2023 Nav-X Challenge @ Briones

Quick Info

• Date: Sunday 29 October

• Location: Bear Creek Staging Area, Briones Regional Park, Lafayette, CA

• Courses: 2h & 4h GPS Map Trek

• Results: 2h, 4h

Introduction

We are wrapping up the Nav-X Challenge 2023 season with an in-person event at Briones Regional Park on October 29. Briones Regional Park is a vast wild area with oak studded hills, tucked in between Martinez and Lafayette, west of Walnut Creek. Using a quality map specifically designed for navigation sports, course setter Gavin Wyatt-Mair will be treating us to a Map Trek adventure sure to please any navigation sports enthusiast, whether you are looking for a scenic 2-hour hike in the hills, or a 4-hour endurance race against some of the best in the West. This event is being held concurrently with the annual BAOC Scout-O event.

REGISTRATION

• Sign up for this course here.

• See who else is registered here.

• We are trying out a new registration system at Ultrasignup.com which will give us more visibility with the trail running community. Feel free to send us feedback on the new system to info@navxchallenge.com.

• Discounts for orienteering club members (BAOC/GCO/etc...), is $3 for adults (no member discount for juniors).  Choose the Club member registration button when registering.

• For family teams, it is required to have at least one adult (20 & over) and at least one child (12 & under).  Children 12 & under race free.  Children must be registered and accompanied by an adult.

• Additional fees to rent an e-punch ($5) and/or compass ($2).  Only one e-punch number or rental request is required per team.  On the registration page, please enter "0" for e-punch number if you are not the first person registering for your team.  No e-punch trade-ins allowed (ie. to get a higher punch count e-punch).

• Day of Event Registration is cash or check only.

• Refund policy: 100% refund up to 10 days before the event. Future race credit 1-9 days before the event. No refunds for no-show.

Schedule

PRICE

COURSES AND DIVISIONS

There will be two courses offered: 2hr Map Trek (Sport) and 4hr Map Trek (Endurance)

Participants can compete in the following divisions:

• Junior (19 & Under, 1-5 person teams)

• Open Female (20-49, 1-5 person teams, All-female)

• Open Male (20-49, 1-5 person teams, All-male)

• Open Mixed (20-49, 2-5 person teams, mixed Male-Female)

• Masters Female (50 and up, 1-5 person teams, All-female)

• Masters Male (50 and up, 1-5 person teams, All-male)

• Masters Mixed (50 and up, 2-5 person teams, mixed Male-Female)

• Family - Adults (20+) + children (12 & under)

Results from this event count toward the 2023 Series Championship.

EVENT LOCATION

Assembly and sign-in will be at the Bear Creek Staging Area on Bear Creek Road just north of Lafayette and Orinda, 1611 Bear Creek Rd, Lafayette, CA 94549

DIRECTIONS TO PARKING:

From San Francisco

• Take Bay Bridge then Highways 80, 580 and 24 toward Walnut Creek. To reach the Bear Creek Staging Area on Bear Creek Road, exit Highway 24 at the Orinda/Camino Pablo exit and head North toward Richmond. Turn right on Bear Creek Road and travel 5 miles to the staging area on the right.

From South Bay

• Take Highways 880, 980 and 24 toward Walnut Creek. To reach the Bear Creek Staging Area on Bear Creek Road, exit Highway 24 at the Orinda/Camino Pablo exit and head North toward Richmond. Turn right on Bear Creek Road and travel 5 miles to the staging area on the right.

From Marin

• Take Highways 580 East and 24 toward Walnut Creek. To reach the Bear Creek Staging Area on Bear Creek Road, exit Highway 24 at the Orinda/Camino Pablo exit and head North toward Richmond. Turn right on Bear Creek Road and travel 5 miles to the staging area on the right.

From North Bay

• Take highway 80 West (South), exit San Pablo Dam Rd, head South toward Orinda. Turn left on Bear Creek Road and travel 5 miles to the staging area on the right.

From Sacramento

• Take Highway 80 West, then 680 South and 24 West toward Oakland. To reach the Bear Creek Staging Area on Bear Creek Road, exit Highway 24 at the Orinda/Camino Pablo exit and head North toward Richmond. Turn right on Bear Creek Road and travel 5 miles to the staging area on the right.

EVENT INFORMATION

• BATHROOMS - There is one restroom at the picnic area.

• GEAR REQUIREMENT - you must carry the following on your course

  • Compass

  • Whistle for safety

• GEAR RECOMMENDATION - We also recommend participants bring the following:

  • Cleated shoes - you may be traversing steep slopes

  • Long pants and gaiters for the grasses and thistles

  • Snacks & Water

• TRASH - While on the course, practice Leave No Trace (LNT) - bring all trash back to the picnic area.

IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTES

• YOU ARE DOING THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK - WE TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY INJURIES OR DEATH. HAZARDS INCLUDE STEEP HILLS, LOOSE ROCKS, CLIFFS, OCCASIONAL DENSE AND SHARP BRUSH, POISON OAK, RATTLESNAKES. THE BIGGEST HAZARD IS PROBABLY IS HEAT EXHAUSTION AND DEHYDRATION SO DON’T FORGET TO BRING WATER.

• CELL COVERAGE - There is cell phone coverage at high points of the park (ridges) but not in the parking lots or anywhere along the entrance road in the park.

• WATER - Bring enough water for the duration of the event. A minimum of 2L is recommended for the 4-hr event. There is water in the picnic area. There is no potable water in any stream or pond on the course.

• FENCES - Do not try to climb over fences, ONLY go under. Leave any gates closed if they were closed when you approached them.

• FOOTING - There is rough uneven ground where cattle have grazed and the hot dry weather has caused cracks in the surface (this may change if it rains). The dead grass covers up the broken ground making the footing difficult.

COURSE NOTES

Welcome to Briones everyone! It’s nice out there. The rain has softened the ground nicely, and also tamped down the thistles and stickers. Footing is good, although it’s still wise to wear grippy shoes with studs, since Briones is quite steep. You will have fun – be sure to check out the views and the nature!

• Course: Touchless SIAC Air punching is enabled; first person at a control will have to insert to wake it up. There are around 50 controls (checkpoints) for you to find, in any order. Each checkpoint has a point value that is shown boldly on the map. Each control also has a code that is shown on the map, so you know you found the right checkpoint when you get there. The point values are what count towards your score. Checkpoints that are physically and/or navigationally hard are worth more points, whereas easier checkpoints are worth fewer points. Point values vary between 10 and 100.

• Route choices: Since the park is steep, you will be wise to read the contours on your map carefully and take account of the climb when estimating how far you can go and what route to take. There are many steep earth banks in the deeper reentrants that are too dangerous to cross. One such area is marked on your map with the word “dangerous”. It’s best if you don’t cross there – it would be very difficult to rescue you.

• Hazards: Poison oak is dormant and easily avoided. Never saw any ticks. Steep slopes covered in leaves can be slippery. If it rains, paths will be muddy and slippery, in which case it’s often better to travel off-trail. There are many 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 still fairly good, even though it is now over 20 years old. The biggest issue is that there are many mountain-bike trails, and very few are mapped. 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 probably is not on the map. In general, you may find 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 too, skunks, squirrels, cows, salamanders, and more. Occasionally you might see a horseback rider – please be courteous, be still, and let them pass safely.

• There is no drinking water provided on the course – please carry your own water, and don’t get dehydrated.

• We will have snacks available at the finish but not the usual full lunch options.

NEW TO MAP TREKKING OR ROGAINING?

Map Trekking is a “Navigation Sport” that has elements of a few other sports and activities like Trail Running, Fell Running (XC hill running), Hiking, Orienteering and GeoCaching. More specifically, Map Trekking is a time-based challenge, 2 hrs or more in length, where participants try to score as many points as possible within the time allowed, by visiting checkpoints scattered across a vast, wild landscape. Participants are free to decide which checkpoints to visit, and in what order. Typically, a set time is allowed before the start for participants to study the map, and determine their route. Participants travel on foot and navigate their chosen route using the map and a compass (No GPS allowed except for recording your track). A late finish comes with point penalties, adding another layer of challenge to the sport. Checkpoints vary in difficulty and the point value reflects the same, so that easy ones yield a lower point value than difficult ones. To encourage beginners, course setters typically provide plenty of easy checkpoints near the start and finish location.

Gavin Wyatt-Mair

Course Setter