Swanson Road

[1]

May 18
Saturday

Pre-registration is required and will open on Monday, May 13 at 6pm and will close at noon Friday May 17. There will be no day-of registration.

Quantico Orienteering Club returns to the Upper Marlboro Natural Area for this Saturday event. With about 900 acres along the western shore of the Patuxent River, it provides a mix of mid-Atlantic spur and reentrant terrain with Patuxent River lowlands.

Course Setters Ken Walker and Samantha Walker have prepared a set of classic courses, from White to Blue (beginner through advanced). Course details and comments are posted below.

Free Beginner Instruction will be offered, but please reach out to the Event Director if you have a large group, so we can plan accordingly.

[2] Volunteers: QOC is run entirely by volunteers, and volunteering is essential to successful meets. It is also a great way to meet people and feel like part of the community. Sign up for a volunteer slot via this form [2], or email the Event Director [3] directly for other options.

For The Kiddos! Come and try the free "string-O". What's a string-O, you ask? As their first step towards becoming an orienteer, kids follow a course marked with string in a small area to find their favorite Disney characters (under parental supervision). Minimum effort for parents, maximum fun for kids!

Check in will open about 9:45am and courses will open at 10:00am. Everyone must be out of the woods and back at the registration/finish area by 3:00pm when we will begin picking up the controls. Allow yourself time to get back to the registration area and download regardless of whether you have finished. We want to make sure of everyone’s safety and status.

Post-Event Social: After your run, join fellow orienteers at Panera [4], located here [5], 8 miles north of the park.

Reminders:

QOC will continue to use pre-registration as the ONLY method of signing up for our meets. There will be NO day-of, on-site registration. Refunds are paid only in the case of event cancellation.
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!
You MUST be off the course no later than 3:00 and download at the e-punch station even if you did not finish.
There will be no snacks offered by QOC.
For this event (as with most others this season) there will be eight 15-minute check-in windows followed by two 45-minute windows.
There are no pavilions or park shelters at this registration/parking area.
Bring appropriate clothing for weather conditions.
The size of start teams (groups of individuals orienteering together with one e-punch) on a course must be no more than four (4) individuals (juniors and adults combined).
Group Leaders: Please see our For Group Leaders page if you are leading a youth or large group – even though you will be pre-registering online. Please contact the Event Director (link below) to make them aware of your plans and numbers.
Pets are permitted in the park but must be leashed at all times.
Port-a-johns will be on site.

Location

Swanson Road Natural Area, North end, Upper Marlboro, MD (Classic)

Registration

[6].

Registration will open at 6pm on Monday May 13 and close at 12 noon on *Friday* May 17 (the day before this *Saturday* event). Pre-registration is mandatory.

Who's Registered? Check by clicking here [7].

Start Times

Start times will be by windows (to be defined for this event before registration opens).

Schedule

Saturday, May 18

10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Classic:

Volunteers

Event Director:	Jane Leggett [3]
Course Designer:	Ken Walker, Jr [8]
Course Designer:	Samantha Walker [9]

Location Details

Classic
Swanson Road Natural Area
North end
Upper Marlboro, MD
Google Map [10]

From the Washington Beltway, take exit 11 to MD-4 South/Pennsylvania Avenue. After 8 miles, exit onto US-301 North. Drive 3 miles then turn right onto Swanson Road. Stay on Swanson Road for about half a mile, then instead of turning right for Swanson Road, continue straight onto Swanson Road Spur. Follow Swanson Road Spur for another half mile then look for parking along the park entrance road.

If your route brings you south on US-301, turn left onto Swanson Road - it's the next junction south of Leeland Road, with the right turn being onto Beech Tree Parkway and the left turn, crossing the highway onto Swanson Road, then follow directions above.

If you need a street address, use 17110 Swanson Rd Spur, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772.
Google Maps Link [10]
Apple/iPhone Link [11]

Course Details

Classic

Course Name	Length (km)	Climb (m)	No. Controls
White	1.5	20	9
Yellow	2.8	60	9
Orange	3.7	95	10
Brown	4.4	135	8
Green	5.9	185	12
Red	7.8	255	16
Blue	9.1	295	17

Course Notes

Classic

This is a nice area which doesn’t get a whole lot of recreational use, so it hasn’t been beaten down by the crowds over the years. The terrain is varied, ranging from steep ravines to river bottoms, open fields to forest. Thorns and thick vegetation aren’t too bad, most forest is fast running. There are a few trails, but for advanced courses it’s mostly going to be a matter of navigating by terrain and vegetation. Due to lack of use many of the trails are overgrown or less visible than you might expect, though the junctions are actually well-posted.

A few points of caution: The Prince George's Radio Control Club has an airstrip in the southern portion of the map. Strictly off limits. The other open fields to the north, affecting Blue and Red, have had various types of crops and orchards growing in them, so expect stumps and cornstalks. These have been cultivated in past years, but no sign of it this year. Some courses come very close to the park property line – please stay “in bounds.”

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 [12] (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 [13].
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.
Beginners are encouraged to watch relevant videos such as this one [14] created by QOC's instructional guru David Onkst

Swanson Road

May 18 Saturday

May 18
Saturday