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Tilden Regional Park

New Location — Previously scheduled to be at Briones

Date: (Sun.) Oct. 14, 2012
Location: Berkeley, CA
Event Directors: - 925.934.6567, - 510.524.1239, - 925.872.3935
Course Setters: Gavin Wyatt-Mair, Alan Houser
Type: B; Regular 7-course BAOC event in conjunction with the Scout-O Championships

Please note that fees and time limits apply, unless otherwise mentioned below. Events are typically not canceled due to bad weather.


This is the 20th annual Bay Area Scout Orienteering Championships!! All scouts and non-scouts are welcome to attend, run a course, and have a generally good time! The forecast is for perfect weather — sunny and about 75 degrees. It is a great area for picnics, so bring your friends and your family, and enjoy the beautiful park. For those who are planning to attend the North American Championships (http://www.naoc2012.org/) next weekend, this event is also a great opportunity for a final tune-up before heading to Pennsylvania.

Note the venue change this year. We had a conflict, and moved our venue to Tilden Park instead of Briones.

BAOC members please note that your showing is very good publicity for the club, and sets an example for hundreds of scouts and adults to see!! Please do come, with your best o-gear, a smile, and a word of encouragement for the youngsters.

Although pre-registration is required for the Scout-O, it is not required for the BAOC B-meet.

The assembly area will be at the Lake Anza parking lot (37.896618,-122.252316) in Tilden Regional Park. There's a map here that shows the location of the event.

The Start and Finish are at the registration area (sorry, there's no long walk to the Start this year).

Registration opens at 9:00. Starts will be at the usual times – from 10:00 to 12:30.

Please be polite to other park users (this is a requirement for future permits).

(A printable copy of these Meet Directors' Notes is available here (PDF/86KB).)

Courses

The standard set of courses will be offered, as described below.

                                              Navigational    Physical 
   Course       Distance   Climb   Controls    Difficulty    Difficulty
   White  (#1)   1.8 km    110 m      10        Easy          Easy
   Yellow (#2)   2.4 km    130 m      11        Easy          Easy
   Orange (#4)   3.5 km    200 m      13        Moderate      Moderate
   Brown         4.0 km    180 m      12        Hard          Moderate
   Green         5.4 km    255 m      17        Hard          Hardish
   Red           5.9 km    270 m      18        Hard          Hard    
   Blue          6.4 km    280 m      21        Hard          Hard

Note for Beginners: The course lengths are measured along straight lines connecting the controls. Since you can seldom travel along those straight lines, you will cover a greater distance. The climb numbers are estimates of how much ascending will be done while following the "optimum" route, without regard for any descending that is done. The distance and climb that you will actually experience will depend on your route choices and any errors you make.

Beginners' Courses: There is an extensive network of trails in Tilden, and in some cases new trails have been blazed near the old ones. It's a good idea to use other features to locate yourself, not just the trails. The White (Course 1) and Yellow (Course 2) courses do not have drinking water at any of the controls.

Advanced Courses: The advanced courses are designed to expose the scouts to orienteers, so these courses cross the scout courses often, and there are also spectator controls. The climb on the courses is quite low by Bay Area standards, so the courses should be relatively fast. There are a number of water fountains near the advanced courses, and they are marked with blue circles on the map. Water has also been placed at controls.

All the courses will use e-punching. Rental E-sticks will be available at registration.

Map

The Tilden Park map is relatively new, so it is reasonably accurate. Some areas of vegetation have grown up, but not enough to warrant any changes. There are a number of un-mapped fences, but these should not affect the courses.

The map scale will be 1:10,000 unless otherwise noted. The contour interval is 5 meters.

Hazards

Tilden Park has some dense undergrowth, including brambles, so it makes sense to wear long sleeved shirts, long pants, and gaiters. The courses have been designed to avoid stickers and poison oak as much as possible. The poison oak is dormant, with just stalks and almost no leaves. Nevertheless, take the usual precautions if you are allergic to the stuff.

Wildlife we have seen include deer, eagles, coyote, skunks, buzzards, orienteers, ticks, turkeys, goats, and frogs.

All the courses feature many route choices, and some of those choices may cross roads. Please be careful of traffic!

Some trails are quite rough, especially around the lake, so do be careful with your footing — it's better to take a little extra time than to fall. Strong shoes with rubber cleats or studs are recommended.

Request for Help

This is my annual request for help at the 20th Bay Area Scout Orienteering Championships and B-meet for the public. If you are able and willing to help out on the day of the meet or before, we sure could use your help! Please let know…

Driving Directions

There are many ways to get to Tilden Park. Here is one: From Highway 24, take Fish Ranch Road exit (this exit is just east of the Caldecott Tunnel). Go Northwest up Fish Ranch Road for 1 km, to the top of the hill. Turn right on Grizzly Peak Blvd. Wind around on Grizzly Peak for about 2.5 km until you reach the South Park Drive entrance to Tilden Park (don’t take the steam trains entrance, go past until South Park Drive). Once you are inside the Park, follow the park signs to Lake Anza and park at the lake (see below).

Please carpool if possible.

There's a map here that shows the location of the event.

Parking

Parking is free.

Lake Anza is just 400 meters south-south-east of the Merry-Go-Round, but please do not park in the Merry-Go-Round parking.

Please make efficient use of the parking space, especially in the dirt overflow lot.