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Morgan Territory Regional Preserve

California Orienteering Festival, Stage 3

Western States Orienteering Championships, Day 3

Date: (Wed.) Jul. 19, 2023
Location: Livermore, CA
Event Director: - 510.684.2001
Course Setter: Deron van Hoff
Type: A; All are welcome, including beginners; NRE Long-distance forest event; California Orienteering Festival, Stage 3; Western States Orienteering Championships, Day 3

Please note that fees and time limits apply. Events are typically not canceled due to bad weather.


Notes:

This webpage applies to recreational participants at the event.
Competition entrants should refer to the Cal-O-Fest website (https://www.cal-o-fest.com) and Bulletin #4 (5.1MB PDF) (https://www.cal-o-fest.com/public/docs/Bulletin%204.pdf).
The course details and updated parking information have been posted. (7/16/23 9:45 PM).


This is the third event (“Stage 3”) of the California Orienteering Festival (http://www.cal-o-fest.com/) (Cal-O-Fest). It is also the third of three events for the Western States Orienteering Championships.

Cal-O-Fest is a 10-event Orienteering “Festival” with events in the San Francisco Bay Area and the north Lake Tahoe area. The Festival includes regional and international championship events, and National and World Ranking Events (NRE and WRE, respectively). In conjunction with the competitive events, there will be “recreational” events suited for all levels of orienteering skills​—​from beginner to advanced.
The Western States Orienteering Championships are open to participants from western U.S. states that have 10,000-foot mountains (i.e., AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY). The Championship is determined by the results of three events: the event on Monday, July 17, at the Presidio of San Francisco; the event on Tuesday, July 18, at Golden Gate Park; and this event.

The assembly area for this event will be at the main parking lot (https://www.google.com/maps/place/37.8186111,-121.7953889/@37.8186111,-121.7953889,12z) in Morgan Territory Regional Preserve (https://www.ebparks.org/parks/morgan-territory). The event will offer a set of Long-distance courses for recreational participants, as well as another set of courses for the competitive people.

Even though this is a “competition” event for many of the participants, it is open to all, including beginners, for whom this will be an excellent introduction to orienteering.

Note: Beginners are encouraged to attend this event​—​not only to get an introduction to orienteering, but also to have a rare opportunity to experience a large, international event. Please do not be deterred by the competitive aspects of the event. The “recreation” courses will be just like those at a “normal” BAOC event.
Note: If you are coming with a group of five or more people, please tell us () so we can be sure to have enough maps.

More information about this event is available on the Cal-O-Fest website (https://www.cal-o-fest.com/stage_03) and in the Cal-O-Fest Bulletin #4 (5.1MB PDF) (https://www.cal-o-fest.com/public/docs/Bulletin%204.pdf).

Schedule

Note: The event is on Wednesday, this is not the normal BAOC event schedule, and this schedule applies only to recreational entrants.

  8:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Registration open for recreation courses
  8:30 AM –   9:30 AM: Beginner clinic instruction (free) — Times might change
  9:00 AM – 10:30 AM: Recreation starts are open
                  3:00 PM: Recreation courses close

At registration, all juniors must be accompanied by parents or legal guardians, or bring with them a waiver signed by their parent or legal guardian. (The registration form is available here [12KB PDF]. However, be aware that the fees on that form are wrong for this event.)

Note that you can register and start on courses anytime during the open periods above. Thus, for example, you do not need to be “punctual” at 8:00 (but you can if you want, but please don’t show up earlier and expect to be served).

Beginner clinics are short, repeating sessions that introduce the sport of orienteering, and provide enough instruction to be able to complete a beginner course.

Please note that everyone must return to the Finish by 3:00 PM, and check in at E-punch, even if you don’t complete your course. We need to account for all participants, because otherwise we must organize a search party for you.

After you finish, stick around and socialize with other participants!

Costs

Note: These are not the normal BAOC fees, and these fees apply only to recreational entrants.

  $20 for each junior (age 8 through 20)
  $30 for each adult
  $1 for a compass rental (optional)  
  $5 for an electronic fingerstick rental (if you don’t own one; you’ll need one to complete the course)
$15 for the lowest-cost individual one-year BAOC membership (optional)  

Notes:

Park Amenities

See below for driving directions and information about parking.

There are restrooms and water at the assembly area. A limited number of picnic tables might be available for our use.

Although this venue is much safer than at the previous days, to be safe, you should not leave anything visible in your car, and you should be careful about what you store in your trunk and glove compartment.

What to Bring

For beginners, comfortable outdoors attire is fine, but you should wear sturdy running or hiking shoes. The beginner course will stay on or close to trails.

The intermediate and advanced courses will involve running on trails and croo country, so shoes with cleats are recommended. You will want long pants and/or gaiters.

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

We time the courses with the SPORTident system, so each entry/team needs to have a SPORTident fingerstick. If you don’t have your own, you can rent one at registration for $5. (Use of the “E-punch” system is easy. You can learn how at the event, or read about it here.)

Embargo Notice

This notice does not apply to recreational participants.

Since this is a National Ranking Event and part of the Western States Championships, competitors are not permitted to visit Morgan Territory Regional Preserve. See this map (https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1cJ5Zjj3zIXUwg9n6jPXqNTHB38BgNwSH&ll=37.83545254160802%2C-121.80934520000001&z=14) for the embargo area; on that webpage, click on the lower instance of "Stage 3: Stage 3: Morgan Territory Embargo" in the left-hand panel for more information.

Course Details

Here are the details of the recreational courses:

                                                   Map 
    Course              Length   Climb  Controls  Scale   Difficulty
    Rec 1 White         2.4 km    50 m     10    1:7500   Beginner 
    Rec 2 Yellow        3.7 km   100 m     11    1:7500   Advanced beginner
    Rec 3 Orange Short  4.7 km   160 m     12    1:10000  Internmediate  
    Rec 4 Orange Long   5.7 km   145 m     13    1:10000  Internmediate
    Rec 5 Beige         4.3 km   135 m      8    1:7500   Advanced  
    Rec 6 Brown         4.4 km   140 m      9    1:7500   Advanced
    Rec 7 Green         5.1 km   175 m     10    1:10000  Advanced
    Rec 8 Red           6.9 km   310 m     12    1:10000  Advanced

Request for Volunteers

As always, events cannot be put on without the assistance of several volunteers. Please consider helping. (All volunteers will be able to run a course!)

Driving Directions

The approximate coordinates of the assembly area are 37.8186,-121.7956.

Carpooling is encouraged due to possibly limited parking.

From most of the Bay Area, take I-580 East to North Livermore Ave, and turn left onto North Livermore Ave. After a straight, tree-lined stretch, North Livermore Ave ends at a "T" at Manning Road. Go left and then promptly right on Morgan Territory Road, the first real street, which will ascend 5.5 miles into the hills and to the event.

Note: Morgan Territory Road is a narrow, steep, twisty, 1.5-lane road. Please allow more time for the drive than the distance would lead you to expect.

For anyone east of Livermore, take I-580 West to North Livermore Ave, and turning right onto North Livermore Ave. Then follow the directions above.

From the northeast bay (e.g., Antioch), there are more interesting route choices entering the park from the north. Consult your favorite mapping website or app (the coordinates of the assembly area are above).

Parking

There is limited parking at Morgan Territory. Please carpool if possible.

We are fortunate and grateful that the neighbors can provide overflow parking if the main lot fills up. If you park in the overflow lot, it is very important that you do not damage any fences on the way to the arena. Please pass at a gate or under the fence.