Seneca Creek (Clopper Lake)

[1]

October 29
Sunday

Seneca Park stream This Sunday event requires pre-registration, opening Monday, October 23 at 6 PM and closing Saturday October 28 at noon.
There will be no day-of registration.

Orienteer near the Clopper Lake section of Seneca Creek State Park (Gaithersburg, MD). There will be 7 courses to choose from (2 beginner, 1 intermediate, and 4 advanced). Detailed park and course notes are provided below, thanks to course setter Michael Dickey.

Check in and map issue will be in a new area for us, the Doe Pavilion in the Deer Ridge picnic area. We encourage carpooling. Any groups using buses should plan on only dropping off and picking up in the Deer Ridge area. For more details, a park map is here [2]. Doe Pavilion is in the south portion of the park, and east of the Quail Ridge area.

Check in will open about 9:45am and courses will open at 10:00am.

Come In Costume! In the spirit of the Halloween, there will be a few Halloween surprises at some controls. Participants are highly encouraged to come in costume. Trick-or-treaters in costume may get candies at the registration area.

Free Beginner Instruction will be offered, but please reach out to the Event Director [3] if you have a group, so we can plan accordingly. Also, make sure to check out our Your First Event [4] and Orienteering Techniques For Beginners [5] webpages for helpful information. If they don’t answer any remaining questions you have, just use our Contact [6] and ask.

Post-Event Social! After you finish your course, join other orienteers at Dogfish Head Alehouse [7], located here [8] just 3.6 miles west of the event. Bring your map, mention QOC and get a $5 gift certificate, for use Sunday or later! Special thanks to manager Payton for this generous offer. Dogfish

Group Leaders: Please see our page For Group Leaders if you are leading a youth or large group – even though you will be pre-registering online. Please contact the Event Director with your plans and numbers for their awareness.

Pets are allowed but must be kept on a leash.

Reminders:

The park charges an entrance fee at this time of year: Maryland residents $3/person; out-of-state residents $5/person; Maryland Golden Pass holders (62+) have free entry (passes can be purchased at the entry booth if you’re eligible). Please have exact change if possible since this will speed up entry.
There is no water on the course. Participants are responsible for their own hydration.
There are no snacks offered by QOC.

Location

Seneca Creek State Park, Clopper Lake, Doe Pavilion (Classic)

Registration

Registration for this event opens at 6pm on Monday Oct. 23 via this link [9]. Registration will close at 12 noon on Saturday Oct. 28 (the day before the event). Pre-registration is mandatory.

Who's registered? Check by clicking here [10]. Sorting by column is possible too - 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 29

10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Classic: Check-in begins about 9:45 am. All participants must return to the finish and download by 3pm.

Volunteers

Event Director:	Dagmar (Dasa) Merkova [11]
Event Director:	Jan Merka [12]
Course Designer:	Michael Dickey [13]

Location Details

Classic
Seneca Creek State Park
Clopper Lake, Doe Pavilion
Google Map [14]

From I-270, Gaithersburg, MD, take Exit 10 west on Rt 117/Diamond Ave. which becomes Clopper Rd. Go west about 2 miles and turn left into the park entrance. Proceed straight passing the first intersection and a parking area. If the event is being held during a time of year when it's collected, pay $3/pp or $5/pp (MD state, vs out-of-state) at the entrance gate, then bear right at the next intersection onto Seneca Creek Rd. You will see the lake on your left. Continue over the dam to the T-intersection with Deer Ridge Rd. Turn left and follow it to the Doe Pavilion parking lot.
Google Maps Link [14]
Apple/iPhone Link [15]

Course Details

Classic

Course Name	Length (km)	Climb (m)	No. Controls
White	2.6	35	10
Yellow	4.1	80	12
Orange	4.8	125	12
Brown	4.1	85	12
Green	6.8	175	16
Red	7.7	200	18
Blue	8.6	230	21

Course Notes

Classic

White, Yellow, and Orange have a start close to the pavilion, but all advanced courses have a 1300m warmup walk to the start.

All courses: The park has been invaded by Wavy Leaf Basket Grass. I've adjusted courses to avoid it as much as possible but all courses will likely encounter some.

Yellow: The course is a bit longer than normal and has a few controls that will take competitors well off of the trails. Use of a compass and understanding of map features will be helpful! All controls are accessible following linear features, but leg protection is recommended.

Orange: Some areas are a bit greener than mapped, and open/rough open boundaries have changed in places. I've updated areas where it is most likely to impact navigation.

Advanced courses: All advanced courses will cross the disc golf course - please be considerate of players. These courses will see the most Wavy Leaf Basket Grass, although I moved controls away from the worst areas. Some areas will be a bit greener than mapped, so don't count entirely on mapped vegetation for navigation decisions.

Entry Fees

Individual Entries

Note: juniors = under 21

	Club Member, adult	Club Member, junior	Non-Member, adult	Non-Member, junior
	$10	$5	$20	$5

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

If you wish to become a QOC member you should join online in advance via this webpage [16] (which also explains the member benefits). Membership is completely optional.
Most of our events use an 'epunch' timing chip for electronic timing. Individuals or groups without their own epunch will be loaned one for that event. Loaned epunches that are lost incur a $40 replacement fee. Epunches (also known as SI-cards or finger sticks) can be purchased from online vendors as described here [17].
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 (such as car keys) when borrowing a compass or epunch.
In addition to the at-event beginner instruction, beginners are encouraged to watch relevant videos such as this one [18] created by QOC's instructional guru David Onkst

Seneca Creek (Clopper Lake)

October 29 Sunday

October 29
Sunday