Orienteering

[Chip]

OK its not really bushcraft, but you spend plenty of time in the forest.

Last week I run just under 200km over the week, and why? One of my mates told me to go on an orienteering course.
I can safely say that it was one of the best sports courses that I have ever intended and orienteering is something that people should get into if;
They want a challenge, want to increase their fitness, and enjoy micro navigation. Check out you local Orienteering clubs for details on local events

Chip

[hefty]

i enjoy orienteering as well chip,and as soon as my bloody ankle heals up i cant wait to get back out and do some!its my best excuse for phys and being outdoors and as its running on non metalled surfaces its better for your joints

[Scotty]

I'm sure it involves more than just reading a map and a compass, what exactly is it that you do?

[Chip]

Orienteering is a sport in which orienteers use an accurate, detailed map and a compass to find points in the landscape. This points are not the normal feature that you would navigate by, they could be depressions in the ground, tracks, earth mounds ect. It can be enjoyed as a walk in the woods or as a competitive sport.
A standard orienteering course consists of a start, a series of control sites that are marked by circles, connected by lines and numbered in the order they are to be visited, and a finish. The control site circles are centred on the feature that are to be found; the features are also defined by control descriptions.

The description codes
http://www.orienteering.org/footo/IOF%20Control%20Descriptions%202004%20symbols.pdf# search='IOF%20description%20codes'

On the ground, a control flag marks the location that the orienteer must visit.
To verify a visit, the orienteer uses a punch hanging next to the flag to mark his or her control card or use an electronic device to record their visit. Different punches or electronic controls make different patterns of holes in the paper or coded marks on an electronic device.
The route between "controls" (refers to the flag or the site) is not specified, and is entirely up to the orienteer; this element of route choice and the ability to navigate through the forest are the essence of orienteering.
Most orienteering events use staggered starts to ensure that each orienteer has a chance to do his or her own navigating, but there are several other popular formats, including relays and events in which the orienteer must find as many controls as possible within a specified time.

[Scotty]

It does sound like a lot of fun I'm going to look into this.

Have you heard of GeoCaching? (perhaps discussion for another thread)

[Fivesenses]

Scott - what is GeoCaching?

[Fivesenses]

About the best way to really learn micro nav in testing conditions - the exhaustion and adrenalin compensating for the stress of a serious fowl up, bad weather, and real survival situations.

Seriously recommend Orienteering for anyone who want to be able to navigate properly, when it matters.

Remember the choice between ACCURACY --- SPEED.

(ps - I also teach navigation, and used to compete regularly)

[Scotty]

Geocaching is an outdoor sport that involves the use of a Global Positioning System ("GPS") receiver to find a "geocache" (or "cache") placed anywhere in the world. A typical cache is a small, waterproof container containing a logbook and "treasure". Geocaching is a unique take on an earlier game called Letterboxing in that it uses two recent technologies, the GPS and the Internet. Participants are called geocachers.


This is a popular 'sport' among GPS owners. With information regarding position, scavenger hunters search for waterproof containers containing treasure. This style of scavenger hunt is a real challenge, especially in suburban areas. Anyone can participate, as long as you have a GPS unit. The only rule you'll need is to make certain you leave something in the cache once you have found it, and not to place caches in delicate, historic or archaeological sites.



I haven't tried it myself because I don't own a GPS and don't intend to buy one but I know that alot of people enjoy it.