Event Schedule

Saturday 03 March 2012

08:30  Check-in and packet pickup open, Fort Ord Day Site

09:00  Maps are available for route planning, all divisions

09:40  Briefing and instructions

10:00  Start, all divisions, foot and bike

11:45  Food service begins

12:00  Finish, 2 hour divisions

12:30  2 hour teams not finished are disqualified

12:40  Awards, 2 hour divisions

14:00  Finish, 4 hour divisions

14:30  4 hour teams not finished are disqualified

14:40  Awards, 4 hour divisions

15:00  Food service ends

18:04  Sunset

Our Sponsors!!

This event has been made possible by the following businesses and organizations. We are delighted to offer a sampling of their products as prizes for this event. Please patronize their offerings and services, and contribute to their programs:

• Event description
  • Cellphone scoring
• Staff
• Terrain
• Hazards
• Safety
• The map
• Course specifics
  • Aid
  • Water stations

• Classes and categories
• Scoring and awards
• Weather and clothing
• Directions
• Rules
  • Allowed equipment
  • Required equipment
• Suggested equipment

1. Event description

Get Lost!! in Fort Ord is a rogaine. About 30 checkpoints scattered over the entire Fort Ord Public Lands will be circled on a map and marked on the ground by orange and white orienteering markers. Each location will have a scannable barcode and a letter code. You will record checkpoint visits by either scanning the barcode with your smartphone, or sending us a text message with the letter code (a simple cell phone will work with this option).

Each checkpoint has a point value, which is equal to the checkpoint number rounded down to the tens. For example, Checkpoint 68 would be worth 60 points. The objective is to score as many points as you can within the time limit by visiting checkpoints along your planned route. There are point penalties for returning late. Maps are issued well before the start, so that teams have time to plan their route.

2. Event staff

Administrative Director: Vladimir Gusiatnikov

Course Designer:         Dennis Wilkinson

Cartographer:            Vladimir Gusiatnikov

Safety Coordinator:      Alex Finch

Communications Chief:    TBA

Emergency Medical:       West Coast EMS

Food Chief:              Lani Schreibstein

3. The terrain

The terrain of Fort Ord Public Lands is 28.6 square kilometers of gently rolling foothills. The total trail mileage is 86 miles (138 km), and the types of trails include wide paved roads, fireroads, and twisty, technical singletrack. All trails are open to bike use (and to foot use). About half of the area is forested, the rest is grassland and chaparral.

A significant portion of the open hillsides in the southern part of the area harbors an endangered species, Smith's blue butterfly.

4. Potential hazards

The main hazard is unexploded ordnance. Although BLM staff are very confident there is none on the official trails, findings of it are regularly reported off trail. Do not enter trails that are posted closed. Do not approach anything on the ground that looks manmade, and follow the rest of this guide.

Poison oak is present. This plant produces an oil which may cause a delayed skin irritation reaction. Know what it looks like, avoid contact, and treat exposed skin areas with a product such as Zanfel Poison Ivy Wash. By staying on trail, you won't encounter continuous, extended areas of poison oak, but there is plenty of it along trail edges, mostly below knee height.

Rattlesnakes may be present if it's warm. They aren't aggressive, but don't want to be bothered.

There is a small chance of hypothermia at this time of the year. The chance of heat-related problems is exceedingly small.

5. Participant safety

Participants will be responsible for their own safety while taking part. Of course, event staff will try to help you if we learn that you are seriously injured or otherwise need assistance, but there is a good chance you would be waiting a long time for help, and we don't have the level of staffing or expertise necessary to quickly and expertly handle many emergency situations that might arise, so your best bet is to be very careful not to get injured. If you are not comfortable assuming the risks involved in prolonged exertion while traveling through rugged terrain under various and possibly unexpected conditions, then you should not take part in the event.

Each person will be required to sign a liability waiver when registering online or upon checking in for the event. A parent or guardian must sign for a minor.

The organizers are not in a position to review each participant's preparedness to participate and will not do so. However, if it comes to the organizers' attention that a person or a team is poorly prepared for the event, the organizers may deny entry to that person or team in the interest of the safety of all the participants and staff of the event.

The team aspect of the event is perhaps the best safety instrument. Team members must stay together within unaided voice distance, and must approach checkpoints at the same time. Not staying together will yield disqualification. If you would like additional reassurance, team up with a friend.

There is cell phone coverage by AT&T and Verizon, quite reliable on ridgetops, less so at the start/finish/parking. Participants are required to carry cell phones in order to be able to score checkpoint visits. If there is an emergency, call 911 and also notify the organizers. At least one of our cell phones will be reachable; this number will be on the front of the competition map.

If a team has indicated an emergency, it is the duty of all other teams who are nearby and hear the distress signal to help the team or participant in distress.

We are required to have a licensed EMT on site, and there is a possibility there will be additional medical help. The emergency responder station is at the edge of the event area, and the Public Lands are close to the city of Monterey which has advanced medical facilities.

Each team will be required to fill out an intention sheet, which is a copy of the competition map, with their intended route. The actual route taken does not have to exactly match the intended route. Intention sheets are due at the briefing 15 minutes before the start.

We will provide water on the course. However, to be on the safe side, individuals and teams who participate in the 4 hour event should carry enough water to sustain them for three hours.

The safety bearing is east to California Highway 68 and Reservation Road; this will be noted on the competition maps. If you are using the safety bearing, please do still stay on open trails!

We have a safety, emergency/accident response, communications, and search/rescue plan you may peruse. Information on this webpage supercedes the Safety Plan, where contradictory. If you have any questions about information in this section, please contact our Safety Coordinator.

6. The competition map

The map will be 1:25,000 with 10 m contours. We will offer high-legibility printing. The whole area will be on a single map sheet. We do not feel that waterproof paper is needed for this event. We will provide plastic map cases of appropriate thickness.

Trail widths and their suitability for riding will be shown according to the specifications of the International Orienteering Federation for mountain-bike maps. You will be able to estimate in advance how fast a given trail is using information on the map. Of course, this is largely irrelevant for foot participants and teams, but makes a large difference for bikers.

The source of elevation data for this map is Monterey County lidar survey. The USGS processed this data into a digital elevation model, from which we derived elevation contours. Trail configuration is from GPS data.

The symbols we use on this map are largely the same as those we used on last year's Henry Coe map. Maps will be printed to magnetic north, and will have a UTM grid (no indication of true north).

A. CONTOURS: The contours are the most reliable and consistent component of the map. The quality of the contour base is uniform throughout the map, and the absolute accuracy is better than ±10 m lateral, ±2 m vertical. The contours are unaltered by field survey, which could only make them worse.

B. TRAILS: All trails are from GPS data; a number of cycling enthusiasts rode the Fort Ord trails and made their tracks available for download. We assigned trail grades using high-resolution aerial photos and survey in the terrain by the course designer. Closed trails are shown on your maps, and have purple X's (which mean DO NOT ENTER) across them.

C. VEGETATION: Passability will not be shown. Open vs. forest may or may not be shown. If the open areas are indeed shown, their boundaries will be from high-resolution aerial photos.

D. STREAMS: The streams are from USGS 7.5' quad data.

E. ROCK AND FENCES: Neither are shown. There are some cliffs that you can see from trails, but not many in this terrain.

7. Course specifics

There will be about 30 checkpoints, totaling 1000 points. The optimum distance to get them all will be between 65 and 70 km along the actual trails. Climb on this route will be below 3% of the distance traveled. We hope that nobody is able to get all checkpoints, but if really strong mountain bike riders show up this may not be true.

The number of points awarded for visiting a checkpoint is the first digit of the checkpoint's code, times 10; for example, Checkpoint 68 is worth 60 points. The penalty for being late is 10 points per minute, or fraction thereof. Teams finishing more than 30 minutes after the deadline will be disqualified and will get a score of 0.

Most locations are technically very easy; this event puts emphasis on careful route planning, including into account the relative speed along various trails, and on endurance, rather than on navigational prowess. We will assign values to checkpoints so as to maximize the planning challenge.

All checkpoint locations will have been verified with GPS.

All team members must approach each checkpoint within 60 seconds (first to last) in order to claim credit for the checkpoint.

8. Classes and categories

There will be four event divisions, the 4 hour bike, the 4 hour foot, the 2 hour bike, and the 2 hour foot. Solo competitors and teams are allowed in each of these divisions. The maximum team size is 5 members. A team that has a member born after 1998 must also have a member born in 1994 or earlier.

There will be the following gender classes:

• Men;
• Mixed; and
• Women.

A mixed team is one that has members of both genders.

There will be the following age categories:

• Open;
• Juniors (each team member born in 1992 or later);
• Masters (each team member born in 1972 or earlier); and
• Supervets (each team member born in 1957 or earlier).

Every team is eligible for awards in the Open category. Some teams may fall into multiple age categories. In this case the team is eligible for awards in all categories in which they meet the criteria.

Logical combinations of the above classifications will constitute awardable categories, for example, "4 hour bike Supervet Women" or "2 hour foot Junior Mixed". Categories with few teams will not be consolidated for the purposes of awards.

9. Scoring, results, and awards

All teammates must stay within unaided voice distance and all must approach a checkpoint in order to claim credit, within 60 seconds (first to last). If one team member is unable to continue, the whole team must report to the start/finish. A new team may be formed and it may then go on the course, but it will be unable to claim credit for checkpoints already visited.

The number of points awarded for visiting a checkpoint is the first digit of the checkpoint's code, times 10; for example, Checkpoint 68 is worth 60 points. The penalty for being late is 10 points per minute, or fraction thereof. Teams finishing more than 30 minutes after the deadline will be disqualified and will get a score of 0.

Teams will be ranked within their division, age, and gender categories according to their total score. Among teams with identical scores, the earliest finishing team will be ranked highest. Teams that are disqualified or do not finish do not get a place.

(Every team that finishes within 30 minutes of the time limit, and does not break certain rules, gets a score. You don't have to stay out for the full 2 or 4 hours! You can finish earlier if you feel like it.)

Upon finishing, team scores will be available near-instantly. Each team will receive a copy of their score sheet that will contain checkpoint-by-checkpoint split times, the total straight-line distance traveled, and the approximate climb.

Top teams in all divisions, classes will get prizes from our sponsors. Event results, splits, and RouteGadget will be promptly made available online.

10. Weather and recommended clothing

"Late winter" in coastal California can assume a range of shapes. Sustained rain is possible, as is sustained sunshine. It cannot be too cold; the recorded lows in Monterey area never dropped below freezing. And it will most certainly not be in the 80s (above +27 °C). The average high is +16 °C (60 °F) and the average low, +7 °C (45 °F). Layers are strongly advised—you don't want your awesome adventure cut short because of being underprepared.

The Day Site has a shelter, and we will have tents erected, but there are no heated indoor facilities.

11. The rules

Although they don't explicitly cover bikes, Orienteering USA Rules for Rogaine Competition and the International Rogaining Federation Rules of Rogaining will be in effect, supplemented by this information. When there is a conflict between the two sets of Rules, U.S. Rules take precedence.

Here are a few rules highlights:

1. Team members must stay together (within unaided verbal contact) the whole time they are on the course (Orienteering USA Rule 5.5).
2. All team members must go to each checkpoint visited by the team (IRF Rule B16).
3. All participants are required to respond to a distress signal and to assist a participant who is injured and needs assistance (Orienteering USA Rule 10.2).
4. All participants are responsible for their own safety while they participate, and participants should make themselves aware of the hazards associated with the weather, rugged terrain, health risks of extreme exertion, equipment malfunction, and remoteness from emergency assistance.
5. Except in case of emergency, all participants must check in with event staff before leaving the area; in case of emergency, an evacuated participant or her/his team members should notify event staff of the situation as soon as possible after attending to the emergency.
6. Points will be deducted from the scores of late returning teams, and teams finishing more than 30 minutes late will receive a score of zero (Orienteering USA Rule 9.1).
7. A team may be disqualified for infringing these rules (Orienteering USA Rule 8.1).
8. Solo participants are allowed in all divisions (exception to Orienteering USA Rule 3.1 and IRF Rule B1).
9. GPS devices and altimeters (such as GPS tracking watches) may be carried on the course (to allow tracking analysis afterward) but not used for navigation by teams. If carried, any such devices that have a display must be presented to race officals to be sealed (after tracking is activated, if desired) before the start. Without going into the details of the sealing method, we can say that participants with GPS watches and altimeters should plan to carry them, not wear them. This is an exception to Orienteering USA Rule 5.2 and IRF Rule B7.

   Most cellphones nowdays have GPS on them. We will rely on your honor not to use it to aid your navigation. Remember, the challenge of this event is not as much in precise navigation as it is in careful route choice that optimizes your score.

10. It will not be allowed to have equipment caches arranged for you on the course. Carry all you may need, including spare inner tubes. (Orienteering USA Rule 5.8 and IRF Rule B13.) You are also not allowed to discard trash or unwanted equipment, except into trash bags at the water stations.
11. Off-trail travel is not allowed. Any participants or teams seen traveling off trail, or entering closed trails, will be disqualified.
12. Please observe trail etiquette. Cyclists, yield to foot travelers; both, yield to equestrians. Friendly, respectful interaction with other trail users is key to our future ability to use Fort Ord Public Lands.

12. Suggested equipment

Each team should have a compass, food/energy snacks, a first aid kit, and a space blanket. Salt tablets are advised for 4 hour division participants. For bike division participants, we suggest bike map holders such as this one.

Just wanted to say thank you guys for such a fun event. It was a great navigation exercise and an awesome workout. I have also never been at an event with such great food! I don't even eat that well at home!

—Stephanie, Team Racing With Giants

We have a soft limit of about 100 participants, dictated primarily by the size of the parking at Fort Ord Public Lands Day Site. If you pack your car with fellow adventurers, we can accept more.

We will offer tech shirts with this design to the first 50 individuals and teams who enter. All food during and after the event is included in the registration price.

Pre-registration is open. Team members may enter together (be entered by the same person), or separately. If you would like to go with a team, but don't know your teammates' names yet, you can enter yourself and other members can join the team at a later time.

4. Cellphone scoring

Cellphone scoring will be offered for this event. There are two possible ways to score. Attached to each checkpoint flag is a label with the checkpoint number, a letter code, and a QR code. To score with QR codes, you need an app for QR recognition that can send out text messages; one such free app is offered by i-nigma. You should download and install it on your phone before the event—data coverage at the start/finish is spotty, but voice and texts seem to go through well. When at checkpoint, simply scan the code with your phone; you will receive a confirmation message as shown below. Prior to start, you will need to register your phone by scanning a QR code that comes in your registration package.

A smartphone is not required to score with letter codes, and here's a short tutorial for scoring with simple text messages. The confirmation message looks the same for those scoring with texts and with QR codes, but otherwise QR users don't need to use any of the commands explained in the tutorial—scan and go on your way!

Our receiving phone number is +1 503 567 8924. (It spells out LOST X24. Hope you aren't.)

Start with registering your team's cell phone number. You can send us answers from more than one cell phone. We don't pull the phone number information from your registration, so this step must be done for at least one phone. From this phone, send us a text message that says T followed by your team number. You will find out your team number at check-in, or if you would like to complete this step early, email us and we'll let you know your team number. For example, if your team number is 142, text

T 142

You will receive a short confirmatory message. It may take a few seconds for the system to issue a confirmation to each of your commands and answers, sometimes up to about half a minute, more if your phone moves in and out of coverage.

After you have registered your team number, you're clear to head out on the course! And here's how you score checkpoints: Just send us the checkpoint number and the letter code, in this order or code first, with or without a space; the answer (as all commands) is case-insensitive. For example, if the letter code at Checkpoint 35 is P, text

35 P

—or—

35P

—or—

p35

For each answer, you get a short confirmatory message.

You can find out how many checkpoints you have visited, and how many points they are worth, by texting S?.

The full command set is

R?  S?  T/T?  U

We already went over most of those. The remaining commands are: R? tells you how long your team has been on the course; T? replies with your team number on record; and U is used to unsubsribe the phone number.

The system is currently on Eastern time. We may or may not be able to fix that before the event. Finally, if you encounter an error message, please let us know after the event.

Please do not send praise, comments, blame, bug reports, missing checkpoint notes, or status updates to this number—they are all quite welcome, but use +1 971 998 0321 instead. They will all be read and acted upon.