| Wiping her rain-drenched face, Paula Whipple of Corvallis,
Oregon, smiles as she checks her watch and verifies her time
on today’s course. Rain drums steadily down on the metal roof
of the picnic shelter, and mud squeegees from Whipple’s
running shoes with each step. She’s just finished the most
difficult course in today’s orienteering meet at McIver Park
in Estacada, Oregon. Like runners in road races, Whipple is
lean and fit. But her passion is actually not running; it’s
finding her way along an unknown path using only a map and
compass while the clock keeps ticking.
Whipple isn’t alone. The sport of orienteering is growing
rapidly across the United States. Clubs are springing up all
across the country. And although orienteering may be a sport
you haven’t heard about, it’s been around for a long time.
“The Norwegians used orienteering as part of their training
for World War II,” says Jeff Watson, Whipple’s husband and an
avid orienteering enthusiast. “After the war, people turned it
into a sport for all seasons.”
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| Once a marker is
located, the orienteer punches a card and must
navigate a route to the next control marker on the
course. | Meets are held throughout the
year and can involve cross-country skiing or snowshoeing in
winter and mountain biking and horseback riding in summer, as
well as more traditional running or hiking events. Some meets,
called Trail-O’s, are designed for wheelchair participants. A
number of the meets, like the one in McIver Park, use level,
wheelchair accessible trails for their beginner courses,
allowing able bodied and disabled participants to travel the
course together.
What Is Orienteering?
The whole object is to find your way along the course in
the shortest possible time. That means learning how to read a
compass and translate compass bearings to a map as you move
from point to point over a pre-set course. It’s easy to learn,
but different routes with increasing levels of difficulty keep
meets challenging even for advanced orienteers.
Each route has a series of control markers. When a person
gets to the marker, he or she must punch a card to verify they
found the control. Routes are different for beginner,
intermediate and advanced participants. The first person to
finish their designated course, by time, wins.
“It was a hard one today,” agrees Watson looking at his map
and pointing. “I went on an Easter egg hunt here for a few
minutes before I found the way.”
Mal Harding, president of the Columbia River Orienteering
Club in Portland is a master course designer, and advanced
runners appreciate the challenges he incorporates into his
routes. Designing four different courses in the same general
area is always a challenge, Mal says. But it’s a task he
loves.
“Mal is also one of the top U.S. competitors,” says
Whipple. “He usually competes in a younger age category to get
the kind of challenge he likes.”
The gray-haired, 50-something Harding quickly deflects the
kudos.
“Oregon has some of the best competitors in the country,”
he says while helping people register for the day’s event.
“But it’s not just about running. Plenty of people today will
walk the entire course.”
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| Orienteering is great
outdoor sport for individuals, families or groups.
Competitions cater to all three. | Most
people compete individually, but youngsters often accompany
parents on beginner routes to learn basic navigational skills
in a fun environment. And other people will walk the course,
enjoying the challenge of finding the route at a slower pace.
Millie Hnidey of Estacada is one of those. She’s at McIver
Park with her son, daughter-in-law and teenage grandson.
We’re just going to walk the course and visit as we go
along,” she says with a big grin. “It’s great to have my
family with me today.”
The fit 66 year-old Hnidey began orienteering five years
ago when she happened upon a meet while walking in a park one
day.
“Mal Harding took me under his wing,” Hnidey says, “and I
got hooked. Orienteering is interesting, challenging and a
great way to enjoy the outdoors.”
And Hnidey isn’t the only white-haired participant today. A
couple, easily in their seventh decade, heads off hand-in-hand
on the intermediate course.
“We can easily have infants in back-packs and fit
80-year-olds at an orienteering meet,” says Harding as he
points out a young couple with their baby bundled under a
rain-fly covered backpack. “Everyone goes at his own pace
which makes it the perfect event for people of all ages.
Orienteering has something for everyone,” he adds.
Paula Whipple agrees, saying it’s the mental challenge of
orienteering she enjoys the most. “I like being ‘one with the
map’ and knowing when I finish that I’ve done well,” she says.
“Anyone can do orienteering.”
Why Orienteering?
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| Women seem to be
particularly fond of orienteering, due to the mental
challenges of the course and the increased freedom
in the woods that
results. | Orienteering appeals to
outdoor lovers who yearn to break free of the confines of a
trail. It’s a thinking sport that combines map and compass
reading, decision-making and a great workout.
“Women especially seem to love the mental challenge of the
sport,” says Whipple.
And Watson likes the freedom their increased navigation
skills have given him and his wife in their other outdoor
pursuits. “We’re no longer chained to the trail,” he says. “We
feel more secure in leaving the marked trail systems.”
As a bonus, the Corvallis couple sees wildlife they never
saw on well-used trail systems. In addition, Whipple says it’s
a great way to get a workout.
“I wouldn’t have classified myself as an athlete five years
ago when we first started orienteering,” she says. “But now, I
run to keep in shape for the meets. It’s a great fitness
motivator.”
What To Expect At A Meet
Each meet has a registration table. You’ll be required to
fill out an entry form, pay a small fee ($5-7), buy a map of
the course (about $2) and be given a number to attach to your
shirt or jacket. If you haven’t tried orienteering before, ask
if a beginner clinic will be held. Most meets have them just
before the start time, but folks arriving later can usually
have a one-on-one orientation session with any available
experienced club member.
Unlike road races, orienteering meets have flexible start
times. Typically, a three-hour window starting time keeps the
course from getting too crowded and brings a more solitary
experience to the sport. The starter records when each
individual begins and a finish time is recorded at the
end.
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| Pre-competition clinics
help newcomers get acquainted with the rules of the
meet and the basics of compass-map
navigation. | According to
Watson, maps issued at orienteering meets are more detailed
than standard topographical maps. They have 2.5-5 meter
contour lines, use a smaller scale for additional detail and
add vegetation markers as well as noting cliffs, ravines,
boulders and bridges and mileage. The maps are oriented
towards magnetic north to make navigating by compass easier.
Good courses, says Watson, have a lot of options to factor
into your route.
“Questions like, ‘Should I go over the hill or around it?’
are all part of choosing a route,” he says. “You have to
analyze the map features to decide which routes would take
less time.”
Getting Started
You can find contact information for the club nearest you
as well as scheduled meets on the US Orienteering Federation
website at http://www.us.orienteering.org/. There is
also a link for the International Orienteering Federation.
Whipple and Watson first learned about orienteering when they
attended a meet while they were living in Europe. Meets in
Europe are often much larger than their U.S. counterparts.
“The largest, most prestigious European meet is called the
O’ringen,” says Watson. “It’s held in a different country each
year and can easily attract more than 15,000
participants.”
No specialized equipment, other than a compass, is needed
for fair-weather meets, the best time for newcomers to start.
Many clubs even rent compasses, so you can try the sport with
virtually no investment. Hiking boots or running shoes are the
footwear of choice for mild weather events. Add a sense of
adventure and the spirit to try something new and you’ll have
a great time.
“An orienteering course is just as much fun as a treasure
hunt,” says Andy Dell. “Beginners should just come out, try it
and focus on the fun.” Photos by Holly Endersby
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