Twin Peaks Score-O
Date: (Sat.) May. 12, 2007
Location: San Francisco, CA
Event Director: 
- 415.359.4237
Course Setter: Mark Prior
Type: C; Score-O event on the streets of scenic San Francisco
Course Setter's Notes
(Please consult the announcement for driving directions and other event information.)
Greetings and welcome to the Bay Area Orienteering Club's most urban map, "Twin Peaks". Located directly in the center of the city of San Francisco, the map encompasses a myriad of neighborhoods and parks, each brimming with hidden treasures, surprising features, and beautiful views.
Format
As announced earlier, the event will be in 90-minute Score-O format, meaning participants may visit any of the controls in any order. Each control has a different point value indicated by the first digit of the controls number. For example, control #31 is worth 3 points. To prove that you visited each control, each location on the map will have a corresponding question with several possible answers. Please bring a pen/pencil and circle the correct answer on the provided form. Upon completion, your total points will be added up, with a penalty of five points for every minute (or part of a minute) that you return after 90 minutes.
Schedule
Maps will be made available to all registered competitors starting at 9:30 A.M. You can request a start anytime from about 10:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. at one-minute intervals. You will not receive the clue sheet until your start. Please check-in at the Finish regardless of your return time or course completion, at the latest by 2:30 P.M..
Rules
We expect a great deal of creativity in route choice, but you must obey a few rules:
- Please comply with all City of San Francisco and landowner signs, including closed parkland and trails.
- Respect private property. No shortcuts through back yards, etc. Use your judgment and err on the side of consideration for others
- Please do not cross Market Street where the map indicates pink crossed out-of-bounds. Several crossing points in this area have been mapped to ensure you avoid this extremely dangerous part of the street.
- This is foot orienteering. No bikes, cars, or taxis (with one major exception noted below).
- Groups must stay together (within 50 feet). No splitting up to get more controls.
Use of Public Transit
New this year—competitors will be encouraged to make use of public transportation to enrich your experience (and your score!) by quickly reaching the more remote and less populated parts of the map. Specifically, there are several MUNI streetcar lines that travel east-west, mostly underground:
- The MUNI "N-Judah" line travels every ten minutes from a surface stop at the southern edge of Duboce Park, through the hills in about 4 minutes, emerging in Cole Valley and following Carl St. above ground.
- The MUNI "L-Taraval", "K-Ingleside", and "M-Ocean View" lines run underground from the Castro Street Station to the Forest Hill station in about 5 minutes. They each run approximately every 10–12 minutes.
Each of these stations has been marked with a pink cross and label on the map for your reference. In addition, most MUNI surface bus stops have detailed transit maps.
You can determine the arrival time of these trains by dialing 511 and navigating the phone tree, visiting www.nextbus.com, or consulting the screens at any underground station. The trains require $1.50, and no change is provided. You will receive a transfer good for use on any MUNI streetcar or bus line for 90 minutes.
In addition, competitors may also make use of the traditional surface buses. While the 24, 33, 37, 43, 44, 48 and other lines could all provide some help in getting around, none run frequently or reliably enough to count upon with the clock ticking. That said, informed competitors may want to keep their eyes out for an opportunity to jump aboard.
Map Comments
Please remember that this map is intended for urban orienteering, and has not been created to the standards of traditional forest orienteering maps. Most of the areas between the streets have been marked as green "private settlement", indicating no known through route. A great effort has been made to indicate all stairways, trails, and other access points that could be used to create a more direct route, and the control locations have been selected to maximize their use.
There is a lot parkland on the map, including several peaks over 900'. As successful navigation of these landmarks will be key for advanced orienteers, basic trail and vegetation features have been mapped, but they are far from exhaustive. All control locations have been checked for map accuracy, but you may find imperfections as you traverse the map. Let us know where we can focus our efforts for future events.
Even the fittest person will probably be unable to complete the course, so control picking and route choice will be critical. The wise competitor will plan their route to take into account the hills. The map has 20-foot contour intervals.
Safety
We have no "safety bearing" but we do have a safety phone number: Yellow Cab at 415-262-2345. A mobile phone and a $20 bill are your safety equipment!
Lastly, and most importantly, this event is the most dangerous BAOC competition of the year. All the cougars, boars, bulls, wasps, and poison oak in the Bay Area combined are not as dangerous as the 4000-pound metallic "death machines" that crawl the city waiting to ambush unsuspecting orienteers. Navigating safely through this city calls for complete concentration, prudence, and the knowledge that most drivers are tourists, uninsured, distracted, high, drunk, or all of the above. Please make eye contact, and don't assume cars will stop or yield.
Conclusion
The creation of this map and event has been a labor of love. I hope you enjoy my favorite urban forest as much as I do.
Mark