Off the Beaten Path

Taking the road not taken.

I began my season of adventure racing with two very lofty goals. One, to finish the Eco-Challenge New Zealand in October with or without my limbs attached. And second, to learn how to navigate and use a compass. Believe it or not, number two was a bit more intimidating.

I have always prided myself on being able to find my way around town. But there aren't street signs in the mountains of New Zealand and I knew I needed to learn. Navigating through the middle of nothingness is much more demanding on the brain. It takes patience, thinking and good decision-making skills. For some reason, I had a mental block the size of Montana against navigating. I just didn't think I could do it. It seemed so much like geometry, angles, degrees…yikes! But I knew, if I wanted to be a good racer I needed to conquer my fear of getting lost so deep in the woods I would be a headline the newspapers, "adventure chick found in Iowa while attempting to navigate". Fears…they can propel you to greater heights, or they leave you on the plateau of life wondering "what if".

So, how does someone go about learning to navigate? Besides the military, the next best option is participating in Orienteering Meets. You're probably thinking…what is that? I did too. An "O-Meet" is by my own definition, a trail run/hike with a purpose. It involves maps, flags, a timer, the wilderness, a compass, and thinking skills.

Although O-ing is a very European activity, you can find them all over the states. I took my first stab at an O-Meet in Palos Hills a few months back. It was a little like showing up to your first running race. I was a little nervous, not sure what to do, how to stand or how to look. The trend among the foreign speaking orienteers was bright colored tights and spikes. I knew right away I stood out like a Pinto in a Corvette Convention, but I surrendered to the experience and stepped up to the registration table.

I was handed a map and was directed to a table to plot the "check points". Plotting involved copying a series of points from the master map to your map. The points on the map corresponded with flags on the course. The objective was to find the checkpoints in the forest as quickly as possible. There are various courses ranging from easy (points that come out and bite you) to very challenging (points that are hidden in ditches). Like most sports, there is a place for everyone to learn and enjoy. Most beginners hike the course being careful not to miss a point in the woods. The elite run the course like hunting dogs.

With a call from the official timer to "go" I was off to the great outdoors with a strange sense of adventure in trying something new. The first thing I learned is that there are a few ways to navigate. One is to use a compass, the other to "read" the land. Most talented navigators use a compass as a supplement and read the hills, trees, streams and other natural features to find their way. I, on the other hand clenched my compass with a death grip hoping not to read it backwards.

To my surprise, I found Orienteering to be a lot of fun. One by one, I found the flags feeling like a six-year old girl searching for Easter eggs. Because it involved thinking, it required being in the moment and looking for one point at a time. The winner is not necessarily the fleetest of foot, but the one who thinks clearly on the run. It takes you off the beaten path and encourages you to see things outside the box.

Recently I took a bold step with my team and flew out to the mountains of Arizona and competed in a 24-hour orienteering meet called a "Rogaine". Although none of us had much experience, we placed 13th and were quite fluent at finding checkpoints under a full moon. It just goes to show you, you never know until you try.

Happy Trails...

Top