ORIENTING A MAP AND A COMPASS - TAKING A BEARING
Orienteering is a worldwide sport in which orienteers use an accurate, detailed map and a compass to find points in the landscape. Orienteering can be enjoyed as a challenging walk in the woods or in a competition, where your race against time or others.
A standard orienteering course consists of a start, a series of control points that are marked by circles on a map, connected by lines and numbered in the order they are to be visited, and a finish. On the ground, a numbered control flag
marks the location that the orienteer must visit. The orienteer is given a map with control point descriptions.
To verify a visit, the orienteer matches the control number with the control description, and if they correspond, uses a punch hanging next to the flag to mark his or her control card. Different punches make different patterns of holes in the paper, ensuring accuracy of the site visit. The route between the control points is not specified, and is entirely up to the orienteer; this element of route choice and the ability to navigate over the terrain 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.
Understanding the map is a key component in orienteering. The map's indicates the location of the control points and the direction of North. Maps also show roads, trails, vegetation types, elevations and contour gradients and buildings.
ORIENTING A MAP AND A COMPASS - TAKING A BEARING
Every direction can be expressed as an angle with respect to magnetic North. In the military and in Scouting, this is called an "azimuth", and bearings are expressed as a number of degrees. Orienteers set the bearing on their compass and keeping the needle aligned, which in turn keeps them going in the right direction. A simple set of step-by-step instructions for setting a bearing on a baseplate compass are:
The scale of the map is usually 1:5000 or 1:10000. A 1:10000 map means that one centimeter on the map equals 100 meters on the ground. A compass may not be needed for a beginners course. Use a plastic bag to protect the map. A clipboard may also be convenient. Wear comfortable walking clothing and shoes that you don't mind getting a little dirty. If it's cold, wear several thin layers of clothing; you will get warm quickly and want to take a layer or two off. If it's warm, wear light pants but not shorts, since you may encounter brushy vegetation if you go off trail. Bring water and, if you want, something to eat afterwards. Make sure others know where you are going.
Finding a control point may not be easy especially if the direct line to the next point forces you to navigate over difficult terrain. You can use the map to pick an alternate trail or "attack point", which is a distinct feature, such as a bend in the trail, or a pond by the trail, or a hilltop, or such at which you will head off the trail to find the control. There are times it may simply involve knowing when to look for a small hill or cliff near the trail. In any case, it is important to plan ahead.
Keep the map oriented in the direction of travel. Fold the map in your hand so that you are looking at, perhaps, one-quarter of the sheet - but focusing your eyes on the area in which you are moving. Keep the map oriented (with the compass needle, or by lining it up with a trail or field edge) and move your thumb along on the map keeping track of what you are seeing around you and what corresponds on the map.
Route choice is very important. Routes should be chosen that provide the most sure way to find a control, rather than the fastest or shortest way. Consider factors such as whether there is a "catching" feature to let you know if you have missed what you are looking for. Is there a good attack point on this route? Are there many chances for taking wrong turns? The map coding can provide valuable information for route options; through forest, over meadows or around water. A "handrail" is another orienteering term. When deciding on your route you should be looking for prominent handrails such as trails, streams, power lines, fences, field edges, etc. to follow.
HISTORY AND VARIATIONS OF ORIENTEERING
First introduced in Sweden in 1918, the sport involves traveling through woods and over hills or rough plains as participants plot courses between isolated control points that must usually be visited in sequence. Selecting their routes according to terrain, competitors must choose between more direct courses with obstacles such as water, marshes, woods, and hills, and more circuitous routes with easier passage. Runners set out from the starting point at intervals of one to five minutes, using map and compass to locate, check in, and stamp or punch their cards at controls indicated by orange and white marking flags, which may be from a few hundred meters to a kilometer apart. The winner is the runner who completes the course in the fastest time.
Introductory courses have control points on, or adjacent to, trails and notable features. Intermediate courses have control points off the trails and into the woods, although it usually uses more obvious, bigger features to reference from. These trails are usually four to five kilometers long, which is long enough to put an emphasis on fitness. Expert courses can be ten kilometers or more and requires a good deal of acquired skill, precision and experience.
Variations of orienteering include line orienteering, in which the competitors follow the same route, visiting controls that can be found only by accurately adhering to the route; route orienteering, in which the route is marked not on a master map but on the ground itself and in which contestants must indicate the position of the controls on their own maps; and score orienteering, in which controls, which may be visited in any order, are set up in a selected area, with a point value assigned to each according to its distance or difficulty of location. Orienteering may also be practiced by cyclists, canoeists, and horseback riders. In Scandinavia, skiers practice a popular variation of the sport.
This material can be used to fulfill partial requirements for the Green Star and the Camping Badge
April 25, 2005
