2016 Nav-X Challenge Series 2-hour & 4-hour Rogaine
Briones Regional Park
Date: (Sun.) Apr. 24, 2016
Location: Lafayette, CA
Event Director: 
- 916.220.0224
Course Setters: Bill Cusworth (NAV-X), Heidi Cusworth (NAV-X)
Type: Rogaine; 2-hour & 4-hour classes; No beginner courses; Joint event with Gold Country Orienteers
This event is presented jointly with the Gold Country Orienteers (http://www.goldcountryorienteers.org).
Register by April 10th to save 25%.
The first event in the inaugural 2016 Nav-X Challenge Series (http://www.navxchallenge.com) brings us to a wilderness a mere 40 minutes from downtown San Francisco (70 minutes from Sacramento). Briones Regional Park is a vast wild area with oak-studded hills, tucked in between Martinez and Lafayette, west of Walnut Creek. (Click on the photo above to see what awaits you. Click on that photo for a full-size image.)
Using a high-quality map produced by the Bay Area Orienteering Club, course setters Bill and Heidi Cusworth will be treating us to a Map Trekking adventure sure to please any navigation sports enthusiast, whether you are looking for a scenic 2-hour hike in the green hills, or a 4-hour endurance race against some of the best in the West.
See the Nav-X Challenge Series event page (http://www.navxchallenge.com/schedule-1/2016/4/24/briones-navx-challenge-series) for complete information about this event. See the Series website (http://www.navxchallenge.com) for information about the series and its other events.
Course Setters' Notes
The Start and Finish will be right in the assembly area. The map will be printed at 1:15,000 on 11"x17" (double-size) paper. The contour interval is 7.5 meters. There are two categories: 2 hours and 4 hours.
Checkpoints have varying point values, between 30 and 100 points, with a total possible score of 2500 points. The checkpoints will be a combination of all technical difficulties, from very easy to advanced, in order to accommodate all abilities. In general, the controls closer to the Start are easier than the ones farther out, and checkpoint point values will be based on distance from the Start and/or technical difficulty. There is a time limit! Teams will have 10 points deducted for every minute, or fraction of a minute, that you’re late. Teams that are over 30 min. late will be disqualified.
There is no food or water on the course! You must take everything with you that you need for the event. You are allowed, however, to come back to the assembly area during the event to restock on food and water. We will have these items available soon after the event starts.
There is a washout on the dirt road directly north of the assembly area. It is marked out of bounds on the map, and the park is requiring us to stay away from this area. You can cross the road north and south of the washout, but you should not include the road on your route choice.
You may encounter cows on the course. They are generally docile, but you should try to avoid getting between a mother and a calf. Most of the fences on the map are barbed wire and difficult to cross. In general, it is best to cross fences on a road, where there will be a cattle gate. Please leave gates as you found them (e.g., closed or locked).
There is some poison oak in the forested areas of the map. If it has rained just before the event, the dirt roads will likely be very muddy and rutted.
We are excited to see everyone out there on Sunday! Event details are here (http://www.navxchallenge.com/schedule-1/2016/4/24/briones-navx-challenge-series).