-- Michael (meglin@juno.com), December 04, 1999

Answers

I ran through the open area to the south west corner of it, crossed the rock wall, and then ran along the indistinct trail until I was due north of the control.

As the competition was going, I watched several people going toward 11. I was sitting by the rock wall (checking on the progress of people on the beginners' course and watching for Mook and Mikell as they approached the finish). Several people -- including Mook and Mikell -- crossed the rock wall about two contour lines lower than the control.

-- Michael (meglin@juno.com), December 06, 1999.

Yessir! Mook did indeed cross the rock wall too far downhill, and then he was too far downhill as he approached the control. Mainly it was just extra distance in the woods. Thankfully the control was visible from a little ways away. I think that had the field been more open I would have tightened up my route more easily as the corner of the field was not quite as visible as other field corners earlier in the course and the running through the field wasn't quite as easy to do as in the more open fields.

I found that I had to read the map to the finish more than in most courses. I was trying to look for the trail, but didn't see it very quickly and ran a bit north of it for a while until hitting it. I was a bit annoyed by that. I ran past the fire circle at the end of the trail towards the finish.

-- Mook (everett@psi.edu), December 07, 1999.

I should have said that once I realized I didn't find the trail right away I should have simply run through the woods towards the finish.

-- Mook (everett@psi.edu), December 07, 1999.

Feeling pretty good up to this point, knowing that Mike's time was 32:00 and so far I'm 30:42... then, disaster!

6:23 (37:05) Trying to follow Mike's plan, I mistakenly think the field corner just below the number 10 is the one that I want and then turn right into the dark green! (Don't ask why.) I then spent a goodly amount of time traversing that vegetation boundary. Finally I find more open woods and believe that I see the field corner and dash downhill, crossing the rockwall, getting all turned around going southeast and thinking I'm going southwest. At the creek, I stop and do some thinking (about time), decide to trust the compass and go north and west, uphill and to my left. By golly, there it is. Disappointed, I'm still thankful my visit to the twilight zone was brief.

to finish -- 1:38 (38:43) Uphill finish. I pass a group of scouts on the trail... the trail? My plan was to follow a compass bearing, but the last control did me in and demoralized, I vaguely recall only wanting to go uphill. Bumped into a trail and it was going left of my desired path, but so what? Maybe I'll be faster up this and then correct once I'm in the field. Nope. This trail goes right to where I want... Guess I'm glad I didn't keep going as I planned!

-- Fritz Menninger (fpmenninger@hotmail.com), December 08, 1999.

I ran to the far corner of the field and then swept the hillside, contouring into the reentrant. Piece o' pie!

No doubt the long, climbing run-in to the Finish was where I eventually lost the race to the Mookster, who is well known for his killer Finish sprints. But I could only doff my sodden cap to the new Kansas State Champion!

-- Swampfox (mikell@sprynet.com), December 11, 1999.