Delaware Valley Orienteering Association

Online registration is now open for the White Clay Creek event in Delaware on November 20, 2022.  The course specs are as follows:

Course	Length	Climb	Controls
White	2.8	60	13
Yellow	3.4	90	13
Orange	3.8	110	11
Brown	3.1	115	9
Green	5.6	215	14
Red	7.0	225	16

 

Veteran course setter Ron Wood designed the intermediate and advanced courses, and I tried my hand at the White and Yellow courses  Ron also provided me with invaluable course setting guidance based on his years of experience:  "Ron, what do you mean I can't put a control in the middle of the creek?  It is readily visible and barely waist deep!"

Speaking of White Clay Creek itself, the green and red courses cross the creek to the east side of the park by two bridges.  Please cross the creek only at the bridges; do not attempt to cross anywhere else.

We have field checked the park, and trails for likely route selections should be open.  There are some other trails that may no longer exist or which may overgrown with vegetation blocking entrances or exits.  We tried to avoid those trails.

Some trails may be difficult to see due to leaf litter.  In particular, there is one trail that is useful on the White course whose intersection with a main trail may be difficult to spot. That intersection should be marked with streamers.

WCC is known for being "green," and some areas on the intermediate and advanced courses may be "greener" than they appear on the map.  We have tried to avoid sending people through nasty green stuff.  However, this is WCC, so please be careful.

There will be no water on the courses.  I am keeping my fingers crossed about the weather.  As I am typing this (Monday), the forecast is for cool but sunny weather.

WCC is a Delaware State Park, so there is an entrance fee at the front gate.  There was not much we could do about that.  WCC is an excellent venue for orienteering, so we hope you find it worth it.  And, of course, we hope you enjoy the courses.

 

 

Here are some notes from the designer of the intermediate and advanced courses:

COURSE DESIGNER’S NOTES (Ron Wood)

Ah, Autumn!  What’s not to like with the brisk air and brightly colored trees with colors of red, scarlet, orange, and yellow and all the variations in between.  The colorful leaves on the trees are a sight to behold.

However, colored leaves on the trees may be delightful to the eye, when on the ground, they are a problem for orienteerers.  First they obscure trails and tripping hazards.  And when wet, they become slippery and falling hazards.  With the recent wet weather and the plethora of fallen leaves, please be careful on the trails and in the woods.

Many may consider today’s advanced courses to be runners’ courses.  This would be true if it weren’t for several things.  First, although the major features haven’t changed, the vegetation has.  Many of the light green areas are now dark green and are thickets composed in many cases of thorny multiflora rose and barberry.  Multiflora rose also infests many of the light green areas.

Secondly, many of the “open forest” areas have a tremendous quantities of downed trees which makes running difficult and even dangerous.

 Thirdly, many of the open fields haven’t been mowed since early summer.  The grass and weeds are knee to waist high.  Running through these fields is difficult.

 With the above in mind, route choice is critical on the advanced courses.  Detouring around green areas or backtracking, while taking more time and lengthening the course may be the difference in finishing looking like one had an encounter with a wild tomcat or one with only minor scratches.

 Two other things of which to be aware.  While many of the rootstocks on the map no longer exist, there are many unmapped ones.  Do not rely on map rootstocks as guiding features.  Secondly, many of the pink streamers found on trails are guides for hunters going hunter’s stands.  They have nothing to do with the courses.

 

                           Additional Notes for White and Yellow (Steve Mones)

Ron's comments about the pink streamers for hunting stands apply primarily to the intermediate and advanced courses, but possibly to Yellow as well in at least one area.  On White, there should be some orange (not pink) streamers to mark the location of a trail junction on a logical route from control 10 to control 11.  The side trail is there, but it is not easy to see due to the extensive leaf litter.  There is a Yellow control just before that junction, up a reentrant, so the streamers could possibly be used a a catching feature on Yellow.

 

 

Hi Everyone-

WCC will be ready to go tomorrow.  Ron and I appreciate all the volunteers with whom we have been in contact.  Their guidance and assistance has been invaluable.  The last item for which we could use some help is control pickup.  If you are running your course late, or if you don't mind hanging around, pickup help would be appreciated.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the event.

Steve and Ron