Permission for use of the Mt. Misery conservation land and for parking fell into place just in time for the NEOC Times. During course planning, repeated visits to the area gradually revealed that the traditional start area was unusable, being cut off from the main conservation land where the road is inundated by 6 inches of water for a considerable distance. As a result, the start and finish were 700m from the parking and registration. The remaining area was just enough to keep the Orange course fun, with the added advantage of the woods being nicely runnable this time of year.

Dozens of newcomers inquired by email and by telephone in the weeks leading to the event. But when the weather forecast switched on Thursday from mostly sunny to mostly sleety, planning switched gears in order to accomodate a smaller crowd without getting soaked. When the day came, there was a good turnout, with a line at registration as the event got underway. The drizzle tapered off and participants got only a little damp, while the event workers appreciated being out of the wind in a van at registration and in a tent at the start/finish.

The String-O map was ready, and when a parent surprised me by asking about it, I and my son Philip laid out the route and sticker controls. The meadow was even wetter than when I had set the plans, soggy right on the trail, though in line with the weather. Two groups went out on the String-O. One pair of little girls returned and proudly showed me their control cards. Noticing that all of the stickers were in place I asked, "Did you go to all of those wet places?" They smiled and said "We did!" A group of cadets from BU ROTC attended, participing at various levels. They are very interested in future orienteering events.

My thanks to the helpers. They deserve credit for making everything go smoothly.