Photo by Mike Bitton (with help from the self-timer)Scott Markahm, Cristina Fillis and Mike Bitton pose for a picture at one of many control points they visited on Saturday, April 22, 2006, during a day of competitive orienteering near Portland, Ore.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
I learned two important lessons while competing last week in my first adventure race. First, I'm gonna have to learn to run. If I don't, I'll never make the cutoff times in the sprint races I intend to enter. Second, I'm gonna have to learn to navigate. If I don't, all that running will be for naught. Today, I practiced both running and navigating, as my friends Scott Markham and Kristina Fillis of Portland introduced me to the world of competitive orienteering.
At the "Play in the Woods Expo" near Portland, Ore., we completed two orienteering courses. The first was a beginner course, the second was an advanced course. The control points were almost too easy to find on the beginner course (we took third place without even meaning to), so after we finished that, we went straight for the most advanced course they had. What a blast! The control points were nearly impossible to find, but we navigated well, and knew we were in the right places, so we ran around through the woods until we found what we were looking for. I had the time of my life! I think we ran a quarter of the time because we were having so much fun.
Scott is going on a training hike tomorrow with the Columbia River Orienteering Club, which put on the Play in the Woods Expo. The hike will help prepare those involved for an orienteering event in May called the Big Muddy Ranch Rogaine 3, which this year also happens to be the U.S. Rogainine Championships. I think I'll go on the hike tomorrow and see what kind of punishment these folks put themselves through on a training hike.
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