Pawtuckaway Lake Association

Back in my day orienteering meant navigating your way to the outhouse in the black of night without either stepping in something unpleasant or having your face wrapped in spider webs. Today, when someone talks about orienteering they’re talking about a highly organized group treasure hunt. I reckon “treasure” is a bit of an overstatement, I think the winner is the one who gets back to their cooler first.
 
Orienteering is a popular group sport in Pawtuckaway State Park. Many different organizations and individuals use the park for practice and hold organized meets every year. These groups spend years developing incredibly detailed maps of the State Park with specific rocks, trails, knolls, ditches, vegetation and other landmarks noted. They spend hours making sure these landmarks are accurately placed on their maps.
 
During an orienteering event a couple of specific landmarks, they call them clues, are circled on a map and the contestants have to find those locations. There’s a flag at each location with a punch tied to it. They punch a card they carry with them and race to the next clue. The first one back with all their punches made wins.
 
Orienteering requires someone to develop excellent map and terrain reading abilities. You also have to master the use of a compass and navigation. To win a meet you have to be in great shape as the best orienteers run the course at a pretty fast clip. Orienteers pride themselves on being able to find a rock ½ mile away using nothing but a compass to guide them. This is all very impressive to someone who has a little difficulty finding my own camp after a hard night, with or without a clue.
 
So what I want to know is this: If these orienteers are so gosh-darned good at finding their way around with nothing but a compass, why in blazes do they need so many signs posted up all around town just to find the parking lot for their Orienteering Events? It makes you wonder.

I have a headache, I’m taking a nap.
 
Digby McFibben