Wilder Ranch
6th annual Golden Goat
Santa Cruz
Sunday, July 29, 2001
Contact: Thorsten Graeve,
408-293-1718
Come on down and join the sixth annual running of the Golden
Goat. The Golden Goat is essentially a "Long-O" event with a mass
start, wherein the competitor may skip a control of his or
her choosing.
There will be two loops in this year's Goat. Competitors may
decide after the completion of the first loop (the "Kid") whether to
go on to complete the second loop (the "Goat").
Thanks to meet director Thorsten Graeve's efforts in previous years, this map is now
on OCAD, and for this year's Goat, course-setter Van Boughner is making some new corrections
and additions to the map to faciliate the Goat.
There will be no other courses offered
during this event due to the lack of a good area for a White course.
Terrain
Wilder Ranch is located just a few miles north of Santa Cruz on
Highway 1. It is the site of a historic dairy farm dating back to the
mid-nineteenth century. The center of the dairy farm will be our
registration area, start, finish, and map exchange. It is an
interesting location and many of the old buildings there are being
maintained as a cultural preserve. Historic evidence of farming
activity can be found throughout the park as remains of fences,
corrals, roadbeds, and other structures. Wilder Ranch is comprised of
approximately 3900 acres, 900 of which are coastal beach lands under
cultivation for agricultural use (this land and the surrounding area
produces 18% of the nation's brussel sprouts), while the remaining
3000 acres consist of a mixture of open hillsides and steep, wooded
reentrants.
There are many miles of trails, and while these and the open
hillsides offer fast navigation, the reentrants range from overgrown
(with lots of poison oak) to impassable. The course will encourage
you to use trails to get around the worst of these, with the most
passable crossing areas marked. The total elevation difference from
the highway to the top of the park is a little over 700 feet, and at the
higher elevations you will be rewarded with majestic redwood canyons
and magnificent views of Monterey Bay.
Registration
All entrants who preregister will receive a premarked map. If you haven't registered yet but want to
attend and have a premarked map, please email assistant director Chuck Spalding at
chuckadept.com or phone him at (408) 434-5189.
(We're considering making late registrants hand-copy the course onto their maps, AFTER the mass start. How's
that for an incentive to preregister?!)
The entry fee is $20 with a T-shirt, or $8 without. Payment is not due
until the day of the event.
Schedule
The mass start for the Goat and Kid will be at 10:30 am at the
dairy farm/cultural preserve near the main parking lot. Make sure
you allow time to register. (Preregistration is only to reserve a
map. You still need to fill out a registration form and pay fees.)
E-Punching
E-punching will be used at this event, so don't forget to bring your
E-stick. Rental sticks will be available. (Be prepared to be
considered MSP in the e-punch results, unless we can figure out how to convince the
computer that it really is okay to skip a control on this course.)
Course Info
There will be two loops. The first loop will be 10.2 km with 350
meters of climb. When you complete the first loop, you will have
completed the Kid. You may skip ONE control on the first loop.
The second loop will be 3 km with 50 meters of climb. You may not
skip any controls in the second loop. Upon completion of the
second loop you will have completed the Goat.
The time limit for the first loop will be 4 hours. If you complete
the first loop within that time, you will be allowed to proceed
with the second loop if you wish.
Please note that this is not a "beginner" event. Unlike all other
BAOC events, there will be no other courses offered during this
event due to the lack of a good area for White and Yellow courses.
Prizes!
First prize for the Golden Goat will be a bottle of "Goat's Head"
red table wine (from the Columbia River area in Washington) --
donated by Ev and Jean Beuerman.
First prize for the Golden Kid will be a postcard of a kid (the
four-legged kind, appropriately) -- donated by Abby Wolfe.
T-Shirts
All entrants will be eligible to receive a T-shirt, regardless of
how much of the course they complete. Preregistration is NOT
required for a T-Shirt; you can sign up (and pay) for one at the event.
That's the good news. The "other" news is that the T-Shirts will
not be available at the event. We will distribute them at upcoming
events or by mail. Please accept our apologies for the disappointment.
Weather
Thorsten's official forecast for the coast this weekend: "Lows in
the 50s and highs in the 70s, with morning fog that may or may not
clear. Definitely bring some warm clothes for hanging out at the finish."
Directions
To get to Wilder Ranch state park, take Highway 1 north from Santa
Cruz. Turn left (towards the ocean) about 2 miles past Western
Drive, at the brown State Park sign. Pay the $6 parking fee at the
entrance kiosk and park, then follow the signs to the registration
area (in the cultural preserve where all the buildings are).