Camp Tamarancho
Date: (Sun.) Nov. 13, 2016
Location: Fairfax, CA
Event Director: 
- 415.456.8118
Course Setter: Graham Brew
Type: B; We return to this open space after skipping several years
Last-Minute Reminders
- Everything is just about ready for some great Orienteering this coming Sunday.
- The Boy Scouts charge the club a fee of $5 per car, so please carpool if at all possible. Individual cars will not be charged—this is just a fee they invoice us with at the end of the day.
- Also, please remember to back into your parking space when you get there! This is a rule they have to expedite an evacuation if ever needed due to wildfire or other crisis.
- We could still use a couple more people for control pick up! Graham has set courses that share very few controls, so if you'd like to see more of the terrain after your course, please consider volunteering to pick up a couple of controls—much appreciated!
- Registration, Finish, and E-punch will be located at Staff Hill, which is about a 300-meter walk, due west from the parking lot. There will be streamers leading from the lot to registration, but Staff hill is visible from the parking lot, and should be easy to locate. This is the same location we've used in prior years.
- See you on Sunday!
-
- Event Director
Nov. 7 Update:
- The courses are set and the weather forecast is good (dry and moderate temps). Please come on out and enjoy the excellent courses set by Graham Brew.
- A few reminders:
- Please carpool if at all possible, as parking is tight and the overflow parking area is about kilometer from registration.
- For parking, please remember to back in to your space. The Scouts have this rule and are very strict about it!
- Also, don't forget that there are showers on Staff Hill (where registration is located), which you will probably be able to use after completing your course—a benefit we rarely see at any orienteering events!
- Lastly, I hate to ask this, but I could use a couple more helpers, especially with late starts and control pick up. Any assistance will be much appreciated!
- Thank you!
-
- 415.456.8118
Plan on coming out to some fun, scenic, and rewarding orienteering on Sunday, November 13th, at Camp Tamarancho of the Marin Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
The camp, located in the hills just west of Fairfax, offers a taste of just about every type of terrain the Bay Area has to offer. From gentle, rolling grass-covered hills, to canyons filled with towering Redwood trees, and everything in between! The camp area in the center of the map is relatively flat, and perfect terrain for beginner and intermediate courses, while the longer, advanced courses will venture beyond this area into the more secluded, and often hillier, sections of the map. Rock features are scarce, but can be good attack points, and all the courses can expect to navigate through all types of vegetation, from open fields to all shades of "Green" (thicker vegetation).
Some of the advanced courses may even take you by the remote site of a WWII aircraft that crashed on a hillside, supposedly carrying "top secret" material used in the atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. While most of the debris was carried off by military officials the night of the crash, and the remainder buried on site, one of the plane's engines washed down into a camp creek years ago, and is now on display near the ranger station.
Course setter Graham Brew will set seven courses, White through Blue. There will be two beginner courses (White and Yellow), suitable for people who have never orienteered before, as well as brief, beginner instructional clinics offered throughout the morning.
Registration, clinics, and Start and Finish will be located at Staff Hill, a 200-meter walk west of the parking lot. A benefit of being at a Boy Scout camp is that there are showers available for those who want to clean up before they head home! Picnic tables and piped water on site welcome all to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy with us after your courses.
More details will be posted closer to the event, but mark your calendars now for one of our great fall events!
Scott Aster
Event Director
Course Details
Here are the course details:
Course Distance Climb Controls Nav. Difficulty Physical Difficulty
White 1.5 km 70 m 10 Easy Very Easy
Yellow 2.3 km 125 m 11 Easy/intermediate Easy
Orange 4.0 km 255 m 13 Intermediate Moderate
Brown 3.0 km 165 m 12 Advanced Moderate
Green 4.3 km 270 m 13 Advanced Hard
Red 5.0 km 335 m 18 Advanced Hard
Blue 6.2 km 410 m 21 Advanced Very Hard
Note: Beginners should be aware that the distances shown are the cumulative straight-line distances between controls. Your actual distance will be longer. The climb numbers represent the amount of ascending that would be done on the "optimum route" (in the Course Setter's opinion), without regard for any descending.
Be sure to read the Course Setter's Notes for more information.
Request for Volunteers
Of course, we will need the normal bunch of helpers at the event, but in the meantime ...
The courses are set and control locations streamered. If you won't be able to make it to the event on Sunday, November 13th, please consider vetting some of the courses for us. Even vetting a small portion of the courses would be useful! If you are interested, please contact and he can e-mail (or regular mail) maps with the courses on them.
Graham has set some challenging courses, making good use of the technical parts of the map (for the advanced courses) while keeping the climb to a very reasonable level. But we really would like to have someone vet the courses to ensure the high course quality, and catch any possible corrections that might be needed.
Driving Directions
There are several ways to get to Fairfax from Highway 101 in Marin. The quickest route is to take the Central San Rafael exit and turn left (west) at the second light at Third street. Follow this road for about 3 miles (it changes name 3 times on the way) until it intersects with Sir Francis Drake Blvd in San Anselmo. Bear right onto Sir Francis Drake Blvd and stay on it until you reach downtown Fairfax.
Continue westbound on Sir Francis Drake past downtown for another quarter mile, and look for the green highway sign that says "Camp Tamarancho". Turn left at this sign onto Olema Road, and continue to follow the subsequent green camp signs until you reach Iron Springs Road. Head up Iron Springs Road for two miles until it ends at the camp entrance. Continue on the camp road to parking.
Carpooling is encouraged as always.
Note: You must park facing outward (i.e., back into your space).
Warning: Iron Springs Rd is a narrow, winding, partially-paved road with lots of small to moderately sized potholes. A car with normal clearance can make it if driven carefully. Low-riders and sports cars are not advised. Please allow at least 15 minutes for these last two miles.
There's a map here that shows the location of the event.