Orienteering with Map & Compass by the Hooch + Free Picnic! - Sat, Sep 12 2009

REGISTRATION REQUIRED: Once you've reviewed the event details, and decided you'd like to join us, you MUST sign up at the bottom of this page.



Orienteering with Map & Compass by the Hooch + Free Picnic!


The Basics:
Event Type:Adventure
Event Location: Chattahoochee River NRA: Special Events building at the Jones Bridge Unit (between Roswell & Norcross)
Date(s) & Time:Sat, Sep 12 2009  9:30 am >> N/A
Registration Opens: Mon, Aug 17 2009 9:30 am
Registration Cut Off: Fri, Sep 11 2009 10:00 pm
Event Duration:About 4 hours
Difficulty Rating:D2: Easy to Moderate
Trip Leader(s):
Charlie Cottingham
Warren Rudert
Henrik Malmberg
Email Trip Leader(s)
You must be logged in to get the Trip Leader contact information.
Member Cost:None

Participant Info:
Who's Invited: Members Only, 21 And Older Only
Maximum Group Size:30
Minimum Group Size:5
Number Registered So Far: 27 / 0 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)
Are Dogs Permitted: No

Itinerary:
OVERVIEW: Interested in improving your map-reading and wilderness navigation skills in a fun and exciting way? Again this year the Georgia Orienteering Club (GAOC) has invited the Atlanta Outdoor Club to help them celebrate "National Orienteering Day" on Saturday, September 12. Our AOC "subgroup" will be joining several dozen other guests and members of the "O" Club who are expected for the big event. Our easy to moderate AOC "orienteering wayfaring hikes" (finding our way through unfamiliar terrain with map & compass) will be in conjunction with this free annual "O Meet" and Picnic.

WHERE & WHEN?  Our AOC group will meet at 9:30 AM at the Special Events building in the beautiful "Jones Bridge" section of the Chattahoochee River Nat'l Recreation Area-(CRNRA)—see detailed directions below.  We'll assemble upstairs in the building's breezy covered top-floor deck and take care of introductions, waiver signing, etc.

GROUP REGISTRATION and MAP/COMPASS SHARING:
 We'll have special free "group registration" for the AOC—no need for you to register individually.  Brian Goble, the GAOC's meet director, plans to have enough of their free detailed color topo maps of the area on hand so that at most you'll have to share with just one other AOCer.  Bring your own compass if you have one—otherwise you’re welcome to use a free "loaner" compass.  The clear plastic rectangular "protractor-style" of compass is preferred, available at WalMart for about $6.00.

MAP & COMPASS REFRESHER TUTORIAL: At about 10:00 AM before going out on the orienteering course, we'll conduct a refresher for our AOC group in fundamental map and compass skills. We’ll also discuss the basics of the sport of Orienteering and divide into about three AOC "wayfaring groups" (beginner, intermediate, etc.) for the ensuing "O hikes."

"O HIKE" PLAN:  Beginning at about 11:00 AM each of our AOC wayfaring groups will set out on their chosen "O Course" (at their assigned staggered "start time") to find about a dozen sequential "control flags" in the terrain near the river. We’ll apply our map and compass skills and jointly agree upon appropriate "attack strategies" to locate the flags based on their marked locations on our maps. We’ll take a relaxed "wayfaring" pace, although many O Meet competitors that day will be trying for maximum speed between controls.

FREE O DAY PICNIC! Stick around awhile after our orienteering adventure for this picnic by the Special Events building, with food & refreshments provided by the GAOC as part of their big O Day celebration. If you have a couple of tasty items or non-alcoholic beverages on hand that you’d like to bring and contribute, please do so!

WHAT IS ORIENTEERING? It’s a sport that blends the fun of a scavenger hunt with the adventure of navigating between flagged checkpoints in unfamiliar natural terrain. We "orienteer" using a detailed topographic map, a simple magnetic compass (no GPS!), and our judgment as to which route to take between checkpoints (partially hidden white & orange flags) whose positions and surrounding land & water features are shown on the map. We’re fortunate to have in Atlanta a very active not-for-profit "O" club. GAOC volunteers prepare highly detailed "O Maps" and organize year-round O Meets and public education programs at parks and wilderness preserves throughout north Georgia—go to www.GAOrienteering.org for more details. Membership dues are only $8 per year (or $12 per couple) and non-members are also welcome to participate in their events—typically about 20 O Meets per year within an hour or two of Atlanta.


Required Items to Bring:
  • Comfortable broken-in Athletic Shoes or Hiking Boots with good tread.
  • Lightweight comfortable Clothing.  Long pants are suggested, since we’ll be occasionally walking off-trail through the forest.
  • Cap and Sunscreen.
  • Compass if you have one. (Otherwise you can use a free "loaner" compass.)
  • Water: about 1 Quart, in "Camelbak" or bottles inside a small daypack/fanny pack.
  • Hiking Poles or Walking Stick if you like.
  • Optional: Small food and/or beverage item to contribute to O Day picnic after hike.
  • Recommended Items to Bring:
    Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need.

    How to Get There:
    Event Directions:
  • FROM the I-285/GA 400 INTERCHANGE in NORTH ATLANTA:
       1) take GA-400 North about 9 miles and exit at Exit #7A, GA-140 East, "Holcomb Bridge Road".
  • 2) Take Holcomb Bridge Road eastward toward Norcross about 4.5 miles to the traffic light at Barnwell Road.
  • 3) Turn Left onto Barnwell Rd, and go just 0.8 mile to a special park entrance road on your right which should be marked by one or more small low-lying orange-white-black "ORIENTEERING" signs. (NOTE!: This entrance is about a mile before the public entrance road used for other AOC hikes. Except for this and other special occasions it usually has a locked gate.)
  • 4) Turn Right onto the Entrance Road and park in the designated area near the large Special Events building. The usual $3 CRNRA parking fee will be waived for "O Day" participants.
  • 5) Our AOC sub-group will meet between 9:45 and 10:00AM in the large covered upper deck of the building, up one flight of stairs from the GA Orienteering Club’s registration tables, which should be marked with a banner. (Dozens of other Orienteering Club guests and members will arrive during the day for the general orienteering meet, picnic, and other O Day festivities.)

    FOR A MAP and/or CUSTOM DIRECTIONS from your specific point of departure, go to Google.com/maps and input this address as your destination:

        8790 Barnwell Rd, Alpharetta, GA 30022

    Although this is a "dummy address" it accurately pinpoints the Barnwell Road entrance point into Jones Bridge CRNRA Special Events Building parking lot.



  • Notes:
    * We encourage all members to follow our Etiquette Guidelines while participating in AOC events.

    Cost Includes:No Charge!—Free Event with Free Parking!

    Cancellation/Partial Attendance:   Please review the AOC cancellation policy.