Alum Cliffs View
By Melissa Robertson
This was our first Tasmanian Rogaine, having only done NSW Rogaines. I'd moved down in February and Jinni came down for the rogaine and some touristing. So we weren't really sure what to expect, especially the question and answer format and not having a checkpoint flag to look for.
The map was pretty decent sized when we got it, but we did what we always do, plot the entire thing and plan to cut in in a desperate sprint towards the end. It was a strong start with Jinni sprinting out of the hash house and me desperately trying to keep up while yelling out the turns. (Jinni was doing the Answer sheet & I was doing the nav). We got the hang of the Q&A pretty quickly and it actually really added to it, especially with the discussions about whether a car was red or orange, we settled on "Reddish Orange" or trying to read the number on an electricity box that was now behind a fence with Rogainers clinging to the outside discussing whether or not it's against the rules to use a phone to zoom in. We tried our best on that one, and took a photo in front of the fence as evidence.
I'd moved to Blackmans Bay so the rogaine also involved a lot of touristing and pointing out landmarks and good running trails (while running very fast). We definitely should have dropped a couple of the lower point controls early on, but we were optimistic about how far we'd get on the map. Our score was definitely due to running ability and not route choice.
Things started to get desperate around Blackmans Bay. With about 20 minutes to go from #95 (near the blowhole) I decided our best option was directly over Boronia Hill. So we hit #96, #76, #44 and back to the hash house, with just over a minute to go on the clock. It was a very very tough leg. But I stand by the decision. Even when I wanted to die on the way up the hill (Jinni was fine).
I'm looking forward to the next Rogaine.
Edit: Their route can be seen on the RT results page.