31. Orienteering
What could be better than taking a walk in the woods on a crisp November morning with a good friend? Not much, except maybe walking with a purpose.
And that is exactly what orienteering is: walking in the woods with a purpose.
Using a compass and map, you follow a course with the goal of finding checkpoints along the way. Some people run the course competitively, trying to beat their own time or finish before others. My friend Joyce and I, however, were in it for the pleasure of enjoying ourselves outdoors, with no jogging involved.
We drove out to Mt. Wachusett in Princeton, MA, where the New England Orienteering Club (NEOC) held an event. As we shivered in line waiting to register, I thought that perhaps mid-November wasn’t the best time to try orienteering. Once we got moving on the trail, though, we warmed up, and mid-November seemed a perfect time to be out in the woods, with its cool weather and downed foliage helping with visibility. It didn’t hurt that we were looking in the rearview mirror at tick season.
NEOC has logistics down pat. Each participant gets a compass (if they don’t bring their own), and a card called a finger stick, similar to the card that opens a hotel door. Volunteers check people in and offer instruction to newbies like us.
You use the compass to make sure you’re looking at the map in the correct direction. The map provides a lot of detail, showing brick walls, streams, foot paths, and more. At the start, finish, and at each checkpoint along the way, you scan your card. Your info gets sent electronically to a NEOC computer, where volunteers make sure that no one remains in the woods when the meet ends. The computer also records the time you punch in at each checkpoint, and you can get a print out of your times at the end (or later online).
As beginners, Joyce and I chose to go the Yellow Route - a 2.2 kilometer trail not quite as easy as the White Route, where all the checkpoints sit directly on the trail, but not as challenging as other longer, more complex routes.
Finding the checkpoints required some navigating. “It looks like the trail goes along a stone wall and crosses a creek. Should we take the road or go through the woods?” We chose the woods, finding our way off-trail.
At each checkpoint, we reoriented ourselves and determined the best way to get to the next one.
Two checkpoints sat right below a couple of massive wind turbines, offering an interesting juxtaposition of natural growth, old stone walls, and modern technology. I realized at the second turbine that I had lost my card, so we retraced our steps to the first one to look for it. Thankfully, there it lay, where I had stopped to take a picture (lost cards result in a fee).
We crossed a stream, dodged twigs and branches through some off-trail terrain, scrambled down a small rock wall (then back up again in search of my lost card), and watched out for roots and rocks underfoot. Not difficult, but enough of a challenge to make it fun.
Joyce off-trail after finding a checkpoint. Do you see it on the right?
It took us about an hour to finish our course. Joyce and I both enjoyed ourselves and agreed that we would do it again - next time, perhaps, on a more difficult route. We also agreed that NEOC did a great job of organizing the event and keeping track of participants.
Orienteering seems like a fun family activity, and I’m sorry I didn’t try it with my kids when they were younger. While I can’t see myself running a route or doing it competitively, I can definitely envision getting involved in the sport to spend time in nature and hone my navigation skills …
To walk in the woods with a purpose.
New England Orienteering Club: $5 entry fee; they hold events at a variety of places including the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, MA; Beaver Brook in Belmont, MA; Washusett State Reservation in Princeton, MA, and elsewhere.
