Splashing through bog and stream

Orienteering

This weekend Husband, Audun and I ran 3 orienteering races, all of them on boggy ground after heavy rains. It was so wet that several times I sank right down to the thigh in mud, the brooks and streams so swollen that it was impossible to jump them - you had to just splash right through them.

Audun

Thursday was the club championship for 3 local clubs. I ran a 3,5 km A-level course, Husband ran a 4,5 km course and Audun accidentally ran a 6,5 km course. It was Auduns first time orienteering in 8 years so I was amazed that he finished in approximatly the same time as Husband did. It was a rainy afternoon. I was afraid I'd be out all night as I normally stay away from such long A-level courses but it went well. There was a strange bird that followed me for a bit. I never really caught sight of it, but it had an odd call. I wonder what it could have been.

Dancer

Saturday was the bog-sprint (myrsprinten), meaning lots and lots of controlls on a relatively short course. Here too I ran an A-level course (3 km). I started off running along a path in the wrong direction but discovered my mistake pretty quickly when I came to a bridge over a stream. Since there wasn't supposed to be a stream on the path I checked my compass and thats when I discovered that I was running north instead of south.

Between the 7th and 8th control I met up with Husband who was wondering where he was. I had just been trying to figure out the same thing, and so could enlighten him. He has this tendency to get carried away with running fast, forgetting to check the map and compass and thus gets lost. Anyway he finished second to last and was bummed out about that.
Anyway I only finished 12 minutes after the next to last contestant which for me, is doing well. Last time I competed on an A-level course I was 20 minutes behind the second to last.

Husband (in white with red+blue stripes)

Sunday for the bog-tramp (myrtrampen) Husband promised himself to slow down and concentrate on his orienteering skills and sure enough he finished second and brought home a prize. As for me, after starting in the wrong direction again but getting myself back on track after a few meters, I tramped along through the bogs and splashed over streams for 3 km again (but C-level this time). Once I saw a moose cow running along a ridge right in front of me. Thats what I like about orienteering: the cool flowers and wildlife that you see. The satisfaction of finding the controls. I wish I was faster. I tried running across some of the bogs but it is exhausting. To tell the truth everything hurt on monday after all 3 days of this. Audun did really great too. He had some incredibly long courses: 5-6 km both days. I am amazed at how he is able to keep up with the others in his class.


My course on Sunday. You can see how wet it was and where I saw the moose.