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Presidio of San Francisco, Fort Scott

Event #2 of 6 in the BAOC 2018 Summer Series

Date: (Sat.) Jun. 2, 2018
Location: San Francisco, CA
Event Director: - 415.456.8118
Course Setter: Greg Khanlarov
Type: C; Beginner and advanced courses; part of the BAOC 2018 Summer Series

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


This is the second event in the BAOC 2018 Summer Series. Summer Series points will be awarded to anyone who competes on the Middle or Long Course (see below).

Please join us at the Fort Scott parade ground in the beautiful Presidio of San Francisco on Saturday, June 2nd. Starts will open at 10 AM as usual (see the full schedule below).

While this is the second of six events in the 2018 Summer Series, we want to emphasize that everyone is welcome to come out and do one (or more) of the courses, regardless of whether or not you attended the previous Summer Series event, or plan to attend later events. Beginners new to orienteering are welcome, and the navigational difficulty is significantly eased by the semi-urban setting, so anyone should be able to complete the beginner courses.

The weather should be sunny, but cool​—​very nice for orienteering.

Out-of-Bounds Areas

Please respect all the out-of-bounds areas indicated on the map. The vertical red hatching is used to let you know not to run on the property of private residences. You may run on public sidewalks, but don't step on people's lawns. The rule of thumb is that if something looks like a private residence, avoid stepping on the property. This is an important condition of our permit.

There are some olive-green areas at the edge of the map, which also indicate out-of-bounds areas, but we doubt anyone will get there.

Beginners

Beginner clinics will be available to introduce orienteering. They are short, repeating sessions that explain orienteering maps and the process for completing a course. Of course, it's up to the participants to be able to read their map and navigate to the controls on their course. That should not be too difficult at this feature-rich venue.

Schedule

  9:00 AM – Registration opens; you can register anytime until noon (no latecomers please!)
  9:30 AM – Beginner's clinic instruction available (free)
10:00 AM – Starts open, you can start on courses anytime until 12:30
 2:00 PM – Courses close, checkpoint pick-up begins

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 (PDF/100KB)).

Beginner's clinics will continue until about 10:30 (they could stop earlier if there is no more demand).

Everyone must return to the Finish by 2:00 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. At 2:00 PM we will also start taking down controls, so there's no point in staying out longer (other than to cause us worry).

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

Costs

The following fees apply at this event:

  $3 for juniors (age 8 through 20) on the White (beginner) or Yellow course
  $8 for adults on the White (beginner) or Yellow course
  $5 for juniors on the Middle or Long course  
$12 adult member price for the Middle or Long course
$18 adult non-member price for the Middle or Long course
  $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)  

Note: We are able to accept payment only by cash or check​—​no credit cards or electronic payments.

For extra people on a team (i.e., completing the course together), add $5 per adult on a beginner course or $7 per adult on the intermediate course (with lower prices for juniors).

If you have the inclination (and can start before 12:30), you can do a second (or third) course for a much-reduced fee.

More information about event pricing is available in the club FAQ. All the prices are also shown on the standard entry form (PDF/100KB), which you can print and fill out in advance to save some time at the event. (You will need one entry form for each group of people going on a course together.) Please note that the form has a second page for signatures of group members.

What to Bring

For the beginner course, comfortable outdoors attire and shoes are fine.

For the longer courses, although it's not an absolute requirement, long pants may give you comfort when running on narrow, overgrown trails, and occasionally stepping off-road. You might also want shoes with some extra grip on the soles (but be aware that you will probably be running on roads and sidewalks a lot).

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 system, so a SPORTident fingerstick is required for each team​—​they rent for $5. (Use of the "E-punch" system is easy. You can learn how at the event, or read about it here.)

Restrooms

There are restrooms near the assembly area.

Courses

This year we will have the following four courses:

    Course                 Length    Climb   Controls
    White                  2.1 km     55 m       8   
    Yellow (Short Orange)  3.0 km    100 m      10
    Middle (Orange)        5.0 km    160 m      16
    Long (Long Orange)     7.9 km    270 m      21

Beginners should be aware that the lengths shown are the cumulative straight-line distances between controls. Your actual distance will be somewhat longer. To estimate how far you will actually go, change "km" to "mi" (e.g., for a "2.1 km" course, you might travel up to "2.1 mi"). The climb numbers represent the amount of ascending that would be done on the "optimum route" (in the Course Setters' opinion), without regard for any descending.

The White course is for beginners and young children. This is 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.

The Yellow, Middle, and Long courses all have the technical difficulty of a normal Orange course​—​that is, intermediate difficulty. Choose the length that is appropriate for you. A fast runner should be able to complete the Long course in under an hour. The navigation is generally not very difficult. The trick is to pick the most optimal route from one control to another, since there are so many roads, paths, and trails. You should rarely venture off trail. All the courses can be run on trails and roads, as most of the control points are placed in close proximity to them, but there might be some shorter/faster off-trail routes.

The Long course will take you into many subtle and nearly hidden areas of the Presidio, which you may never have seen before.

Participants can choose either the Medium (5 km) or Long (7.9 km) course to earn points for the Summer Series (see below).

Map

The map scale is 1:7500 for the White and Yellow courses, and 1:10000 for the Middle and Long courses. The contour interval is 20 feet for all the courses.

Presidio is always in a state of flux. Vegetation changes, fences are built and torn down, trails can be rerouted, and informal trails spring up. While the map is not entirely up to date in every area, none of this should affect your orienteering. Minor corrections around control sites have been made, and most of the route options have been vetted. Just pay attention to out-of-bounds areas and you should be fine. Please be especially respectful not to intrude on residential property within the park and always be aware of other Park users​—​​there are many.

Hazards

Cars and bicyclists. Car traffic may get quite heavy in the afternoon. So, please, pay attention when crossing streets and parking lots. You will have to do it several times.

2018 Summer Series

Points for the Summer Series will be awarded to all the individuals (not groups or teams) who complete either the Middle or Long course. The times from the Long course will be multiplied by 5/7.9, and combined with the times from the Medium course to calculate the points for this event. (That combination of the courses will be done only for determining the Summer Series points. The actual results for the two courses will be posted separately on the website.)

Details of the Summer Series scoring system are available here. (Note that we need your birth year if you want to be scored properly.)

Request for Volunteers

Unfortunately I have a short-notice request. I had a family signed up to handle starts at the event, but they contacted me on Wednesday to say that something came up and they can't make it. So, I could really use a couple of people for early starts, and one for late starts. If you are planning to come and can help me, please let know. Thank you! – , Event Director

Thanks to the people who have contacted me in the last two days, I believe we now have sufficient staffing to make sure the event runs smoothly. – , Event Director

Driving Directions

There's a map here that shows the location of the event. To use that map, drag it to center San Francisco in the panel, then use the "+" button to zoom in. Repeat dragging and zooming to get the desired area shown. You can click on the Satellite button to see an aerial view.

Note: Read the directions carefully, as no signs will be provided because of park rules.

All the action will start from the west part of Fort Winfield Scott at Building 1205. This is the location we've used in past years. The approximate coordinates are 37.802,-122.4753.

Coming from the South or East: Head to the Golden Gate Bridge. Take the last SF exit on Doyle Drive, just before the toll plaza. Turn right onto Lincoln Blvd. Continue under the overpass. Take the first left onto Storey Ave. Park right there, in the parking area on the right (NW of the soccer field that is surrounded by buildings​—​this is Fort Scott). Be sure to purchase a parking sticker at the kiosk in that lot. Walk south about 200 m, with the soccer field on your left, to the assembly area.

Coming from Marin: After crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, exit immediately after the toll plaza onto Merchant Road. At Lincoln Blvd, continue straight onto Storey Ave. Park right there, in the parking area on the right (NW of the soccer field that is surrounded by buildings​—​this is Fort Scott). Be sure to purchase a parking sticker at the kiosk in that lot. Walk south about 200 m, with the soccer field on your left, to the assembly area.

Parking

Note: Please do not park near the Log Cabin! Those spaces are reserved for events at the Log Cabin.

No matter where you park at the Presidio, you must purchase a parking sticker, even if there is no sign saying so near the place that you park. There are many kiosks with automated machines where you can purchase a sticker (with credit or debit card, possibly with coins). Rates are $1.20–$1.80 per hour or $7.00–$8.50 all day (prices differ by location and day of the week; more info here (http://www.presidio.gov/transportation/driving-and-parking)).

We are asking you to park in the lot bounded by Storey Ave, Lincoln Blvd, and Stone St. Note that this is not the lot that people have been directed to in recent years (the one between Lincoln and Ralston).

Wherever you park, please be mindful of conserving space so we can fit in everyone's cars, and consider the affect your car might have on traffic, pedestrians, etc. (Also, be aware that the park police office is nearby, so there's a good chance they will see your car.)

Public Transit

From the Daly City BART station, take Muni Bus #28 (departures about every 10 min.) to Merchant Road at the underpass under Doyle Drive, about 32 min.