Wednesday Evening Series #1

The first event in the 2018 Wednesday Evening Series will be held at Lake Wilderness Park, on World Orienteering Day! 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 WIOL/Winter Series, and we typically offer a barbeque afterward for all participants. Decompress after work, with or without your coworkers. Or meet your family at the park and enjoy a night off from cooking. Or meet a bunch of friends at the park for an evening of exploring together, chatting over some food, and finishing up with frisbee on the lawn.

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.

COURSES

Course designer(s): John & Sherri Brady

Course distances will be provided here once the courses are finalized.

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

Check back later for special notes from the Course Designer(s). Lake Wilderness Park offers a interesting mix of open parkland and forested terrain crisscrossed with trails; there will be little to no off-trail travel necessary. The park is largely flat and sits on the northern shore of Lake Wilderness, with nice views of Mount Rainier when the weather allows.

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

PRE-REGISTRATION PRICES
$17 base price
– subtract $5 for CascadeOC members
– subtract $5 for using your own e-punch

DAY-OF-EVENT REGISTRATION
$20 base price
– subtract $5 for CascadeOC members
– subtract $5 for using your own e-punch

Become a member for $5-20

Buy your own e-punch for $38

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

Turn-by-turn directions:

FROM SEATTLE

Take I-5 South
Take I-405 North
Take exit 4 onto WA-169 S.
Continue on WA-169 for about 12 miles
Turn right onto Witte Rd SE
At the traffic circle, take the third exit onto SE 248th St.
Continue into the park

FROM TACOMA

Take I-5 North
Take exit 142A onto WA-18 East toward Auburn
Contineu on WA-18 for 15.6 miles
Take the SE 231st St. exit toward WA-169/Maple Valley
Turn right onto Witte Rd SE
At the traffic circle, take the third exit onto SE 248th St.
Continue into the park

Turn-by-turn directions:

FROM SEATTLE

Take I-5 South
Take I-405 North
Take exit 4 onto WA-169 S.
Continue on WA-169 for about 12 miles
Turn right onto Witte Rd SE
At the traffic circle, take the third exit onto SE 248th St.
Continue into the park

FROM TACOMA

Take I-5 North
Take exit 142A onto WA-18 East toward Auburn
Contineu on WA-18 for 15.6 miles
Take the SE 231st St. exit toward WA-169/Maple Valley
Turn right onto Witte Rd SE
At the traffic circle, take the third exit onto SE 248th St.
Continue into the park

PARKING

Parking will be located in the park’s main lot at the end of Gaffney Road, near the lakefront. Registration, start, etc. will be within view of the parking lot.

CARPOOL

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

THE MAP

Lake Wilderness features a mixture of open grassy areas, manicured gardens, and trails in the forest. Distinct features such as fences, buildings, and roads, will help novice navigators. The arboretum area, with its many small trails, provides a fun opportunity for orienteering ping-pong for advanced orienteers.

Navigational Challenge: 3/10

Physical Challenge: 3/10

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.