Special non-IOF map symbol for fissures (shown at about 1:7500)Course Notes - US Short (Middle) and Long Championships
Thacher State Park and Camp Pinnacle
April 29 - 30, 2006
Out-of-Bounds Areas
- All wooded areas of ThacherState Park are out of bounds (OOB) except those in the immediate vicinity of the Day 1 Parking area (except while competing, of course). You are welcome to take the opportunity to check out the view from the cliff located east of the parking area.
- All woods at Camp Pinnacle are OOB until after your Day 2 start, including all trails away from the main camp buildings. Campers should use the road to access the dining hall.
White, Yellow and Brown - ~300m from 1st bus stop (with about 20m climb). 5-10 minutes. Warm up along trail to start or in field near parking lot. Woods are OOB.
Orange, Green, Red and Blue - <100m from 2nd bus stop. 2 minutes. Warm up in parking lot or in field to east. All woods and road to west of parking lot are OOB. Mandatory route to the first control is streamered. You must punch at the first control.Road Crossing
There is one road crossing for Orange, Green, Red and Blue. There will a person at the road crossing but they cannot stop traffic. Please be careful.
Finish
It is about 800m from the finish back to the parking area and results (Pear Orchard Pavilion). Suggested route is to head north, cross the road (carefully) and follow the cliff trail to the west and north to just beyond the Indian Ladder Trailhead. Please don’t walk along the Park Road.
All Courses - Start is about 250m west from the main parking lot at Camp Pinnacle (5 min). Warm up in the open area and/or the track east of the start area, back towards parking.
The start triangle will be along a streamered route about 90m from the map pickup (and start of time).
Road Crossings
All Courses except White and Yellow cross roads. Two of these roads are relatively lightly traveled but have 55mph (90kph) speed limits, so be careful. Crossing of these roads will not be controlled, but efforts will be made to make drivers aware that runners will be crossing. If you choose a route which involves running along a road, please try to run on the shoulder on the left-hand side so you are facing oncoming traffic.
The Blue course crosses Rt. 157 (Thacher Park Rd.) twice at a well defined (but not mandatory) location. Even though the crossing is manned, traffic cannot be stopped. An aid station is located at the control just south of this road crossing. When crossing the road the second time (headed south) the best route will take you past the aid station so feel free to stop.
Aid Stations and Water Stops
Blue, Red and Green courses will have an aid station with water, sports drink and food items one-half to two thirds of the way through the course. Blue will pass their aid station twice but only need to punch the control on the first visit. [Control numbers: Blue #10, Red X #11, Red Y #11, Green X #8, Green Y #6.]
All control locations indicated as “manned” will have at least water available.
Punch Card Check
Blue, Red and Green courses may have punch cards checked. If a meet official asks to see your punch card, you must show it to them or risk disqualification. We will try to minimize the time spent checking your card. Controls must be visited in order.
Map Exchange (Blue Course Only)
There will be a map exchange for the Blue course at control 14. You must punch at this control. Leave your 1st map and pick up your 2nd. First maps will be returned after you finish.
Miscellaneous
Brown, Orange (and maybe Red and Blue) - You may see some fluorescent red yarn marking the boundaries of a paint ball area. You may ignore these markings.
Map Notes - Thacher State Park and Camp Pinnacle
Special Feature – Fissures – Thacher Park is on a series of limestone layers which have a rather unique, but potentially hazardous feature. In certain areas, there are vertical fissures or crevices which range from 10 to 30cm wide (4 – 12 inches) and may be up to two meters deep. They are located in the relatively flat areas and the fissures tend to run in parallel lines separated by a meter or two. The hazard of course is stepping into one and going in up to your hip (or further). The fissured areas are generally runnable, although they are best negotiated at a “careful run” or fast walk. The good news is that they can be useful for navigation since the mapper has created a symbol to represent them. On the map, the symbol uses short, fine brown lines as depicted below. The symbol is an area feature (like the green or yellow used to indicate vegetation), but the lines are oriented to indicate the general direction of the fissures. Color pictures of the symbol as well as a photo of the feature will be posted at registration and/or the start.
Special non-IOF map symbol for fissures (shown at about 1:7500)
Out of Bounds – Areas on the map with closely spaced purple vertical lines are out of bounds and must be avoided. These areas are generally residential areas outside the park boundaries. There are some areas outside the park boundary (shown on the map as a faint green dashed line) which we do have permission to use.
Rootstocks – There are many more rootstocks in the terrain than are shown on the map, making them an unreliable navigation feature. Those rootstocks chosen as control locations are distinct (in the opinion of the course setter).
Unchecked Area - Near the very southern end of the map, to the east of Pinnacle Road, there is an area which has not been field checked. A heavy dashed brown line (non-IOF symbol) indicates the approximate boundary of the area which is not checked. The words “Area Not Field Checked” appear on the map in brown. It is OK to enter this area (but not the adjacent out-of-bounds area), but beware. Blue, Red and Brown courses on Day 2 may pass near this area.
Glen Tryson
Course Setter