Click here for my Warwick Fall '05, Red map.

After last week's race in the laurel, there was a bit of debate whether Hickory Run laurel, or M.F. rose was the worst species of green in the Mid-Atlantic area. Little did I know that next week I would get an almost equal dose of the latter for comparison purposes.

I was in the minority opinion that M.F. rose is more benign, and I think I still hold that view; my curse rate was probably only about 80% of last week. I think the latter is slightly more finessable. Problem is, I just don't think it is mapped all that accurately at Warwick, leaving some bingo situations. I did have a mostly clean run, save a 20 second boom on number #10, but bingos happen en route, when you just get stuck in it, or strongly mapped trails just can't be found. Leaving #5 was a bad situation; wading in the river seemed fastest to avoid the tentacles, tho I'm sure my competition found an easier way.

One thing that really gets my goat about course setting are legs like #10, which span large swaths of unhashed private property. I know some people are going to cut thru it. And for all I know, they may get shot, as there was this dude sitting on the edge of one of the fields in a truck, near nothing but the best route choice. While there are many reasons for some dude in the country to sit in a truck in the middle of nowhere, I couldn't think of any while I was happily running well out of the way on known park property. (And dudes sitting in trucks in this part of the planet scare me; while Chester County seems relatively modern, there are instances of burning crosses and other reported KKK activity in these townships, so who knows who's out here ...)

Another thing that was odd about today's race was this dude standing at #10. Not an orienteer, did not have a map and was in street clothes. How did he find the bag, and why was he standing right at it? Perhaps a pot farm in the area, like at Hickory Run? Very bizarre.

Well, not a great race, but cleanish and passable. Bad bingo and not too fast on the trails. Feels like a 3rd to 5th.