Almaden Quicksilver O’ Quest Event Director's Notes

San Jose
Oct. 26-27, 2002

Welcome to Quicksilver O Quest. This is the first time that the Bay Area Orienteering Club has had an event at Almaden Quicksilver County Park, which was originally known as the most profitable mine in California’s history. During your runs you may see remnants of the old mining operations and probably be thinking to yourselves, "man, those miners must have been some pretty tough fellas."

The courses have been designed and set by Craig Murray and Kent Ohlund. They have collaborated on the terrain and each other’s courses to give you a unique experience each day. Please review their course setter's notes included in your packet.

Safety First:

• The first aid station is located near parking and registration. We will have walkie- talkies at the starts and finish. The rangers have requested a safety report of any injury more serious than a sprain. The first aid station will have ice and directions and phone numbers of the nearest hospitals.
• Take precautions for poison oak. It is prevalent on the advanced courses and on the sides of trails and roads. At this time of year it can be in many phases including green leaf, red leaf and bare branch depending on the area. Full body covering is recommended. Tecnu is used to wash with by many BAOC regulars after their runs and can be purchased at a drug store such as Longs or Payless as well as REI.
• Please stay out of the purple out of bounds areas. These areas include hazards and sensitive plants. The main hazards are mine shafts and Hanta Virus in the ruins.
• Check yourself for ticks and be aware of the symptoms of Lyme disease.
• Be considerate of equestrians on the trail. Horses have the right of way in this park. Slow walk or stop if you are near an equestrian until they pass.
• Watch out for mountain bikes. This park is very popular with mountain bikes and they are limited to the main dirt roads in the park.
• You must carry a whistle on your course to use for emergencies. 3 short blasts of the whistle are common for summoning help.

Courses, Classes, and Awards:

• Course format is standard classic distance both days.
• 7 courses and 43 USOF Classes for the A meet.
• On Saturday, the A meet competitive and recreational courses are the same for white, yellow and orange.
• On Sunday, competitive and recreational courses are different for white, yellow and orange.
• Medals will be awarded to the top 3 finishers in each class for the A meet. The times for Saturday and Sunday will be combined to determine the winners and competitors must complete both days to be eligible for medals.
• The awards ceremony will begin at soon as possible after 2:00 pm, Sunday, near the registration area.
• There are no awards for recreational competitors.

Cool Stuff:

• The top 3 males (M21+) and females (F21+) will also be awarded orienteering pins and patches courtesy of Scarborough Orienteering.
• The top male (M21+) and female (F21+) competitors from Saturday will have their dinner refunded if they attend the dinner and provide a course review.
• The mining museum is down the street from registration and parking. Check it out if you have time after your run.

Important Stuff regarding logistics:

• Check your start times on the Web Page or in your packet and try to arrive early enough to catch a shuttle and then walk to the start location per the instructions in the course setters notes. There is no parking at the remote starts and you must take a shuttle.
• On Saturday, Blue and Red runners must only take the Blue/ Red Shuttle. Green and Brown runners most only take the Green / Brown shuttle.
• If you miss your start time, we have spaces allocated to give you a new start time.
• On Sunday, remote starts are the same for all courses and you may take any shuttle. However, there are fewer spaces allocated for adjustments to your start times. Use Saturday as a baseline to judge how early you should arrive.
• Competitive orange and recreational orange runners will also be on the shuttles on Sunday. Intimidating recreational orange runners with horror stories on the shuttle is discouraged.
• Courses close officially at 3:30 on Saturday and 3:00 on Sunday. This may be adjusted if our scheduled late starters change their start times or finish sooner than 3 hours.
• You must check in at the finish or down load station even if you do not complete your course. We will be forced to organize a search if you do not check in.
• On Saturday, there is a 2 KM walk from the finish back to the parking area.

Other Stuff:

• Please see the instructions for parking included in your packet.
• There are portable toilets near parking but there are no toilets at the advanced starts.
• There are flush toilets and sinks at the Mockingbird Hill entrance about 3 miles north of the Hacienda entrance. Take a left on Mockingbird Hill Lane at the intersection with Almaden Road and McKean Road.
• I don’t have a volunteer for clothing return and this will most likely take place after the starts are completed and taken down. You may want to write your name on any items you leave at the starts.
• All A meet courses require the use of an E-punch. If you are unfamiliar with the operation, clearing and checking of e-punches, please ask someone at the starts before you begin your course. Your E-punch time, not your assigned start time will be used to compute results.

Directions to the event

• From the North (85 or 280), Take Almaden Expressway to Old Almaden Road and follow signs to the Hacienda entry of Almaden Park.
• From 101 (north or south) take Bernal and head West. Take the Monterey Highway south to Bailey. Take Bailey to its end and go right on McKean (north). At a three-way stop with Harry Road, go west (left) to Old Almaden road. Follow orienteering signs and proceed south on Old Almaden road about 2.6 miles to the Hacienda Entry.
• From the Headquarters Hotel, the fastest route is Bernal west to Santa Teresa Blvd south. Then go west on Bailey until it ends. Take a right on McKean (north). At a three- way stop with Harry Road, go west (left) to Old Almaden road. Then follow signs to Parking to the Hacienda Entry.

Directions to the dinner on Saturday, 6:00 pm

• Saturday Dinner will be held at the South Side Community Center
  5585 Cottle Road
  San Jose, CA
  (408) 629-3336
  
• From the Headquarters hotel, take a right out of the driveway and a left on either Martinvale or Great Oaks Blvd. until Santa Teresa Blvd.
  Take a right (north) on Santa Teresa Blvd, and follow it until Cottle road.
  Take a right (north) on Cottle and continue to a stoplight on Poughkeepsie Drive (which is near the IBM main entrance).
  Go left on Poughkeepsie and turn right into the South Side Community Center Parking lot.
  The South Side community Center is on the NW corner of Cottle and Poughkeepsie.
• From 85 exit Cottle and go north to Poughkeepsie. See above.
• From 101 take Blossom Hill east and exit Cottle south. Turn right into the south side Community center parking lot before the light at Pougkeepsie.

Directions for showers

• The South Valley Family YMCA at 5632 Santa Teresa Blvd., (close to Blossom Hill) is not far from Almaden Quicksilver Park if you need a place to clean up before the Saturday night dinner or before a long drive home.
  For $5, you can use their facilities.
  Hours are 7am - 8pm Saturdays and 10am - 6pm Sundays

Officials:

Event Director: Kelly Wells
BAOC President: Abby Wolfe
Course Setters: Craig Murray and Kent Ohlund
Map director: Bob Cooley
Vetters: Bob Cooley, Kelly Wells, Craig Murray, Kent Ohlund
Mentor / Consultant: Evan Custer
Registrar: Steve Beuerman
Recreational registration: Ev and Jean Beuerman
Beginner Clinics: Scott Aster
Finish Chief: Van Boughner
E-Punch Chief: Robert Lewis
Signage and Equipment: Mark Blair
T-shirt design: Penny DeMoss
First Aid Chief: Joan Roos
Search and Rescue Chief: Bill Straka
Saturday Night Dinner Chief: Olivia Graeve
‘Showers at the Y’ Chief: Nancy Lindeman
Jury Chief: Joe Scarborough
Control Pickup Chiefs: Harold and Penny DeMoss
Recreational results chief: Rosemary Johnson
Permit: Alan LaVergne
Senior Ranger Almaden Quicksilver and Calero Parks: Bill Burr
Ranger on duty: Paula Burgmeier