happy to explain and demonstrate how it all works.
The vegetation will be plenty thick by June 1, but the path network
should make it easy to get around. Nonetheless, the folks on the
Green and Red courses should expect some good fight. Pre-marked
maps will be available to people who pre-register on the club website.
Directions:
Public Transportation:
A Metra train arrives at the Palatine station on Sundays at 11:24 a.m.
from Union Station in Chicago. From there, you walk north on Smith
Street, past a 19th century cemetery, to the Bike Path which will
lead you directly into the Forest Preserve and Registration just
prior to the noontime cut-off (2 miles walk).
Driving:
Take Route 53 north of I-90 for 6 miles. Exit on Dundee Road, turn
left, and go west 3 miles to Quentin Road. Turn right and go north
0.5 mile. Turn left into the forest preserve. Turn right at the
first intersection within the preserve (toward grove 5). Continue
to the end of the drive to the shelter near the toboggan slides.
Watch for the red and white orienteering signs to direct you to
the registration area.
June 8—Waterfall Glen, West Lemont
Bev Hartline/Fred Hartline
We have obtained permission to open the western access gate to
Waterfall Glen. Therefore, this meet provides a rare opportunity
to visit the southwest area of Waterfall Glen, which is normally
5 km from normal road access on the east side. This is only the
second meet set in this area since the map was updated in 2000.
It features easy-running, open forests, expansive meadows, easily-avoided
thickets, and considerable topographic detail.
This DuPage County forest preserve has performed considerable work
to eliminate invasive European plants and return the area to its
original appearance featuring open oak forests interspersed with
meadows and prairie. It is located on the north side of the original
Illinois and Michigan canal: evidence of old locks, building foundations,
and ancient earthworks are present along the southern side of the
map which also features several steep cliffs.
Directions:
Public Transportation:
Bring your folding bicycle for this one, too. Take Pace bus #381
from the 95th Street Terminal (in the middle of the Dan Ryan Expressway)
on the Red elevated line at 8:30am. Get off as the bus turns left
at 88th Avenue about 40 minutes later. Bike west on 95th Street
about 3-1/2 miles to turn left on Archer Avenue. Follow Archer (Hwy
171) southwest to turn right (north) and cross bridge on Hwy 83—Kingery
Expwy. On north side of bridge, turn left on Bluff Road, and after
a mile, continue through gates into forest preserve. Ride paved/gravel
roads of forest preserve southwest and west to Registration, near
the model airplane field, in the Southwest area of preserve.
Driving:
From I-55 take Lemont Road-South exit. Turn left onto Bluff Road
at the bottom of the hill (before crossing the bridge over the Des
Plaines River, Ship Canal, and railroad tracks). Drive through the
forest preserve gate, where the pavement ends and park along the
west side of the road from the gate to the model airplane field.
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