Racing Through the Woods With a Map

My map and my final time sheet.

It's a sport that has a long, intimidating name, but don't let that put you off. If you enjoy the outdoors and have any sense of direction whatsoever, you really ought to give orienteering a try.

You're given a map, a compass and a computer chip to wear on your finger. You dash through the woods (some people run, some people walk) trying to complete the course.

Anyone can do it. Even a 6-year-old could finish the very simple White course, while the experts go for the Green, Red or Blue. In between, there's Orange and Brown. I'd call it a rainbow of choices _ but not all of those colors are in the rainbow.

I'm fortunate to live in an area where there are many orienteering events sponsored by the good people at the Quantico Orienteering Club. They have something going on nearly every weekend in the spring and fall in the parks near Washington, D.C.

On Sunday, the fun was held at Prince William Park in Virginia. About 300 people turned out. I opted for the Brown course (intermediate level) because I had been on a 14-mile hike the day before. As you can see if you click on the photo, I had a bit of a struggle finding No. 6. (I kept looking in the wrong ditch.) Nevertheless, I finished fifth. In fact, if you're really a stat geek, you can see the breakdown of my times and how they compared with others on the QOC website here, here, and here.

You can also check out their schedule of upcoming events. Give it a try _ I'm sure you'll have fun.

If you'd rather hike instead of orienteer, don't forget our our hiking trips next year. We're going to Switzerland, Nevada, Vermont and Virginia in 2014.

See you on the trails.

Joseph