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Shell Ridge Open Space

Date: (Sun.) Nov. 17, 2024
Location: Walnut Creek, CA
Event Directors: - 510.407.1876,
Course Setter: Gavin Wyatt-Mair
Type: B; Standard 7-course event for beginners through advanced; everyone is welcome, including non-members and beginners, with free, brief, beginner instruction available

Table of contents
1 Schedule
2 Costs
3 Location In The Park
4 What to Bring
5 Venue Facilities
6 Courses
7 Request for Volunteers
8 Directions to the Event

Related Event Information

Event Results Online Registration (Closed) (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/a40/register/start/shellridge2024) Last Year’s Event

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


Event Director Update (Nov. 13)

It looks like we will have good orienteering weather — kinda chilly but no rain in the forecast.
A few folks have stepped up to help, but we need a few more, especially for setup, starts, control pickup, and cleanup. Let me or Sheila know — we can plug you in somewhere even if you have time or other constraints.
Note: You might see BAOC and Nav-X direction signs on the way. Don't worry, we are all going to the same place.
Thanks, Vicki Woolworth () and Sheila Cotter ()


Come out and stretch your legs at Shell Ridge Open Space in the foothills of Mount Diablo in Walnut Creek. This hilly area has beautiful views, and excellent visibility including in the Oak forests. Enjoy the scenic vistas, hidden meadows, spectacular rock formations, and abundant wildlife — birds, deer, coyote, ground squirrels, and many more. We will offer the usual seven point-to-point orienteering courses (i.e., beginner White through advanced Blue), with free instruction for beginners. This event will be held in conjunction with a Nav-X Map Trek (https://www.navxchallenge.com/schedule-1/2024-event-6) that includes 2- and 4-hour Score-O courses, so you might not want to follow just anyone — and be sure to check your control codes when you punch!

This event is open to the public (i.e., non-members). We encourage everyone to join us. Free beginner instruction will be available, and there will be courses for beginners. You can find out more about orienteering elsewhere on our website​—​particularly in the FAQ section.

Information about Shell Ridge Open Space is available on this website (https://www.walnut-creek.org/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/10/664). A map of adjacent Diablo Foothills Park is available here (1.6MB PDF) (https://www.ebparks.org/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=24279).

Schedule

The following standard BAOC event schedule will be followed:

  9:00 AM – 11:59 AM: Registration open
  9:30 AM – 10:30 AM: Beginner clinics instruction (free)
10:00 AM – 12:30 PM: Starts are open for all courses
                  2:00 PM: Everyone must have returned to the Finish
Note: At registration, all juniors under age 18 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].)

Note that you can register and start on the courses anytime during the open times above. Thus, for example, you do not need to be "punctual" at 9:00. (You can if you want, but please don’t show up earlier and expect to be served.)

Beginner clinics are 15–20 minute, repeating sessions that introduce the sport of orienteering, and provide enough instruction to be able to complete a Beginner course.

Note that everyone must return to the Finish by 2:00 PM, and then promptly go to the download tent, even if they have not completed their course. Please do not leave without checking in! If there are unaccounted people after 2:00, we must initiate a search for them.

Costs

Optional online registration (and payment) is available as described below.

The following fees apply for this event:

  $3 for each junior on the beginner (White) and advanced beginner (Yellow) courses
  $8 for each adult on the beginner and advanced beginner courses
  $5 for each junior on the intermediate (Orange) and advanced (Short Brown, Brown, Green, Red, Blue) courses  
$15 for each member on the intermediate and advanced courses
$20 for each non-member on the intermediate and advanced courses
  $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:
  • Juniors are age 8 through 20. Youth under age 8 are free.
  • You can register at the event or online before the event (see below).
  • At the event, we can accept payment by cash, check, or credit/debit card (but no electronic payments — e.g., PayPal, Venmo).
    (Hopefully the credit-card reader will cooperate at this event! We apologize for the problem at the Briones event.)
  • There is no charge for a second course (but you must end up paying for the more expensive course — e.g., the Orange course after a beginner course).
  • Members of other orienteering clubs can pay the "member" fee. (We hope your club would do the same for our members. 🙂)

More information about event pricing is available in the club FAQ. All the prices are also shown on the standard entry form (12KB PDF), 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.)

Optional Online Registration

Online registration has closed, but you can still register at the event.

Notes:
  • Online registration is not required​—​you can register at the event.
  • You can see who is registered here (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/reglist/home/shellridge2024) (but keep in mind that others will register at the event).

Location In The Park

Note: The event will not be at the same location we used last year.

The assembly area (Registration, Beginner Clinics, and E-punch tent) will be at Indian Valley Elementary School (551 Marshall Dr, Walnut Creek, CA). As you enter the school property, look to the far left for the "Registration" banner. The approximate coordinates of the assembly area are 37.9007,-122.0319.

Parking will also be at Indian Valley Elementary School. The coordinates for the parking lot are 37.9011,-122.0329. There is also parking down the west side of the school property. (See the directions below for details.)

The walk from the school to the Start is about 1 kilometer (0.6 mile). The Finish will be at the assembly area.

Note: Please do not park on Marshall Dr close to the park entrance.

What to Bring

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

For the advanced beginner (Yellow) course, hiking boots with an aggressive tread are recommended.

Because some grassy and leafy areas might be slippery, and some soil might be loose, we recommend O-shoes or shoes with cleats on the intermediate (Orange) and advanced (Short Brown through Blue) courses.

Dry grasses with burrs and stickers are present on all the courses except White. We recommend long pants and gaiters.

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 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.)

Venue Facilities

Water and portable toilets will be available at the school. They will not be available at the Start.

Courses

Here are the final details of the courses: 

                                                 Map     Technical      Physical  
    Course       Distance    Climb    Controls  Scale    Difficulty     Difficulty
    White         2.7 km    54 m 2.0%     8    1:7,500   Beginner       Easiest       
    Yellow        3.2 km   110 m 3.5%     8    1:7,500   Adv beginner   Easy
    Orange        4.4 km   180 m 4.1%     9    1:7,500   Intermediate   Intermediate  
    Short Brown   3.6 km   150 m 4.1%     8    1:7,500   Advanced       Moderate      
    Brown         4.0 km   180 m 4.6%     9    1:7,500   Advanced       Intermediate
    Green         5.2 km   290 m 5.6%    14   1:10,000   Advanced       Challenging
    Red           6.1 km   340 m 5.6%    14   1:10,000   Advanced       Very Challenging
    Blue          7.6 km   410 m 5.4%    17   1:10,000   Advanced       Really challenging

Notes:
  • 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.
  • There is a 1 km (0.6 mi) walk to the Start of the courses. The Finish will be at the assembly area.
  • Water will not be provided on the courses. Please bring your own water.
  • If you encounter horseback riders while on your course, you must pause your run, and say something so the horses know you're human and don't get spooked.
  • If you cross a fence, please roll underneath — do not climb over.
  • Please remember that the courses close, and control pickup commences, at 2 PM.
  • The footing is good — the modest rain to date has softened the grasses and dirt. Nevertheless, good O-shoes are recommended for the slopes on the advanced courses, because some grassy and leafy areas might be slippery.

Course Notes

Terrain: Shell Ridge features undulating, grassy, oak-studded hills, with a fairly extensive network of trails. Visibility is excellent. Rock features are abundant. Hills are often steep, but can readily be traversed. A few areas have undergrowth that will slow you down.

E-punch: Touchless, SIAC-Air punching is enabled. However, the first person at a control will have to insert their E-stick to wake up the control.

Hazards: Poison oak is dormant and easily avoided. We never saw any ticks. Steep slopes covered in leaves can be slippery. If it rains heavily, paths will be muddy and slippery, in which case it's often better to travel off-trail. There are cows. They are quite timid and will not be a problem — just don't get between a cow and her calf! There are some barbed wire fences to cross — it's usually simple and safe to go underneath. Don't argue with any skunks — if you come across one, back off!

Map: The map is good. There are some unmapped mountain-bike trails. The mountain-bikers create new trails far faster than we can plausibly map them. Generally, if a trail is on the map, it is on the ground. But if a mountain-bike trail is on the ground, it might not be on the map. In general, you might find that mountain-bike trails are useful to travel on, but don't use them for navigation!

Animals: There are coyotes, big birds like owls, little birds, skunks, squirrels, cows, salamanders, and more. Occasionally you might see a horseback rider — please be courteous, be still, and let them pass safely.

Request for Volunteers

If you are willing to help out on the day of the event, we sure could use your help! Most tasks do not require previous experience, and we're happy to train new people!

We need volunteers for these tasks:

If you can help, please contact Vicki Woolworth, Event Director ().

Directions to the Event

Parking will be at Indian Valley Elementary School (551 Marshall Dr) in Walnut Creek. The approximate coordinates of the parking lot are 37.9011,-122.0329. The walk from the school to the Start is about 1 kilometer (0.6 mile).

Note: Please do not park on Marshall Dr close to the park entrance.

Driving Directions to the Parking Lot

Traveling east on Highway 24: 
Use the third lane from the left to take the I-680 N exit toward Sacramento/Concord. Take the exit for Ygnacio Valley Road. Turn right onto Ygnacio Valley Rd. See below for the directions from there.
Traveling north on I-680: 
Approaching Walnut Creek, take exit 46B for Ygnacio Valley Road. Turn right onto Ygnacio Valley Rd. See below for the directions from there.
Traveling south on I-680: 
Approaching Walnut Creek, take the North Main St/Walnut Creek exit (#47), and head south on N Main St. After about 0.7 miles, turn left onto Ygnacio Valley Rd. See below for the directions from there.
Common to all approaches: 
After 1 mile on Ygnacio Valley Rd, turn right onto Homestead Ave. Turn left onto Marshall Dr. After about 1 mile, turn right into Indian Valley Elementary School.
Common directions to alternative parking (see below): 
From Ygnacio Valley Rd, about 0.6 miles after passing Homestead Ave (i.e., 1.6 miles after turning onto Ygnacio Valley Rd), turn right onto La Casa Via. The parking lot will be on your left after 1/3 mile.

Parking

There is limited parking at the elementary school, and some on the street (away from the park entrance). Please carpool if possible.

Alternative Parking

If you don't mind a walk, there is a large parking lot at John Muir Hospital (1601 Ygnacio Valley Rd, Walnut Creek, CA; coordinates 37.9110,-122.0383) that can be used as a local carpool meetup or the start of a warmup walk. From the parking lot, it is about 1 mile to the assembly area via trail or road.

The walking directions for the "trail route" are: Head southeast on La Casa Via. After passing Corvey Ct and a large parking lot with solar roofs (on your right), turn right onto the Briones to Mount Diablo Regional Trail. Follow the trail to the assembly area (about 0.9 miles).

The walking directions for the "road route" are: Head southeast on La Casa Via. La Casa Via will bend to the right at Broadia Way (on the left). After 200 m, when La Casa Via bends to the left, turn left onto the trail on the right-hand side of the road. Follow the trail to the assembly area (about 0.2 miles).