What is Orienteering?

Events

Maps

About Us

Pacheco State Park

Date: Nov. 15 - 16, 2014
Location: Hollister, CA
Event Director: - 510.681.6181
Course Setters: Virginia DeBons, Dennis Wilkinson
Type: B; 2-day event with Classic courses on Saturday and a mini Rogaine on Sunday

Enjoy adventures on the ridge between the Central Valley and the Santa Clara Valley. Lovely oak savannah and amazing views! Saturday will feature "classic" courses. On Sunday there are 90-minute, 3-hour, and 6-hour "scramble" courses. For the Scramble, you visit as many checkpoints as you can in any order you want. Please preregister (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1kEVroJWboZ852oZxwBxw8RXF84v-s68Ov6FoXMuTo-w/viewform) and let our team know if you might be attending this event; park rangers would like to know how many to expect.

The official park site can be accessed here (http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=560).

What is Orienteering?

An adventure: Discover the outdoors and discover yourself! Teams of 1 to 5 find checkpoints in parks and wilderness areas using specially-produced maps. All are welcome at our events​—​runners, joggers, hikers, and walkers.

Saturday Event

Schedule

  9:00 AM – Registration opens
  9:30 AM – Beginner's clinic instruction (free)
10:00 AM – Starts open, you can start on courses anytime until 12:30
  2:00 PM – Courses close, checkpoint pick-up begins

Enjoy free snacks and refreshments from BAOC after you finish.

Please return to the Finish by 2:00 PM, and check in at E-punch, so we can have everyone accounted for and start checkpoint pick-up on time.

Costs

Free for youth under 8 (must be accompanying an adult)

  $3 for juniors (aged 8 through 20) on beginners' and advanced beginners' courses  

  $6 for adult on beginners' and advanced beginners' courses

  $3 per additional team member on beginners' and advanced beginners' courses

  $5 for juniors (aged 8 through 20) on intermediate and advanced courses  

$10 for adult member on intermediate and advanced courses

$15 for adult non-member on intermediate and advanced courses

  $5 per additional team member on intermediate and advanced courses

$15 for the lowest-cost, individual, one-year BAOC membership (optional)  

  $1 for a compass rental (optional)

  $3 for an electronic fingerstick rental (if you don't own one, you'll need it to complete the course)

$10 per vehicle park-use fee ($9 for people over 62)  

More information about event pricing is available in the club FAQ.

Courses

There will be a beginners’ course of 2.2 km in length. A great warmup if you're trying orienteering for the first time. You get to see the map before the start and experience how everything works.

There will also be an advanced beginners’ course of about 3 km in length.

For more experienced participants, we will have intermediate and advanced courses of 3–10 km in length. Those courses explore the forests, meadows, hilltops, and valleys for a fun, challenging navigation experience.

Here are the details of the courses:

   Course     Length     Climb   Controls
   White      2.2 km      40 m       8  
   Yellow     3.0 km      65 m      11
   Orange     2.7 km      80 m       9
   Brown      2.8 km     145 m      11
   Green      3.9 km     205 m      16
   Red        4.2 km     215 m      17
   Blue       4.6 km     225 m      24

Beginners should be aware that the course lengths are the cumulative straight-line distances between controls. Your actual distance will be somewhat longer, depending on route choices and errors.

Be sure to read the Course Setter's Notes for more information.

Sunday Event

Schedule

  8:00 AM – Registration opens, maps distributed (see note below)
  8:30 AM – Beginner's clinic instruction (free)
  9:00 AM – Mass start, all courses
10:30 AM – 90-minute Scramble ends
12:00 noon – 3-hour Scramble ends
  3:00 PM – 6-hour Scramble ends

Enjoy free snacks and refreshments from BAOC after you finish.

Please return to the Finish before your close closing time, and check in at E-punch.

Costs

$20 for first team member, preregistered ($30 for day-of entry)

$10 for each additional adult team member, preregistered ($15 for day-of entry)

  $5 for each additional youth member (aged 12 through 20)

Free for youth under 12 (must be accompanying an adult)

$10 per vehicle park-use fee ($9 for people over 62)  

Courses

All courses use the same map with the same checkpoints; the only thing different is the time limit: 90 minutes, 3 hours, or 6 hours. Get as many checkpoints as you can (or as you want) during the allowed time. Checkpoints will be worth 10 points each.

Maps will be distributed upon registration, allowing you to plan your route ahead of time.

There will be plenty of "beginner friendly" checkpoints on or close to trails and other major features. There will also be plenty of intermediate-level checkpoints further off the beaten path. What will be interesting for all participants is choosing a good order and executing a good route to get them.

Finish on time! There's a 5-point penalty per minute (or fraction) late.

Be sure to read the Course Setter's Notes for more information.

Preregistration

If you're thinking of coming, please preregister (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1kEVroJWboZ852oZxwBxw8RXF84v-s68Ov6FoXMuTo-w/viewform) so we can get a headcount for the rangers and procure the right amount of maps and supplies. Thank you!

The form lets you specify how sure you are of coming on a scale of "unsure" to "pretty sure."

What to Bring

For beginners' courses, comfortable outdoors attire and shoes are fine.

For intermediate and advanced courses, leg cover or gaiters are recommended, as well shoes with some extra grip on the sole.

A compass is not necessary, but can be helpful. We have compasses available for a $1 rental fee.

We time the courses with the SPORTident E-punch system, so each team needs a SPORTident fingerstick. If you don’t have one, a fingerstick rents for $3. (Use of the "E-punch" system is easy. You can learn how at the event, or read about it here.)

Venue Facilities and Rules

Picnic tables and pit toilets. No piped water. BAOC will have water available for all to drink.

No dogs are allowed on (or off) trails at Pacheco State Park.

Hazards

Steep slopes. Rattlesnakes will probably be gone in mid-November. There are ticks. It’s mountain lion habitat, although they are reclusive and seldom spotted. And watch out for wild pigs, too.

For participants on the intermediate and advanced courses, the park has some poison oak that you will want to avoid. It looks like this. Washing clothes and shoes, and bathing exposed areas with dishwashing soap (which removes the irritant oil) or a commercial product such as Tecnu is recommended.

Volunteers

Please sign up to help with finishes on Saturday and/or control pickup on Sunday.

For Sunday pickup we will send some people out after the 3-hour finish to get "in position" to get the far out ones. You can use a mountain bike.

We could also use extra people on starts, registration, setup, and parking.

If you're not volunteering, consider pitching in to help; many hands make light work, you get to know people better.

The more we lean on the same "core" people, the less events you'll see in the future as they burn out.

Camping

The group camping site wasn't available at San Luis Reservoir SRA, so I reserved a single site at the Basalt Campground (https://www.google.com/maps/place/37%C2%B001%2744.9%22N+121%C2%B003%2753.7%22W/@37.048115,-121.062508,13467m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0) at San Luis Reservoir (http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=558) for the nights of Nov. 14 and 15. The site will hold 8 people and 2 cars.

If you would like to join us, please let know how many people and which nights. There are other sites still available, which can be reserved here (http://www.reserveamerica.com/camping/san-luis-reservoir-sra/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=CA&parkId=120084). If you reserve a site to share please let know.

–

Driving Directions