freakiest orienteering experience.

[Guest]

I ran the SYO event at Sandall Beat. It was really nice running in the sunlit wood - strangely enough there was a hurdy gurdy playing. At first thought I was hearing things but then found there was a fair in the middle of the woods. Not being the biggest woods in the world you could hear it everywhere. A very odd experience.

so what other odd things have people come across at events?

[DesignatedDriver]

i ran past a couple "making love" (and i use that term loosely for what they were doing!) on a training run with Allan Bogle.

then of course there is the story from a night champs back home, about 15 years ago. doing a short course so me and Brian Bogle (Allan's older brother) were first back, and decided we would run into the forest without torches lit, and scare some runners. Ran out of the finish into the path in the forest, saw a crowd of eyes coming towards us out of the dark, so we turned on our torches and yelled "Woooooooooo!" at the top of our voices. What did we get in return?

"MMOOOOOOOO!!"

suffice to saw we both dropped the Cosby kids off at the pool and drew a hasty retreat!

[Pingu]

Running in Sutton park I very nearly tripped over a random naked guy lying face down on a veg. boundary in the woods - I proceeded to leg it as fast as I could away from the area, but think he was asleap. Scared the life out of me

[harry]

on a training run with Allan Bogle.

your such a name dropper!

[m4rk]

in sherwood pines (i think) i saw a guy on a moterbike not on a track or path or anything,in thick forest, just sitting there totally still not moving or anything...it was proper creepy; he didnt look like he was dead ie he was sitting up...but it just seemed like a totally random thing to be doing,i wonder if anyone else saw him?

[Anne]

At one SCOA training session in Shotover wood, we came across a group of people dressed in medieval clothes and carrying swords, acting out battle scenes...(I think the group's called the Sealed Knot). It was quite unnerving having to jump over a man in costume who was lying on a path next to a fake sword pretending to be dead...

[Meat Market]

Once when I was walking the dog in the forest I saw some girl in bright green pyjamas getting chased by an older man sweating profusely in similar bright orange pyjamas and a head band. Both of them had a strange red thing on their fingers, I think it was some sort of way of tagging them...

[Babybel]

At one squad wknd while out on an exercise I came across a family of hippies who all seemed to be meditating,I think my crashing through brambles may have disturbed their karma. . .

[Lizi Beee]

at halden last year, i was on an exercise, i think we were doin a little race, cos i think rach n stef were there too but there were guys in camouflage with big guns walkin down the ridge... twas well scary... just legged it away as fast as poss!

[CHS]

I think the hurdy gursy was something to do with the sponsered walk which was happening that afternoon- why the starts were early at Sandal Beat.

[DesignatedDriver]

on a training run with Allan Bogle.

your such a name dropper!

did you not like the fact i also name dropped his brother?

and is that you implying that Allan is a name which can be dropped?

[Haze]

at the scottish 6days on the glen feardar day i ran across an old lady ( possibly swede?) doin the loo on my course. scarred 4 life!

[Babybel]

jobby,i had forgotten about those guys with guns,they were proper machine guns or something too. . .made me run even faster despite the fact I was already chasin u liz.

[Bloody technology]

Being saddened to read about the death of a fellow youngish orienteer

then six months later

meeting the orienteer at control five in a dark dank wood

Apparently it was another orienteer with the same name who had died

(nameless as don't want to start the rumours all over again)

[Copepod]

Not fun discovering a car with a hose pipe leading from exhaust pipe into the boot and man who had obviously been dead for hours, when we arrived to set up the run/swim transistion at Brown Howe car park, SW side of Coniston on at 7am on Sunday at Open 24 event in late July 05. Even worse day for his family and friends. Moved transition point up the lake a few metres and had to carry all boxes over a locked gate, with lots of climbing in wet suit boots up / down a stone wall, which was an interesting challenge.