Last of the year (31.12.2017)

So, I had to do a long run and wanted to explore the French Creek East map to see what state the vegetation was in. I'm ecstatic; it was beautiful out there. The area of the 2012 fire outlined in pink thanks to Ed Scott's fieldwork is mostly unusable (80-90% of the area). But some parts are crossable, not fun, but crossable. Based on this long run, I'd say 80-90% of FCE is beautiful forest, as nice as French Creek North if not better. The problem is the invasive wineberry that has taken hold in the burn area. #2 was the wake-up call to how difficult that north slope would be. I crossed the trail and power line, entered the forest, and quickly entered into what my friend Luis calls the "fourth-dimension of orienteering." I was on a rocky, snow-covered hillside with no reliable features for relocation. This is where French Creek is technical, not in extremely detailed areas with micro-contours, but on sweeping hillsides which appear to be almost exactly the same everywhere. #2 reminded me how much respect I would need for # 8, 9, 10, 11. I wasn't able to run fast today, too much snow. But with what I saw of the forest, it's calling for a long, hard effort in warmer months.