Gränsjakten 2 H55 (29.06.2013)

Too many mistakes today, several of them due to not being able to read the map properly. :-(

Why couldn't they have given us 1:7500 maps just like they did for H60 and up?

The area in front of the first control (including some unmapped boulders and dense forest) made it very natural to slide right, I recovered quickly but lost 10-15 sec.

OK to #2, maybe 5 sec lost to #3 due to bad direction out of #2. At this point I was leading the competition, keeping the lead until #12.

OK to #4 (first winning split time), then I was fastest to #5 as well even though I hesitated quite a bit inside the control circle.

Took the safe option via the high voltage power line junction to #6, lost a few seconds but that's OK.

OK to #7.

To #8 I had planned to run a diagonal over the yellow field across the road, but with horses grazing I had to run in the bush outside the fence, which probably cost me at least 30 sec.

Hesitated 10 sec going into #9.

OK to 10 & 11.

#12 (shallow reentrant) was obviously going to be difficult so I took the safest possible route choice via the power line corner and a compass bearing downhill. The GPS track shows that I missed it by a few meters, there was a 2-3 m layer of (unmapped) dense vegetation between me and the flag. I recovered when I saw both the power line and the road, but this mistake cost me a full minute and I lost the lead to Sten G who won today.

#13 was also hard to spot, another 10 sec hesitation here.

OK to 14.

#15 is where I really couldn't read the map, zooming in on my PC screen it is obvious that either going straight up the hill after passing the field, taking the control from the left, or completing what I started on by following the paths all the way around #16 would have saved me around 45 sec. It wasn't until just before I got to the control that I managed to see the line of brown dots (dry ditch) on the map which was the actual control placement!

Going towards #16 I left the path a little bit too late, costing another 10 sec, but then I managed (relatively) better speed to the last control and finish, ending up 1:16 down which probably means that I'll start first tomorrow on the chasing start, with Sten G being a minute behind and Sixten W following next.