Morgan Territory Regional Preserve
Date: (Sat.) Mar. 27, 2010
Location: Livermore, CA
Event Director: 
- 510.681.6181
Course Setters: Mats Jansson (NAV-X), Dennis Wilkinson
Type: Rogaine; Mats Jansson (who has been putting on the awesome TrackMe360 runs) has joined up with Rex and Dennis to bring us a rogaine at Morgan Territory. Come out for some great spring running/hiking.
Course Setters' Notes
By Mats Jansson & Dennis Wilkinson
The terrain for the Morgan Territory Rogaine is dominated by three domains: west of the main drainage, east of the main drainage, and the drainage itself (a.k.a. "the canyon", although an Arizona native would never call it that). West of the drainage is big terrain, big vertical, steep hill sides, a mix of open oak-studded (now green) hills, and forested areas. Also on this side of the drainage, east-facing forested hill sides have a fair amount of poison oak, usually marked on the map with light green (slow run) or green slash (undergrowth), but we have tried to avoid it as much as possible. East of the drainage is more of a plateau, significant vertical around the edges of it, but reasonably flat (rolling) in the middle. There is still plenty of topography, just not as big. Large open areas in this part of the terrain, as well, and lots of rocks, and rock formations. The drainage itself has more or less continuous tree cover, and is dominated by the seasonal creek, flowing at this time of the year, but not difficult to cross. Here you will see evidence of the "wild pigs" going through the ground like Rototillers.
Navigation
We've taken pains to set all control markers in locations that will not require great strength or safety risk to reach. You won't find any control points "at the very bottom of a steep reentrant".
Most rogaines in our area use 1:15,000 to 1:24,000 Topo or improved Topo maps. This rogaine features an incredibly detailed 1:10,000 scale map. For this reason, the technical level of navigation in this rogaine is slightly higher than a "Topo-based" rogaine. Overall, it shouldn't make the navigation challenge that different, it's just that there is a whole lot more to aid navigation in terms of map detail, to make up for somewhat more difficult control placements.
The technical level of navigation involved is a mixture of tough intermediate level (like a tough Orange orienteering course) and light advanced (like an easy Brown/Green/Red/Blue course). More than half the control points are located within 300 meters of a mapped trail, although in many cases routes involving trails are not optimal. The great majority of control features are point features (like boulders, lone trees, etc.). There are some easier control points scattered throughout the course, and for "beginner/intermediate" orienteers, one could map out a quite nice 3-hr excursion without having to tackle any real hard ones. We did place a couple of very challenging controls near the Start/Finish, for lots of points without a lot of physical effort.
Map Notes
The map is really impressive with its size and incredible detail. A staggering number of boulders are mapped, including almost all the prevalent ones we noticed, but of course they are not all included in the rockiest areas. There are a lot of green × rootstock symbols, and these can indicate large standing trunks, stumps, large deadfall, or on occasion smaller, less obvious deadfall. Much of the deadfall is not mapped, so relying on rootstocks for navigation can be treacherous. Where we used rootstocks for control locations, we tried to be sure they were distinct. Pale green areas can be rather hard to identify and distinguish from the surrounding terrain. They can indicate light brush or manzanita forest that might be runnable and may not have obvious boundaries. Some patches of dark green were also confusing to us.
Sensitive areas: Two areas on the map (purple cross hatch) are out-of-bounds. They are not far from the Start and Finish, on the east side of the drainage. You must not enter into these areas (except on a mapped trail). They are protected habitat for a rare snake species. There is a trail going through one of them — be sure to stay on trail if you use this trail.
Important: The map is not always correct with regards to fences. There are long sections of shiny new fence, which in some cases do not lie along the mapped fence lines. Some older (mapped) fence has been removed. So, be wary of using fences for navigation! Pay especially close attention to this when approaching control #60. The new fence has green stakes, and the wire is not yet rusty and is very taut.
Hazards
Poison oak, the traditional bane of orienteers and hikers in California, is present in patches of all sizes throughout the park. Any area shown on the map as a shade of solid or hatched green is likely to be interspersed with at least a few lurking twigs of this botanical menace. Some east-to-north facing hillsides, particularly near Morgan Territory road, have quite a crop, but we attempted to avoid these areas. The plant appears as waist-to-chest-high, single, woody stems in the denser forest, ankle-high ground cover mixed in with the grass in more open forest, and as the occasional head-high bush. Leaves will have sprouted by now, and they may be green or with a reddish tint. But keep an eye out and, by all means, wear long clothing of some type (at least on your legs).
Wild pigs are present in Morgan Territory. These basically resemble the typical barnyard pig, but are dark brown, almost black, in color. The pigs themselves are rarely a hazard; they pretty much go scurrying the other way as soon as they see you.
Cows and wild pigs mess with the ground, and so there are deep pockets all over the hill sides waiting to deliver an ankle blow to the unsuspecting orienteer. For this reason, and also because of the steep terrain, shoes with cleats are strongly advised. Hiking boots with good tread will also do the job. If you wear running shoes, make sure they have an aggressive tread, or you'll probably become quite irritated (or worse), since you're likely to spend a good deal of your time slipping and falling.
No mountain lions or rattlesnakes have been sighted. Rattlesnakes may be active depending on the weather, but it is rare to see them in March.
Refreshments on the Course
Three water stations (aside from the Start/Finish area) have been set up throughout the rogaine area. Each one of these is stocked with paper drinking cups and about 10 one-gallon jugs of water. Two of these water stations are located near the main road going along the drainage, separating the west and east areas of the drainage. A third water station is located in the northern end east of the drainage. Water stations are marked on the map and on the control description sheets with the IOF symbol for "refreshments" (a little cup). The stations are not located at control points.
Note: If you are doing the 6-hr rogaine, you are likely to be away from water for 2 hrs or more at a stretch, so plan accordingly.
Food at the Home Base
The Costco run shall yield bountiful amounts of carbs and fats and proteins, etc. While you won't find too much food on the course (unless you don't mind the tannins in the acorns), you are welcome to stuff your pants/backpack at the Start/Finish before leaving. Or just come back for a snack. Or when you finish, enjoy. We will have plenty of food. And maybe a meaty treat-y to eat-y when you're done with the rog-eaty.
Note: If you like those "energy shots" or "power gels" or whatever, you gotta bring that. Cause we ain't having that.
Rules and Procedures and Scoring
There are 61 control points on the map, with score point values ranging from 30 to 100. If you reached them all, and returned to the Start/Finish within your time limit, you'd have a score of 3660 points. Clearing the course requires a straight-line distance of approximately 26 km with 2400 m or so of climb (actual distance will be longer, actual climb possibly a little less).
The 61 control codes range from #31 to #112. The point value is derived from the control code, by rounding the control code down to the nearest 10. For example, control #56 is worth 50 points, control #32 is worth 30 points, and so on. So, in general, the higher the number, the more points you get.
Punching with your e-punch stick: try not to "double punch". This is not easy to do, but if there's more than an 8-second (I think) gap, then you'll waste a punch. Most teams will have a stick that holds 63 punches. A few will have two sticks that hold 30 each — those who are going at an "easy pace". In any case, punches are precious — don't waste them!!
Please observe these rules:
- All team members must return to the Start/Finish area before leaving the event.
- All members of a team must stay within sight of each other at all times, and no more than 25 m apart.
- A 10-point penalty will be assessed for each minute, or fraction of a minute, that a team exceeds its time limit.
- All teams finishing in 3 hours and 20 minutes or less will be included in the 3-hour results. All teams that finish in a longer time will be included in the 6-hour results.
- Areas that are out of bounds for Morgan Territory Rogaine participants are marked on the map with vertical purple hatching. Dangerous areas are marked with diagonal purple crosshatching. Avoid all areas of either type (except as noted above).
Final Thoughts
It's incredibly beautiful at Morgan Territory this time of year. The hills are Technicolor green, the creeks are flowing, and the ponds are full. We visited on a clear day, and the views, from high points, of the Central Valley to the east and the Tri-valley and Mt. Diablo to the south and west were awe-inspiring. Enjoy!