Has anyone done a similar competition like this before?.Does this sound like something that geocache folks would be interested in?.Results are calculated and published on our website if you days after the event. Many people enjoy orienteering at a casual walking pace. You do not have to be Joe Pro trail runner to compete. Teams would have an hour or so to enter the points into their GPS and plan a route that they think it is feasible within their chosen timeframe.Īt the start time, teams will head off in all different directions, trying to find is many checkpoints and any order that they want within their chosen time period. On the morning of the event, about one hour prior to the actual start time, geocaching teams would get a printed list of coordinates of the various checkpoints, and a map with the points marked. You can do the event either as an individual or team. There would be separate divisions / results for geocachers and map and compass orienteering teams. So, here's the proposal - My club is considering opening this orienteering competition to geocachers. My club provides these fingersticks free for all participants. At the end of the event, the data from your finger stick are downloaded and results calculated. When you find the control flag, you put the fingerstick into a box that's on the flag, which transmits the checkpoint number and exact time on to your fingerstick. To prove that you visited that checkpoint, participants will carry an electronic scoring device called a fingerstick. (These are easy to see from a distance and are unambiguous, unlike many geocaches!) Rather than an ammo-can type geocache, you are looking for an orange and white box-kite-looking control flag which is placed exactly at the indicated point on the map. So, planning a reasonable route for your fitness and skill level is a key component. Typically the course is set so no one other than a world-class runner AND orienteering expert would have a chance of finding all of the control points within the time limit. Part of the strategy is planning your route to get the maximum amount of points with in your chosen timeframe. You have either 3 or 6 hours to try to score as many points as possible and return to the finish area. You can go to the checkpoints in any order you want. Check points that are farther away on the map perimeter have a higher point value than those closer into the starting area. The checkpoints on the map will have different point values. Terrain is pretty flat, mostly open forest. ![]() The map scale will be be about 1:25000, and might cover about 20 square miles. My club (CROC) is planning a "navigation race" (aka long distance orienteering competition) in September 2018 near Bend, Oregon, about 15 miles SE of town. Orienteering can happen in small local parks with very detailed maps, or over a very large area with relatively small scale maps, like 1:25,000. In an orienteering competition, participants try to find a series of checkpoints that are marked on the map by using map and compass only, either point to point as fast as you can, or find as many points over a large area within a specific time. Orienteering, the sport of land navigation, is a very close relative to geocaching. I am former president of and active member in the Columbia River Orienteering Club based in Portland Oregon. There are a few moving parts to this, so please bear with me while I explain how this might work. If you don't care for the competitive aspect, feel free to skip ahead to another post. However, for those of you who might like to test your skills against others, a little competition might be a fine thing once in a while. ![]() Your constructive suggestions and advice are welcome.įirst off, I understand that some people do not see geocaching as a competitive deal, more of a hobby, pastime, etc. ![]() I would like some guidance and suggestions from the expert community here regarding a competitive geocaching event that I am helping to plan.
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