June, 2017

Race location announced:  Savannah Portage State Park, MN!

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August 25, 2017: Updates from course setter Owen Baird

Experience the link between the Mississippi River and Lake Superior watersheds that was traversed by Native Americans, European explorers and French fur traders.  

State park pass required to enter park, can be purchased at park office.

Camping available Friday and Saturday night at the Group Camp in Savanna Portage State Park on Savanna Lake.

Start and finish at Loon Lake picnic/beach area.

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• Maps will be handed out following a mandatory briefing at 9:00 am (12:00 for 3 hr event).  6 hr competitors will start at 9:30 am after reassembling at the start area (12:30 for 3 hr event).  Competitors must return by 3:30 pm.  A penalty of 5 points per minute will be assessed for any teams not returning by 3:30 pm.  Teams finishing after 4:00 pm late shall be deemed ineligible for a placing and will be recorded as LATE.

• Potluck and awards following end of event at 4:00.  Bring a dish to pass and dinnerware.  MNOC will supply grilled meats, beverages, and some plates etc.

• The map is printed on one 11x17 sheet at 1:25,000.  The contour interval is 5 m. Map is definitely a rogaine map, i.e. a glorified topo map; not made to orienteering standards.  Not all trails field checked and most of the terrain has not been checked.

• Forests are generally fairly thick but passible with maple saplings, ferns, and hazel brush common.  Some areas have very thick vegetation, very few areas of vegetation differences are mapped, except wetlands.  Expect off-trail travel to be slow.  

• Trails between Loon Lake and Lake Shumway in the main part of the park will be mostly mowed, other trails may have thick annual vegetation and will be somewhat slow, especially wider or more open sections. Note different trail symbols used for fast v. slow trails.

• Do not cross any significant open marsh or open water.  Open marshes may have areas of floating sedge mat where you may find both travel on foot and by swimming impossible.

• Do not enter out-of-bounds area indicated by vertical purple striping. 

• Note forbidden routes across wetland near SE of 222 and SW of Little Savanna Lake.

• Forested black spruce/tamarack bogs and forested black ash swamps should usually be crossable, at least the medium to small ones; extensive bog forests have not been assessed.

• Checkpoints may be visited in any order.  Controls will be worth 10 points each. There are 29 controls total, each are worth 10 points. Control 225 may not be available at the start of the competition.

• Water will be available at the start/finish during the competition.  Water also available at the campground on Lake Shumway.  Natural water sources are abundant, but the water should be treated before consumption.  

• Controls on hills where the location is not given are set as near the top as we could, but due to thick vegetation and a flat top it may not necessarily be at the exact top. Expect to search for these controls.

• There is often a bit of a cleared track on the state park boundary with occasional state park signs.  Park boundary signs are also present in other areas not on the mapped boundary.

• Disease carrying deer ticks (blacklegged tick) may be present, but will not be as common as they are in the spring and fall.  Setters will provide update on deer fly and mosquito status at start.  They were very abundant earlier in the summer but should be much less common for the event.

 

Other Rules

• Competitors must follow all State Park and State Forest regulations.

• All competitors must carry water, a watch, and a whistle. Each team should have first-aid supplies.

• The only navigational aids that may be carried on the course are magnetic compasses, watches, and copies of the competition map.

• Competitors shall travel only on foot and shall remain within unaided verbal contact of one another at all times while on the course.

• A team shall not accept assistance from, nor collaborate with other people, nor deliberately follow another team.

• All team members shall simultaneously approach to within 20 meters of each checkpoint for which points are claimed.

• Competitors shall not deliberately rest within one hundred meters of a checkpoint unless the checkpoint is also a water drop.