Orienteering is the sport of navigating through the woods with a map and compass to pre-set points on the map.  Normally, I do this as a class, but this time I will do the navigating and you can relax and be along for the ride.  Anyone who wants to help navigate is welcome to join in and lead us for part of the way.  I hope a few of you who took the orienteering class in the past will help out.  We will be exploring the off-trail areas in the west of the park that you won't see if you take one of the trails.  The western side of the park has flatter ground and sparser vegatation than the hilly area near the campgrounds. 

We will go fairly slowly, to give you a chance to navigate, but this is an intermediate hike.  You should be able to hike in open country, up and down small hills for three hours.  You will have to stay within sight of the group at all times.

You can buy an orienteering compass (the kind with a clear, square base and ruler markings on the side) at Academy Surplus, Sports Authority, REI, or Whole Earth Provisions for $10 to $15.  I like the ones with a mirror and a lanyard loop.  I have plenty of compassses to loan out to anyone who try their hand at navigating. 

You can do the hike in tennis shoes, but hiking boots will give you better traction and ankle protection.  Long pants, a long-sleeve shirt, sunglasses, and a cap will keep you from getting scratched if we have to go through a little brush.  Fortunately, the Piney Woods have less underbrush and more shade than our cedar forests in town.

We will do an equipment check before we leave to make sure you have enough water.