Length and Climb
Length and climb figures were updated on
25 March 2003 and are final. The distance
listed is straight line distance, avoiding obvious uncrossable areas
such as lakes and uncrossable fences. Climb is calculated from the
course setter's optimal route.
| Friday | Mar 28 | Saturday | Mar 29 | Sunday | Mar 30 | |||||
| Course | length | climb | controls | length | climb | controls | length | climb | controls | Course |
| white | 1.40 | 54 | 7 | 2.66 | 70 | 9 | 1.67 | 50 | 11 | white |
| yellow | 1.87 | 81 | 8 | 3.15 | 120 | 9 | 2.57 | 75 | 12 | yellow |
| orange | 2.74 | 99 | 8 | 5.01 | 220 | 11 | 3.92 | 145 | 15 | orange |
| brown | 1.82 | 66 | 6 | 4.27 | 150 | 6 | 3.33 | 130 | 12 | brown |
| green | 2.73 | 117 | 8 | 5.56 | 260 | 8 | 3.60 | 150 | 15 | green |
| red | 4.38 | 147 | 14 | 7.84 | 340 | 14 | 4.66 | 190 | 16 | red |
| blue | 5.86 | 198 | 16 | 10.59 | 400 | 18 | 6.60 | 320 | 17 | blue |
Embargo Areas for Flying Pig 2003
USOF rules specify that competitors should not enter the area prior to the event for the purpose of training or gaining knowledge of the terrrain. However, many parts of Hueston Woods can be used without violating the embargo.
Woodland Trails BSA Camp, Camden, Ohio
The camp is off-limits. Contact Matt Bond for any questions.
Hueston Woods State Park, Oxford, Ohio
The following facilities may be used:
Golf course
Sledding Hill
Lodge and Cabins
Approved Mountain Bike trails
Campground and permanent orienteering
course in the campground area
The Sugar Camp
Hiking paths in the State Nature Preserve
Hueston Woods Paintball Club
The following areas should not be used:
All hiking and horseback trails, except
those in the State Nature Preserve
Any off-road activities, except in the
permanent course area.
Harbin Park, Fairfield, Ohio
The entire park should be considered off-limits, including Mountain Biking, Frisbee Golf, Geocaches, and Cross Country course. Soccer fields may be used for organized play.
Woodland Trails BSA Camp, Camden, Ohio updated 21 March 2003
Course Setter: Matt Bond
Course Vetter: Steve Barnhart
Friday Course Notes are also available on the
Pig
Sprint (Friday) information (Leaving OCIN site: This is
an MVOC page)
Course Notes by Matt Bond
The panic (or lost) direction is South. This will eventually lead you to Gasper-Somers Rd. Once reaching this moderately travelled road, head East. You will then reach either the Woodland Trails Scout Camp entrance or US route 127. If you reach US route 127 first, then head west on Gasper-Somers Rd. until you reach the Woodland Trails Scout Camp entrance.
The white course may have some flagging tape leading them to an easier stream crossing than the path provides between controls 2 and 3.
During last year's Flying Pig at Girl Scout Camp Whip Poor Will, the camp ranger made special notice to MVOC about participants driving over 30 mph on camp roads when the posted speed limit was 10 mph. MVOC values its relationship with the scouts and other land owners who grant us land use at their discretion. We expect this year's participants to respect posted land use regulations and help our orienteering community maintain venues open to orienteering use -- here and elsewhere.
There is a dam on the map that creates a lake named Four Eagles Lake. No one is allowed on the dam.
Scale is 1:10,000. Contour interval is 3 meters. Terrain is wooded ridge and reentrant with some large tracts of rough open prairie and prairie mixed with conifers. There are some pine varieties in the wooded sections but most are hardwoods. Vegetation boundaries in wooded areas indicate a change from a deciduous to coniferous canopy. There are some sections where neither prairie nor forest are in climax stage and these contain some dense undergrowth.
Be wary of indistinct trails. Some are extremely indistinct, depending on which direction you are travelling. In blazing some of their trails, the Scouts have chosen to blaze them in one direction only. This means that some of these one-way blazed trails, if not used for a while, are indistinguishable from the surrounding area. You'll only be able to use them as handrails if you happen to be heading in the direction the blazes are visible.
Vegetation boundaries in wooded areas indicating a change from a deciduous to coniferous canopy, while useful for navigation if looking up, are not always apparent on the ground. These are not used for control locations.
The area contains some sizeable stands of junipers in areas that are changing from rough open into forest. They have a distinct character from what is normally interpreted as either "Forest:slow running" or "Rough open land with scattered trees". Because of this, these areas have an implementation of "Rough open land with scattered trees" where green dots appear in the yellow tone. Although not often used, this implementation is allowed by ISOM 2000; and the label for it, "Juniper tract" appears in the legend. The normally interpreted "Rough open land with scattered trees" with white dots in the yellow screen also appears on the map.
The camp has an installed a permanent orienteering course. On the map, a small black circle indicates the location of each permanent control marker. In the field, the control markers are 2-1/2 foot tall, two inch diameter steel, capped pipes. They are painted white with an orange band, and a letter code is welded on each cap. On some markers the orange is well faded from sunlight.
The area of camp where most camping is done has a complex trail network. All known trails are on the map, but don't be surprised if you find one that is not mapped. The same can be said of more remote areas. While field checking I found some nice sized deer trails, but since they are in a constant state of flux they are unmapped.
Two non-standard building symbols that work well for the scouts appear on the map. The first is a black rectangle that is open inside. In the field this represents a shelter with no walls. There is a single exception where it represents a flag quadrangle, but that is near the finish and is not on a reasonable navigation route for any course. To avoid confusion with the small ruin symbol, no small ruin symbols are used on the map. Ruins on the map use the symbol with the dashed outline.
The second non-standard building symbol is a black rectangle whose insides are half open and half filled in with black. In the field this represents a shelter with only three walls.
Matt Bond
Hueston Woods Course Setter’s Notes updated 21 March 2003
Course Setter: Mike Minium
Course Vetter: Bill Swift
General Comments:
Parking will be at the
Sycamore Grove area (also known as Cedar Falls) at the north end of Main
Loop. Park along side the road as directed. Watch for low and
soft spots. The finish is immediately across Main Loop Road.
Use care when crossing. There are pit toilets (cement block building)
adjacent to the parking.
There is a Bus ride to the starts.
Red and blue courses will have a start area separate from the other courses.
Busses will run approx. every 15 minutes. Allow at least 30 minutes
for waiting and riding. White, yellow, orange, brown
and
green
runners
will ride approx. 5 minutes and get off at the first stop.
Your control description card says "start 1". Red
and
blue
runners will stay on the bus approx. 10 to 12 more minutes and get
off at the second stop. Your control
description card says "start 2". There will be one port-o-let at
each start area, also drinking water and bags for warm-up clothing return.
Warmup Areas:
Before boarding the bus, you may warm up in the woods on the north side
of Main Loop Rd. You may cross Main Loop Rd to view the finish control
and banner, but do not go into the woods south of the road. At the
start areas, white through green may warm up along the road and east of
(across) Main Loop Rd. Red and blue may warm up along the service
road and in the woods to the north of the service road.
Starting: We will
be using "start units" for the electronic punching. Your time begins
when you punch the start unit. As soon as you punch the start unit,
grab your map and there will be a short run to the start triangle.
The start triangle will be marked with a control flag. There is no
additional punch at the start triangle.
The red and blue course's start triangle is centered
on an abandoned pioneer cemetery. There are two readable stones,
one from 1826 and one from 1836. There are slight depressions which
indicate the possibility of other burials between these two stones.
There will be a streamer surrounding the cemetery. Please do not
cross inside this streamered area.
Finishing: There are
different "GO" controls used by different courses. The route to the
finish is not streamered, so you will have to navigate. The finish
is described as "path junction". You must punch the finish unit to
stop your time. Once you have punched the "finish" control, carefully
cross the road and proceed to the U-Haul truck to download your time.
Maps: Red and blue will
use a 1:15,000 map. All others will get a 1:10.000 map.
Due to snowmelt, there is standing water in many
of the flatter areas of the park. In particular, yellow
#1, a boulder, has been described as having a "marshy" appearance.
The boulder is surrounded by water up to a foot deep. The control
flag will be placed where it can be reached without getting in too deep;
as a result it will be several meters away from the actual boulder. With
luck, the water level will be down by day-of-event.
Safety Notes:
All courses will cross park
roads. Look carefully for traffic.
Anywhere in this park, (except
for early portions of red and blue courses), going downhill will eventually
lead you to the lake. Follow the lake shore until you reach park
roads.
Near the lodge, there is an
area marked with the purple cross-hatch for "dangerous area." This
is the Hueston Woods Paintball Club. Stay out of this area.
Tresspassers will be shot. Survivors will be shot again.
There are a couple ranger
residences in the competition area. Please avoid running through
their yards. At least one of the rangers has a large dog that will
be happy to remind you that you should have stayed out of the yard.
These are marked with vertical purple "out of bounds" stripes.
There is a major stream that
will be crossed near the end of the course. Normally, this is a wet-foot
crossing for competitive orienteers, although you can usually find places
to rock-hop across. In the event of heavy rain or major storms, this
stream can become swift and dangerous. If this happens, there may
be a designated, required crossing point. This will only be an issue
if there is heavy rain within 24 hours preceeding the event.
Red and Blue courses will
have a designated crossing over a road bridge early in the course.
Although the stream underneath is mapped as crossable, spring conditions
make it swift and dangerous. There has been at least one drowning
in this area.
Vegetation:
Green areas have some thorny
stuff, including wild rose and brambles. There are honey locust trees
in the area (the ones with the long, branching thorns).
Wildlife:
No known venomous snakes.
No known bear, cougar, etc. There are coyote and fox, and a very
rare report of badger. Groundhogs and other diggers have made a few
ankle-busting holes. Watch out for those.
Horses:
All courses cross or briefly
use horse trails (this includes some recent unauthorized horse use of hiker-only
trails). If you meet horses, leave the trail and give them the right-of-way.
* Notes above were written on February 7 and last modified March 21. *
Mike Minium, Course Setter
Hueston Woods Mapper’s Notes updated 7 March 2003
The Hueston Woods terrain is typical Midwest ridge
and reentrant. There is not nearly as much total relief as Fort Ancient,
Camp Wildwood, or Miami Whitewater North. However, you will find
yourself crossing many low ridges and valleys, and occasionally confronting
short, steep climbs.
Hueston contains one of the few remaining stands
of virgin timber in southwest Ohio. Parts of the park are very open
running, with towering beech trees and other large hardwoods. However,
most of the area was farmed at one time before it became a park.
As a result, even in the mature sections of forest, you will find remnants
of old barbed wire fences.
The park completely surrounds Acton Lake, with a
nine mile long loop road that encircles the lake. In general, you
will find the parts of the park inside the loop to consist of the more
open, runnable forest, while the higher, flatter areas outside the loop
tend to be younger, thicker forest.
The entire park was mapped in 1995 for use in the
1996 US Individual Championships. Most of the mapping was done by
George Kuntsevitch and Marat Gizatulin, with Mike Minium and Derek Hertel
mapping a few of the fringe portions outside of the loop. The area
used in 1996 (Hueston Woods East, covering most of the eastern and northern
parts of the park) was thoroughly re-checked by Vladimir Gusiatnikov before
that event. This area is being re-checked by Mike Minium this winter.
In 1999-2000, Mike Minium re-checked the southern portion of the park (Hueston
Woods South), which was used in the 2000 U S Short Course Championship.
This portion will get only minor re-checking this year.
If you have run at Hueston Woods before, these are
the main changes that I have noted:
There were large areas of
storm felled trees and brambles which were indicated by vertical green
lines, when the park was first mapped in 1995. Many of the fallen
trees are mostly rotted away. While there are still logs to jump
over or maneuver around, it is not the struggle that it was in the 1996
US Champs. Most of this area has been re-mapped as light green, with
some patches of white.
In general, there is less
light green on the map than was shown in 1995. Light green areas
have shifted position, and some have become white forest. However,
I also have been adding more medium and dark green, again mainly in areas
that were previously mapped as light green. I think you’ll find that
most vegetation mapping accurately reflects the early spring runnability.
Power line right-of-ways
have been cleared within the last year and can be easily crossed at most
points. Although you will have to contend with some slash debris,
stumps, and low brambles, you won’t have to fight your way through.
The couple places where they are still shown with the green line (iundergrowth)
symbol accurately reflect current conditions.
Old fences are rusting and
becoming more ruined. It is often easy to cross a ruined fence without
noticing. On the map, I’ve removed sections and widened gaps to show
more accurately where fence is still visible. There are a few unmapped
bits of fence: generally if you find a small unmapped piece, you can count
on it “lining up” pretty closely with the ends of mapped segments.
A couple small power lines
have been re-poled since the original map. They should be completely
corrected in the areas where courses will cross them, but I have not corrected
the pole locations outside of areas used by the courses.
A number of watercourses
which were mapped as dry ditch (and a coupole that were still incorrectly
shown
with teh narrow marsh symbol) have been changed to seasonal stream.
This will more accurately reflect your chances of finding wet conditions
in the spring.
Contours on the old map
are pretty good. I’ve done a little bit of tweaking of the shapes
of a few reentrants, and I’ve added a few steep banks and also deleted
a couple that weren’t really there.
There is very little rock
on this map. I’ve found a couple 0.5 to 1 meter boulders that weren’t
on the map and added them. I also finally clicked “delete” on a phantom
boulder that we’ve searched for many times since 1996. If it is there,
it is buried.
In 1996, one orienteer commented
on some of the mapped rootstocks being small, and relatively indistinguishable
from other forest floor debris. I’ve eliminated most of the smaller
and more rotten rootstocks. In the first part of the map I worked
on, the drop rate was close to 80%,with only a few new ones being added.
However, in other areas, I’ve found several large new rootstocks.
Any that are mapped should be at least waist high and pretty solid and
distinctive.
There are a number of “trees
of enormous size” in the park, forest giants with trunks at least 1 meter
in diameter, that significantly stand out from other nearby trees.
There were a few of these shown on the 1995 map, and I have added a few
more this year.
* Notes above were written on January 3 and last modified March 7. *
Mike Minium
Harbin Park Course Setter’s Notes updated 26 March 2003
Course Setter: Pat Meehan
Course Vetter: Steve Vaughan
The map scale for this event is 1:7500
Geology
When you stand at the top of the overlook hill in
Harbin Park, look north. You will see a valley lying before you.
Out of sight to the left and to the right the valley splits into two branches.
2 million years ago great rivers flowed north. They joined in the valley
below and continued north into the ancient Teays River, an ancestor to
the Mississippi.
The Illinoian Glaciers obliterated the Teays and
led to the formation of the Ohio River here in southern Ohio. The
Ohio flowed from east to west in the valley to the north. This well-known
water way was obstructed just 25,000 years ago by the Wisconsinan Glacier.
The hill you are standing on stopped the glacier dead in its tracks. (although
not by itself in that feat.) This hill is the most northern tip of a terminal
moraine running southeast for about 6 miles. The Ohio River managed
to cut an alternate route through a smaller and younger valley now running
adjacent to a better-known town called Cincinnati. The ridges you
see on the far side of the valley run 300 feet above the visible valley
floor. The valley is filled with Glacial till and out wash at a depth
of 270 feet.
Harbin Park consists of bedrock of the Cambrian
and Ordovician periods formed 500 – 550 million years ago. A careful eye
will note an abundance of fossilized shells and other aquatic thingies.
In addition, there are outcrops of what remains of the moraine here and
there. This is evident in the occasional boulder of 0.5 meters and
less, and washes of sand and gravel along some of the stream banks.
History
Man first stepped foot in this area as he did across
all of North America about 12,000 years or so ago. Of note were the
Hopewell, who left a quantity of earthworks throughout the Mississippi
and Ohio valleys 1500 – 2000 years ago. On this very hill, throughout
the valley below, and on top of the ridges and hills across the valley,
rest the second largest concentration of earthworks in the country.
Squires and Davis surveyed and documented 250 mounds and enclosures here
in 1846. The enclosures consisted of “fortifications” exactly like
the well-known Fort Ancient. In addition, many circular, square and
omega shaped structures containing 20 to 40 acres once resided in the valley
below. Few of these remain, most having weathered poorly over - time,
floods, and the unforgiving plow. A prominent fortification structure
remains just across the valley to the north and slightly west at the highest
point. Its sister once stood just 500 meters directly west of this
point (200 meters outside of the park boundary). It enclosed 28 acres
and two mounds that may be the prominent high points visible today.
The ridge running up to the water tower contains much flint and archaeological
remains.
The town, Hamilton, lying 6 miles north of here,
was founded after the building of Fort Hamilton in 1791. This fort
and the others north of here were built to support the Indian wars of 1790
– 1794. The soldiers proceeded north from Fort Washington (Cincinnati)
to battles extending as far as Detroit. This park quickly was developed
into farmland after clearing most of the forest. For 150 years the
land provided for the hardy landowner. 3 decades ago a group of investors
prepared the land for a future golf course. They started by grading
the northern hillside. They found the earth to be too stony, full
of flint and other rock. They abandoned their venture and the land
fell into the hands of the Fairfield City Parks Department.
The Lay of Harbin Park
Geology and mankind molded the future park into
a rectangular shape of 161 acres. Consisting of many meadows separated
by thick vegetation and intermittent streams, and an intricate ridge and
reentrant system, the park has a diverse topography and this lends to some
navigational challenges.
The southern portion of the park is open, fast, terrain, very like
a golf course. This is rolling terrain, not very steep, with very
open fields containing numerous copses, single trees, and manmade structures.
These pleasant and numerous meadows are separated by long sections of thick
vegetation. Frequently this vegetation contains runoff channels and
small streams. Each meadow looks much like another. The highest
point in the meadows area is dominated by a large cylindrical water tower.
This tower can be seen from most all of the open areas of the park and
from most land within 10 miles north or west of there. The gently rolling
meadow land immediately adjacent to the tower has been developed by the
parks department for many recreational uses. There is a disc golf
course, a fitness trail, soccer fields, picnic shelters, tennis courts,
and a few hiking trails. Besides the water tower the most dominant
features are the two short roadways to the parking lots.
The northern section of the park is forested.
It consists of a series of long ridges and deep reentrants. All of
these drop quickly to the large valley below. This forested area
contains a vast network of mountain bike trails and mixed vegetation including
much honeysuckle. A small number of mature trees of substantial girth
reside in this area. Near the meadows area some modern day
earthen walls remain, ringing the old farm fields. It has been suggested
that these were left behind by the would-be golf enthusiasts. The
vegetation ranges from open to light green, to medium green. Near
the south end along the meadows area, some former farm fields have turned
dark green. There are also small crops of dark green throughout the
forest.
The Map and Courses
Harbin was mapped in October, 2002 by Vladimir Zherdev.
Minor changes have been made by Mike Minium and Pat Meehan. The map
scale for this event will be 1:7500. The map, representing a small
city park, is packed full of fine detail. Those with old eyes will
much appreciate the large scale. Those who don’t need it now, bear
in mind, you may some day soon.
Vladimir Zherdev did a very good job of fairly depicting
the relative “greenness” of the map. His dark green is a fight.
There are narrow sections of the dark green that present a valid route
choice. However, those routes may have a price to pay. Each
orienteer operates with their own budget for such things and will last
differently. The medium green can be traveled at a fast walk to a
good jog; the light green will accommodate a slow run.
The map uses one symbol to represent two different
but similar features. The open green circle represents a distinct
tree in the forest areas. Generally these are mature trees visible
from a distance and featuring a diameter from 3 to 5 feet. Most other
trees on the map are no larger than a foot. The same green circle
is used to represent a single tree in the open meadows. These trees
are distinct only in that they are by themselves, surrounded, typically,
by grassland. These will usually be an evergreen of some sort but
can be a deciduous as well.
Special symbols on the map are used for disc golf
tees and targets. There will be a copy of the legend at the call
up line.
Besides the single trees in the meadows area, there
are many small shrubs, copses, and open areas with scattered trees.
The differentiation of an open area with scattered trees and an open area
with single trees is subtle. Simply make yourself aware that the
map depicts these vegetation changes in this way. Do not try to make in
your mind more or less than what is shown on the map and you will be the
happier for it.
Harbin is a small City Park. On a typical
day there can be hundreds of people in all areas. All courses cross
park-roads. Be alert. For the safety of all, the Park has in place
a ½” steel cable running parallel to the roadways, at about 30”
off the ground. These are suspended by wooden bollards. I recommend
that you carefully step over the cables when crossing the roadways.
(There are openings, unmapped, but visible from a distance.) Look
and think twice before stepping upon or leaping over the cables.
I have seen them move! I have seen members of my Cross Country team
injured.
You can expect to see many hikers and dog walkers,
even during lousy weather.
Uphill will, eventually, lead you to the Water Tower.
This is within sight of the start and finish areas.
Mountain Bike Trails
There are extensive mountain bike trails.
Be careful and courteous. The bikers have been building and moving
trails. Some changes were updated last Saturday. Be advised
that there could be minor changes over night.
Disc Golf
There is an 18-hole disc golf course. Be alert
for flying objects. On any day with tolerable weather there will
be a full course of ‘golfers’. They may hold the attitude that
the park belongs to them. Please be respectful by smiling and saying
‘pardon me’ while you run through their game.
Parking
There should be ample parking at the western parking
lot. This is reached by driving directly into the park and proceeding
straight ahead, up the hill to the west. The lot will be to your
right. In the event that this lot fills up, there are two more
lots at the bottom of the hill. These can be reached by turning left
immediately after entering the park. After parking you must use the
paved roads and walkways at all times!
The start
The walk to the start is an easy 600-meter paved
bike trail. The areas 10 feet beyond either side of the bike trail
are off limits. If you wish to warm up, please restrict yourself
to running on or along side of this trail. All courses start from
the same area. Report to the start three or more minutes prior to
your scheduled start. You will be called up at the scheduled time.
"Start units" will be used for the electronic punching. Your time
begins when you punch the start unit. As soon as you punch the start
unit, grab your map and proceed to the first control. The maps will be
at the start triangle, which will be marked with a control flag.
Remember that the map is at 1:7500 scale. Do not over run the first
control! (Save that for later.)
The Finish
There are different "GO" controls used by different
courses. The route to the finish is not streamered, so you will have
to navigate. The finish is described as "North side of building".
You must punch the finish unit to stop your time. Once you have punched
the "finish" control, directly proceed to the U-Haul truck to download
your time.
Pat Meehan