Wednesday Evening #4 – Big Finn Hill Park

WEDNESDAY EVENING

Wednesday, July 27 at Big Finn Hill – parking at Finn Hill in Kirkland, WA

Meet Director: Will Enger

The fourth event in the 2022 Wednesday Evening Series will be held at Big Finn Hill! The Wednesday Evening Series is our most relaxed, casual set of navigation events, held in local parks once the weather warms up. These events are a little more low-key than those in the Winter League, and we typically offer a barbeque afterward for all participants.

Events in the Wednesday Evening Series are generally less challenging (both physically and navigationally) than many of our other events, and are therefore great for beginners and those less experienced with orienteering – while also offering a challenge to longtime participants of the sport.

Special note – the weather is projected to be around 90 degrees on Wednesday, and we are unable to provide water to participants. As such, please bring your own water in sufficient quantity to keep yourself hydrated and safe! In addition, there is a bathroom and drinking fountain near the event center should you want to avail yourself of it.

We will be offering day-of event registration in addition to preregistration.

We will be offering the usual post-race fare, with the familiar precautions – please practice social distancing, avoid congregating in large groups, and consider wearing a mask when around others. Thank you!

COURSES

Course designer(s): Cynthia Bartok, Jonathan Olson

Course distances will be provided here once the courses are finalized. Meanwhile, here are the estimated distances:

Course 1: 1-1.5 km

Course 2: ~2 km

Course 3: ~3 km

Course 4 (2+3): ~5 km

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

Big Finn Hill park is an inviting venue for all levels of orienteers.  There are athletic facilities, paved roads, and wide trails that help the beginner navigate accurately.  For the more advanced orienteers, areas with dense trail networks allow ample opportunity to practice route choice skills. The terrain is relatively flat with a few steep hills to get your heart pumping.
Courses 1 and 2 will remain on the Eastern side of the park, where there is access to parking, bathrooms, and the start/finish areas.  Courses 3 and 4 will cross Juanita Drive at a mandatory crossing point to gain access to the Western side of the park. Please activate the cross walk light before crossing Juanita drive.  We recommend you not enter the roadway until any oncoming cars are fully stopped, as this crosswalk is rarely used and drivers tend to fail to yield to pedestrians and cyclists.
Orienteers on courses 2, 3, and 4 will have ample route choice.  The parks department has come through to cut back blackberries and nettle, widening the main trails.  Choose main trails if you want to avoid these noxious plants. If you do venture off-trail or choose social or minor trails, expect that you may encounter some nettle and berry thorns.  While we have made efforts to choose routes that are less impacted by thorns and nettle, we recommend lower leg protection for Courses 3 and 4.  While the recent weeks have been drier, expect that areas marked as marshy or waterways are wet and muddy.

SCHEDULE

5:00 pm – Registration and starts open.

7:00 pm – Registration and starts close.

8:00 pm – Course closure.

Why is there a start window?

This event uses an interval start, which means that participants are started in waves instead of all at once. When you arrive at the start tent, find the chute for your course and follow the start volunteer’s instructions.

PRICES

Base price: $22 (in-person day-of-event base price $25)
– CascadeOC members receive $5 discount
– BYO e-punch (no rental), receive $5 discount

First time trying orienteering? Register for Course 1 (the beginner course) for a special price of $12 online, or $15 day-of!

Participating as a group? Just $5 for each additional adult (16+) group member, no cost for additional minors.

Become a member!

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

Online pre-registration closes:

Day-of-event registration is available by cash or check, made payable to Cascade Orienteering Club

Learn more about volunteering

Volunteers make these events happen! You can volunteer and participate on the same day, plus earn volunteer points to earn a free meet.

LOCATION

PARKING

Parking will be located in the main parking lot of the park, accessed via NE 138th St from Juanita Drive.

CARPOOL

Looking for a carpool? Join the Yahoo listserv and share your request to find a ride.

THE MAP

There are delights here for beginners and advanced orienteers alike. Buildings, ballfields, and trails provide a great beginner and intermediate area, while the forest is a giant knot of trails that can terrorize any advanced orienteer who becomes lazy about reading contours or using their compass to check the direction of the trail.

Read more on the map page

Navigational Challenge: 5/10

Physical Challenge: 5/10

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.