Hurricanes, tornadoes, massive thunderstorms, stampedes of wild
buffalo...none of these were present for the August club orienteering meet
at the primo foothills venue of Hull's Gulch. Instead, the weather was
wonderful - sunny and warm, with temperatures staying in the 80's while most
of the folks were on the courses.

Attendance was down a bit over previous Hull's Gulch meets, primarily due to
the Boise Front Trail Run drawing away many of the usual advanced
competitors, and the threat of killer heat (the preceding week had been a
scorcher) keeping away the beginners.

The Easy course was a 1.6km classic loop, with navigation totally on paths.
Most of the controls were also on or visible from the trails, but the
somewhat steep terrain made this course more physically challenging than the
flat stuff in the city parks. The two Comstock girls took first prize in
the cute category. Newcomer Lee Scott took a quick run around the course
before heading out on the Intermediate course, while veteran Jeff Black
(fresh from the Boise Front Trail Run) did control pick-up, and did quite
well, even if he did get slightly lost.

On the Intermediate course, experience won out over sheer speed, as
McCall-ite Karin Didisse whipped through the course well ahead of Lee Scott,
who still turned in an impressive time for a first-timer. Newcomers Ted &
Liz Varricka also turned in a fine performance, but had to bail after an
hour to rescue the babysitter from their little boy.

The Advanced course set a new record for local meet difficulty, with many
controls set at or beyond the technical limits of the map, and with plenty
of climbing to boot. Even master veteran Sergey Velichko managed to bobble
things, coming in nearly 10 minutes over the expected winning time of 65
minutes. Kudos to Dave Bergset for managing to survive a nasty, challenging
course.

Mark your calendars for the next meet, September 20, on the Julia Davis
Park/BSU map. This is National Orienteering Day, so turnout is expected to
be heavy. See ya there, and bring your friends!

Andy Hill
 
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Final results:

Easy:  1.6km, 60m climb, 6 controls
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Jeff Black                     17:23
Lee Scott                      17:41
Comstock Family                51:00

Intermediate:  4.96km, 250m climb, 8 controls
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Karin Didisse                  76:00
Lee Scott                      98:45
Ted & Liz Varricka             DNF

Advanced:  7.11km, 400m climb, 10 controls
-----------------------------------------------
Sergey Velichko                74:37
Dave Bergset                  122:53