2021 Ultimate Orienteer #6 – Jack Creek (Middle)
ULTIMATE ORIENTEER
Sunday, June 13 at Jungle Creek/Jack Creek in Cle Elum, WA
Meet Director: Ing Uhlin
Everybody needs to fill out the COVID Assessment Form (every participant, group member, volunteer).
All group members (not the group leaders) need to sign the Group Member Waiver.
If you missed to sign up for a Start Time, check the list here and show up in time for an empty slot.
Print your own Control Description sheet: https://cascadeoc.org/wp-conte
Event #6/8 in the Ultimate Orienteer Series!
Teanaway Doubleheader – Part 2
Head east for a doubleheader near Cle Elum! In this edition, we start with an Ultralong at Teanaway Forks and then move to Jack Creek for a Middle Distance event!
- Saturday, June 12 – Teanaway Forks Ultralong
- Sunday, June 13– Jack Creek, Middle
COVID Operating Protocols
If you sign up for this event, you will be asked to read and agree to follow our COVID Operating Protocols. Our use permits are contingent on our ability to demonstrate that we can hold safe events, so we thank you in advance for helping us make this happen.
Complete the COVID Assessment Form.
Camping/Lodging
There’s free camping near Teanaway and a selection of hotels in Cle Elum.
Other things to do
See Discover Cle Elum for information about things to do in and near Cle Elum.
COURSES
Course designer(s): Dave Tallent
Beginner – 2.1k, 11 controls, 30m climb
Intermediate – 2.6k, 11 controls, 45m, climb
Short Advanced – 3.5k, 11 controls, 90m climb
Medium Advanced – 4.0k, 13 controls, 120m climb
Long Advanced – 4.3k, 14 controls, 130m climb
What is my age class?
Middle Course/Class Assignments for Ultimate points
If you want to earn Ultimate points, check the table below to see which category you should sign up for. Find your age class in the left column, then follow the row across to the right until you find the dark orange cell. That is your “assigned” category.
For example, if you’re a female 16 or under, your Ultimate age class is F-16 and, for this event, is assigned to the Intermediate course. If you are up for a more challenging course, you can also earn points in F-18 on the Short Advanced course, or F-21+ on the Medium Advanced course. Just keep in mind that other courses are more difficult, both navigationally and physically. Also keep in mind that you’ll be earning points only in the class you sign up for.
How are courses measured?
Courses are measured as the crow flies, in a direct line from control to control. Unless you have wings, you will travel farther than this distance! Courses are measured in kilometers, so a good rule of thumb is to simply round up to miles to estimate how far you will go. So in a 5 kilometer race, you’ll likely travel up to 5 miles.
COURSE NOTES
In contrast to the Saturday Ultralong courses, I designed these courses to focus more speed (expect winning times for each course to be under 35 min) but still emphasize navigation skills (compass and sighting, pace counting, contouring, aiming off and control extension).
The map received cursory updates. However, the vegetation needs further work and should not be used as definitive handrails. Much of the forest “white” is more “rough open yellow.” Even the green areas are very passable.
Rootstocks (brown triangle) and stumps (green x) when used as controls are large. Distinct trees (green circle) are either very tall, burnt or “Picasso” in their appearance/growth. Logging debris (mapped brown circle with a dot at its center) is defined as a special feature, black X on your description sheet.
Lots of bear scat was encountered. To address this concern and add some degree of comfort to the runners, I designed courses utilize the open forest and meadows so one could see a “carnivore” from a distance and take appropriate action and to minimize surprising a bruin by avoiding traveling through the thicker parts of the forest. Even though it is unlikely to see a bear, for comfort, consider carrying bear spray. Know how to use it.
The beginners course has both a flagged route to the first control and from the last control to the finish. The intermediate course offers cross-country routes, but always with a safe trail option.
Safety bearing is WEST, which will drop one into the main road, which runs by 29 Pines campground. A safety bearing SOUTH will also lead one to a gravel road and then head SW to main road.
All in all, expect a fun race to end the 2021 Ultimate Series.
David Tallent
6/10/2021
SCHEDULE
Pre-registration only!
9:30am-12:30pm – Starts (start times are pre-assigned; sign up for a start time before Thursday at 9pm; if you don’t, we’ll pick one for you)
2:30pm – Courses close*
*Wear a watch to ensure that you return to the finish by course closure time, even if you have to abandon your course to do so. Those returning after course closure will be disqualified and will make the volunteer staff very grumpy.
PRICES
Pre-registration is required
$8 – Cascade OC members*
$13 – non-members*
*Add $5 to rent an epunch stick
Want to buy your own epunch stick?
While we do offer rentals, we encourage everyone to purchase their own epunch stick. If you’d like to take the plunge, the nearest supplier is SPORTident.us in California. We recommend purchasing either SI-9 , SI-10, or Air+ sticks. Other vendors can be found here.
What’s an e-punch?
An e-punch records your race. At each control, you’ll dip the e-punch into an electronic box, which will beep and flash as confirmation. After you finish, you’ll download the e-punch at the download tent and get a receipt that show which controls you visited and how long you took between each; these are your “splits.”
Part of the fun of orienteering is comparing your splits with people who completed the same course, and discussing the routes you took!
SIGN UP
LOCATION
PARKING
Parking will be at Twenty-nine Pines Campground on North Fork Teanaway Road.
Discover Pass Required
This venue is part of the Teanaway Community Forest and you will need a Discover Pass to park. You can purchase a Discover Pass (annual or one-day) online or in person at many hunting/fishing license vendors or at several retail locations. Check the Discover Pass website for details.
CARPOOL
Looking for a carpool? Join the Google club group list and share your request to find a ride.
THE MAP
This area consists of two adjacent maps: Jack Creek North and Jungle Creek, both produced by Peteris Ledins.
Jack Creek North
Jack Creek North is a new although small area. It covers a hillside that is rather flat and open near the campground at its western edge, and a lot of interesting landforms elsewhere. The lower part of the landscape is mostly open forest and wide open areas; elsewhere it ranges between open forest on spurs to dense vegetation in narrow valleys. You may encounter a few trails and a single forest road. It uses the ISOM 2017 symbol set with 1:10,000 scale and 5-meter contours.
Special Symbols: Green X is used most often for rootstocks, but also for stumps and logging debris piles. Green O is used for distinct trees.
Terrain and Vegetation: The map has fast and open meadows mixed with some open forest on a terrace near the main road, steeper slopes with some open runnable forest, and some less runnable terrain.
Jungle Creek
Jungle Creek is contains a large number of dense brush, rootstocks, stumps, and fallen logs that have burned away in places. The terrain offers a lot of different landforms, from large open hilltops to partly overgrown depressions. The vegetation ranges between open forest to dense (dark green) brush, the latter is often in wetter areas but not exclusively so. The scale is 10,000 and the contours 5 meters.
Special Symbols: Green X is used for rootstocks or logging debris piles. Green O is used for a distinct tree or large stump/snag. A green filled circle is a small bush. A Ride symbol is used for various older roads that are sometimes overgrown and sometimes hard to follow.
Ugly undergrowth (salal or similar vegetation) sometimes hinders passage. When it is nearly impossible to cross, the darkest green color is used. Undergrowth symbols are used when salal is close, or when you need to run around salal. Usually navigating around is possible.
Read more on the map page
SAFETY & ETIQUETTE
Return to the Finish
All participants MUST return to the finish and download their e-punch or turn in their punch card.
Even if you have not finished your course, you must still return to the the finish and confirm with event staff that you have returned safely.
Out of Bounds
Some areas may be marked out of bounds. It is imperative to respect these boundaries to maintain our relationships with land managers. Participants MUST NOT go out of bounds. Any participant caught going out of bounds will be disqualified.
Course Closure
All participants MUST return to the finish by course closure time. If a participant does not return by course closure, event volunteers will begin coordinating a search party.
If you need a long time on the course, start as early in the start window as possible, wear a watch, and be prepared to cut your course short to make it back by the course closure time.
Whistle
All participants MUST carry a whistle on the course. Complimentary whistles are available at the start tent (please only take one).
If you are injured on the course and need assistance, blow three long blasts to call for help.
If you hear a call for help, abandon your course to find the person in distress.
Voices
Part of the fun and fairness of orienteering is navigating your own course, so please be polite when you find a checkpoint and don’t holler that you’ve found it.
