Harvester 2025 and JOK chasing sprint

[King Penguin]

Why doesn't / shouldn't it work ? Tio Mila & Jukola are massive.
I would really like to see it continue (although I was not able to attend this year).

[maprun]

Why doesn't / shouldn't it work ? Tio Mila & Jukola are massive.
I would really like to see it continue...

I'm glad to say this year's worked, and had that unique Harvester tension, of not wanting to let down the team, some of whom had volunteered to run a night leg.

A couple of suggestions: Slightly under planned should be the target. Smaller areas with two or three loops on each leg would give a more intense atmosphere and a busier forest.

[SeanC]

A small area could work to give a more intense competition with multiple loops, I agree. But I'm struggling to think of such a place in Kent as it would need a lot of control features. One of the good things about Kings Wood is that it's so big a planner can plan fairly original courses. Even though I must have been there 20 times, most of the legs and control sites seemed unfamiliar as they were different angles of approach than before.

Possibly Ightham? It does have a camp site, but the bracken will be high now (echoing other's comments about the problem holding this event in June), and there is a main road down the middle. You wouldn't want timed out legs in a relay. Eridge would be/was perfect, but the land use fees are too high for the Harvester.

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned reflective tape since there was a lot of chat here about its use earlier in the year. I think it would have helped to have some for the point controls in less obvious features far off the main tracks, so you would be less likely to run by at night because of some unlucky high vegetation. Though I'm not a fan of reflective tape for controls in general.

[graeme]

Slightly under planned should be the target.

Underplanned is a bad idea, you end up sending people who didn't sign up for a night leg out in the dark.

Smaller area is a better idea: a busy forest at night is part of the attraction of Tio/Jukola, and makes it doable for people who aren't hard core orienteers.