“Keep the red in the shed,” is a saying that will not be forgotten by the participants of “Intro to Orienteering” at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary on Saturday, Feb. 7.
Led by intern Robert Neubert, the program was a hands-on, how to about mastering the topographic map and compass to develop basic navigation skills in order to both understand and master the sport of orienteering. The 14 participants gathered in the downstairs of the Visitor Center for the first half of the morning and were dressed for the winter conditions for the second half which would take place on the scenic trails of the sanctuary.
“I have a lot of experience. I first learned orienteering while I was in Scouts,” said Neubert. “I’ve used it when I was out west in Colorado and Utah for canyon navigation and river navigation. And also just for general use stuff.”
To start, Neubert gave a brief history of the sanctuary before passing out a handout, compass and map to the participants to begin the orienteering lesson.
The first step was going over the parts of the compass such as the needle, housing (turntable), orienting arrow, orienting lines and the azimuth (degree) markers. As most already knew, the magnetic needle always points to magnetic north (which is a bit different than geographic north) unless there is some sort of interference which some experienced when placing the compass on a table and the metal causing some problems. After selecting the point of direction one wishes to travel it is important to line the magnetic needle up with the orienting needle (which moves with the housing) which is where the “keep the red in the shed” phrase originated from based on how the orienting arrow looks a bit like a tiny house and often times the magnetic needle is red.
“You will turn your body around until that arrow, the needle, lines up with the orienting arrow,” explained and demonstrated Neubert. “A good way to remember that is to just keep the red in the shed.”
It was emphasized to never move the compass, but to move the body and the map instead. After the run through of how to use the compass, was an explanation of how to use the map to get from point A to point B. With each new tidbit of information, there would be a chance for Neubert to walk around the room to check everyone’s work and help when needed. The participants also learned how to triangulate where they are by using three distinct points and using the map and degrees to find the intersection which would be where the person is standing.
As the participants practiced inside the room, they joked about getting lost and it was pointed out that it was a good thing there was snow making it nearly impossible to get off path later in the program.
“Navigating in this area can be not too challenging,” said Neubert. “If you’re in thick woods it can be more difficult.”
Before going outside to complete an introductory-level orienteering course on the trails, it was asked what they participants learned from the program.
“Everything. I had no base line for this,” said one participant. “Well, we’ll see when we get outside. That will be the real test.”
It was then time for the group to hit the snowy trails to put their skills to the test.
For more on Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and for information on upcoming events visit www.hawkmountain.org.
