Hemlock Night-O

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October 29
Saturday

Scare-O Fest Night orienteering returns - including a family-friendly "Scare-O" - so please join us for this Fall's romp in the dark! Register at the event between 6:30pm - 7:45pm, start any time between 7:00pm - 8:00pm, and be back no later than 10pm.

Registration, start and finish will be in at the central Hemlock Lodge; please park where directed and walk up to the Lodge.

Traffic Warning! If you are planning to drive through the town of Clifton, allow extra time due to Halloween activities taking place tonight (Saturday).

Any youth or large groups attending, please contact the Event Director so that we can coordinate pre-registration for your group; the group registration and waiver form is part of the information on our Group Leaders page.

Additional notes:

  • For this night event, please do not take dogs with you while you are out on your course.
  • Scare-O map scale is 1:2500; additional Scare-O details are posted below (as course setter comments).
  • Please avoid running near any of the houses near or off the map edges.
  • Want to learn more about headlamps? Check out this thread on AP, or ask QOC members Ted Good or Greg Lennon, who have the Petzl Tikka RXP (available at REI and elsewhere) and Cree 1800lm (eBay!) headlamps, respectively. Although not orienteering specific, general reviews sites include this one and this one.

Night OrienteeringBunk & Tent Information: Lodging reservations are handled by the Adventure Link's Group Program Manager, Ashley Suntheimer, email: ashley@adventurelinks.net, tel. 571-281-3556.

  • Bunkhouses: There are four bunkhouses (two female and two male), with two rooms each of 12 beds (24 each). Rate is $15.00 per person per night for bunkhouses.
  • Tents: Platform tents have 8 beds per tent, and looks like they have 8 tents. Rate is $10.00 per person per night.
  • Facilities: There is a central bathhouse by the cabins with separate male and female facilities, including showers.
  • Photos and floor plans are on their website.
  • Our registration will be at the Lodge, just up the path from cabins and bathhouse. Facilty overview is here
  • .

    Location

    Hemlock Overlook Regional Park, Hemlock Pavilion, Clifton, VA (Night-O and Scare-O)

    RegistrationNo advance registration required. Just show up and have fun!
    Start TimesRegister at the event between 6:30pm - 7:45pm, start any time between 7:00pm - 8:00pm, and be back no later than 10pm.
    ScheduleSaturday, October 29
    7:00 pm - 10:00 pmNight-O and Scare-O:
    Volunteers
    Event Director:Paul Hession
    Course Designer:Kathleen Lennon
    Course Designer:Jon Torrance
    Location Details

    Night-O and Scare-O
    Hemlock Overlook Regional Park
    Hemlock Pavilion
    Clifton, VA
    Google Map

    From Clifton VA, take Main Street (route 641) south for 1 mile. Then go right onto Yates Ford Road and drive to the end (about 2 miles). Note: Please drive carefully along Yates Ford Road - it is narrow in some places, and one section has a 15mph speed limit.
    Course DetailsNight-O and Scare-O
    Course NameLength (km)Climb (m)No. Controls
    Beginner 2.4309
    Intermediate 3.714010
    Short Advanced 417511
    Long Advanced 6.929515
    Course NotesNight-O and Scare-O

    Scare-O Event Notes: Our night orienteering event includes a beginner Scare-O. The Scare-O course is 2.4km in length, with several ways to finish sooner if the course is too long for younger children. Glow sticks mark the path, and all participants must follow this path from start to finish. If participants veer off the glow stick path they will miss out on the Halloween fun. You will have a map to keep track of where you are but it is not required. There will be several people (adults and children) on the course ready to make this event a fun and scary time for all the participants - without any gory scenes. Children may do the course alone or in a group. We recommend children under 10 be accompanied by a parent.

    Other courses: the woods are as fast and open as ever and the terrain hasn't changed greatly since 2014 - some of the rootstocks have shrunk slightly though none so much as to compel their removal from the map, some new ones have popped up and were added to the map if encountered while vetting the courses. Keep in mind that ditches may be shallower and knolls, rockpiles, boulders and cliffs lower than would be insisted on in some parts of the world. Courses and controls are fewer for the night-O than they will be during the day; nevertheless, some controls are close enough to each other that checking codes might save you from a mispunch.

    Entry FeesIndividual Entries

    Note: juniors = under 21

    Club Member, adult Club Member, junior Non-Member, adult Non-Member, junior
    Epunch Owner $5 $5 $10 $5
    Epunch Borrower $10 $5 $15 $10

    Team or Group Entries

    Participants are welcome to compete together as a single team entry. Teams containing one or more nonmembers are charged the nonmember individual rate. Teams containing one or more adults are charged the adult individual rate. For teams to receive member or junior rates, all members of the team must be members or juniors, respectively. Each extra team map beyond the first is an additional $2. Individuals or teams desiring to compete on a second course can do so for a reduced fee of $2/map.

    Important Notes
    • At the event, we can only accept payment in cash or check; online, you may use a credit card or PayPal account.
    • If you have access to a smartphone, you may become a member at the event by joining online via this webpage (which also explains the member benefits). Membership is completely optional. If you wish to join or renew, we strongly recommend joining (or renewing) online before the event rather than at it to save time and because it's easier.
    • Most of our events use an 'epunch' timing chip for electronic timing. Individuals or groups without their own epunch pay a higher entry fee (see above), which includes the loan of an epunch for that event. Loaned epunches that are lost incur a $40 replacement fee. Epunches (also known as SI-cards or finger sticks) are usually available for sale at each event as described here.
    • Former QOC members who have let their membership lapse pay non-member fees.
    • Compasses are available at no charge, but if lost incur a $15 replacement fee.
    • Please provide collateral (driver's license or car keys) when borrowing a compass or epunch.
    • For additional safety, whistles are available for sale at $1/each.
    • Free beginner instruction is always available - just ask at the registration table.