Patuxent
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PDF versionShareThisOctober 31
Sunday
Pre-registration is required and will open on Monday, October 25 at 6pm and will close at noon on Saturday October 30, the day before the event. There will be no day-of registration.
Welcome to one of our most favorite, least steep parks! Our course setter Craig Shelden has prepared a full range of courses from White (Beginner) to Blue (Advanced) and every other color course in between that QOC normally has available.
As always, please be off the course no later than 3 pm and remember to download at our e-punch station even if you did not finish. We want to make sure of everyone’s safety and status - especially since we want to make sure no one has ridden away on either of the zebras on the loose in the vicinity of this event!
And since it's Halloween, there just might be some surprises for younger participants (in addition to the possibility that some of you might choose to wear a zebra-style face mask, head mask, or clothing!).
Also, make sure to check out our Your First Event and For Beginners webpages, and if they don’t answer any remaining questions you have, just use our Contact Form and ask away!
There will not be any full, on-site beginner instruction, and beginners are encouraged to watch relevant videos such as this one created by QOC's instructional guru David Onkst before arriving at the park.
However, there will be a volunteer on hand to ensure that first-time orienteers know how to get to the start and use the e-punch.
Group Leaders: please see our For Group Leaders webpage and then contact the Event Director so we can get you registered in advance and contact the event director to apprise them of your plans.
Roadwork Alert:
For many QOC members, the usual road to Patuxent leads south on US Route 301 followed by a left onto Croom Station Road. However, Croom Station Road is closed for repairs and is likely to remain closed for the rest of our Orienteering season. Therefore, if you usually use Croom Station Road, continue south on US 301 to Croom Road (Route 382) and follow the directions normally from that direction.
Other notes: Pets are allowed in Patuxent River Park, but must be on a leash at all times.
Reminders:
- There is no water on the course. Participants are responsible for their own hydration. A very limited supply of bottled water for emergency use will be on hand with the Meet Director; but it is vital to stay well hydrated. Please come prepared!
- There won't be any food or snacks either.
COVID Risk Reduction Protocols:
As with all 2021-2022 QOC events, this event requires pre-registration via the link below. QOC’s COVID risk reduction protocols, as also enumerated somewhat here, are in effect. for more information on how our events are run in line with our COVID-19 guidelines, please look over the announcement for the first event of our season here. Please read these guidelines carefully. Key points:
- PROPERLY WORN MASKS AND SOCIAL DISTANCING ARE REQUIRED at all times when near registration, epunch and any other areas or queues where volunteers and/or participants are congregating.
Detailed course notes are provided below.
| Location | Patuxent River Park, Barn parking area, Upper Marlboro, MD (Classic) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Registration | Registration for this event will open at 6pm on Monday Oct. 25 via this link. Registration will close no later than Noon on Saturday Oct. 30. Who's registered? Check by clicking here. Sorting by column is possible too - just click on the column name. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Start Times | Start times will be by windows (to be defined for this event before registration opens). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Schedule | Sunday, October 31
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| Volunteers |
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| Location Details |
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| Course Details | Classic
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| Course Notes | Classic Trails are in a state of change. While historic trails remain accurate, mapper Dave Linthicum has updated the map to reflect new mountain bike trails that have been added or planned since our last event. At least two mapped trails are still mostly limited to flags and crushed vegetation. Those trails can be expected to be less clearly discernible than the map might indicate. However, acknowledging the traffic those undeveloped trails are getting, they may be more clearly visible by game day. I had no trouble following them while site checking. Overall, the trails make much of the map tend more towards Orange than Advanced. There is also the possibility that additional trails have been added since the last map update, so be prepared. Watch your step. Despite cooling temperatures, grassy ground cover obscures many holes and other opportunities for missteps, as do the falling leaves, so characteristic of this season. The grass cover is especially concerning in lower, normally wet areas near creeks and streams. As with other parks in the mid-Atlantic, beaver activity is expected and the smaller trees that have been gnawed and cut down pose significant puncture hazards if you take a fall. All advanced courses cross streams and low-lying areas. While streamering the courses, I was able to keep my feet dry. Fair warning: since we get to have an event on Halloween it seems appropriate to have some Halloween fun. Each course should expect some elements of a spooky haunted house or not-quite-right fun house out in the woods. No worries, though, your imagination will be more powerful than anything I can come up with.
Course specific notes: Orange remains south of Croom Airport Road and takes advantage of major features. While there are some opportunities for trail use, that may lead to more time-consuming overshoots and doglegs than desirable. See Brown Course notes. Brown uses both sides of Croom Airport Road but avoids crossing Swann Point Creek and some of the more challenging low-lying terrain in the park north of Croom Airport Road. Confident Orange participants should find this Brown a useful introduction to advanced courses. Green, Red, and Blue all use most of the terrain within the park to varying degrees. I tried to design courses to limit trail options, but where some trails might be useful, there’s little opportunity to fully relax. All of these courses have legs that can reasonably be expected to cross wet areas, so changes of shoes and socks are recommended. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Entry Fees | Individual Entries
Note: juniors = under 21
Group Entries Participants are welcome to orienteer together as a group (up to the maximum for that event; usually 4). Each member of a group is charged their individual rate as shown above, up to a group total of $30 (maximum), and each receives a map. A group receives one epunch. Individuals or groups desiring to compete on a second course after completing their first can do so for a reduced fee of $2/map subject to approval at the event by the Event Director. Important Notes
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