2025 Ultimate Orienteer #7 (Marmot O’ Cup Day 1) – Moses Lake (Middle)

COURSE NOTES

Welcome to Moses Lake Sand Dunes! We haven’t used this area in quite a few years, so it will likely be new to many of you. Although small (around 1.5 km²), its easy-to-run terrain, detailed sand dunes, and very limited trails make it a lovely orienteering area. Although it is physically not too difficult, you will probably find the navigation more tricky than you are used to in Winter League. It is a challenge to be able to navigate as fast as you can run here.

Terrain: This is open sand dune terrain with very few trees, although in most places there is light ground cover that makes the footing plenty firm. Occasional steeper areas can be sandy and trickier to get up and down. The ground cover is easy to run through, but has small barbs on it, so full leg cover is strongly recommended. There are no boulders or cliffs. Low areas have marshes and sometimes thick vegetation. The vegetation is generally not shown over the water/marsh symbol, so what looks like bushes from a distance may be mapped as a marsh or lake instead. Single trees and small bushes are not mapped. You will want to be always paying attention to the contour features, and knowing where you are; otherwise it can be easy to get quite confused. Although there are no extremely large hills, you will be going up and down the smaller dunes much of the time. Note that the contour interval is 2.5m instead of the more usual 5m. The few trails marked as intermittent (double dash) may be difficult to see or follow in places. You may see some game trails or very old trails that are not mapped; they don’t tend to run very far without fading away again.

Water Level: The water level here can change significantly, so it may not exactly match what is mapped. I have set the courses so they should be easily run regardless of the water level.

Start: There will be a run-out start. You will punch the start box to begin your timing, then run along the path to the trail bend, where there will be a control marker where the start triangle is on your map and where you begin navigating. There will not be a punch box at the start triangle.

Finish: After punching the finish, cross the fence and walk to the road, then north on the road back to the parking lot. Download at the parking lot. Do not forget to download, so we know that you have finished!

Map Flip: All courses except Beginner will have a map flip. Once you get to the last control on the front side of the map, flip it over and continue on the back side. We will check that you punched all controls in order, so looking ahead to the other side is unlikely to really help you, although it is not forbidden.

Heat: It can be hot in June, so plan ahead and don’t get dehydrated. There will be one water control on Short Advanced, Medium Advanced, and Long Advanced.

Road: There is a north-south road running through the entire area. Beginner and Intermediate will not need to cross the road; other courses will. Although traffic is very sparse, they do tend to drive fast so be alert. You will never be more than 300m from the road, so it is an excellent place to relocate if you get lost. If you want to quit or are injured, go to the road, then walk north back to the parking lot.

Fences: There are two fences roughly parallel to the road on both sides. Beginner and Intermediate will not need to cross the fences; other courses will. The east fence is not barbed and it is easy to cross over or slip between the wires. The west fence is barbed. If you are tall, you may be able to step over the top wire carefully. Otherwise, it is best to find a high spot and slip under the bottom wire on your back (take off any backpack first). Do not damage the fences.