The Jewish Outdoors Club

Has this ever happened to you? You hear about this great hike, so you drive up there, get out of your car and start waking. You turn right, then left, then right again…or was it left than right and then left again? Pretty soon you are hopelessly lost. Luckily, a passing backpacker gives you directions and you finally make it out of the parking lot.

Do you want to be able to read a map? To learn how to use a compass? To find your way in the woods without relying on AAA?

Well, we can’t teach you that while standing on one foot, but we can help get you on your way…

Join the JOC for our first ever Orienteering Event!!!

What is Orienteering? I’m glad you asked. Here is how Wikipedia defines it:
“Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they use to find control points…”

To learn more about Orienteering, check out this link: http://orienteeringusa.org/new-o/what-orienteering

Interested? Intrigued? Read on for the Event information, in the format that you have all come to love:

What: JOC Orienteering Event. We will be joining Hudson Valley Orienteering (HVO) on their local meet. That means the event is open to the public but they are saving some spaces for us.

When:  Sunday, September 18, 2011, 9:45 SHARP!!!

Where:  Hudson Highlands Nature Museum, Cornwall, Orange County, NY

Cost: $10 (please have exact cash)

Payment to Drivers: $12 per passenger

Clothes to wear: Please wear clothing that 1) afford you the mobility required to hike comfortably 2) are appropriate for the weather and 3) you don’t mind getting dirty or possible damaged. Long pants/leggings are recommended to protect against vegetation and bugs. Bring gaiters if you will be doing more advanced courses.

Footwear: Please wear footwear appropriate for hiking and overall outdoor activity. Appropriate: Hiking boots, trail shoes or sneakers. Not appropriate: Open toed or backed shoes and sandals, flip-flops, Crocks or anything with a heel.

Food to bring: Please bring whatever food you will require to survive a day out in the woods. This will include lunch and snacks (preferably something with carbs for energy and salt/minerals to replace lost electrolytes). Do not rely on other people having enough to share. As the event is timed, you will probably eat lunch at the end.

Drinks to bring: Please bring whatever water you think you will need for a day of walking outdoors. While beginners will probably not be doing an overly strenuous coursel, we will still be outdoors and away from water sources. I recommend 2 liters of water because I like to err on the side of caution.  

Necessary Gear: Here is what the HVO recommends you bring to a meet:
•    If doing a White or Yellow course (beginner), wear whatever clothing you would normally for a trail hike or run (this is very weather dependent, so wear layers which you can remove if it gets too warm). And comfortable walking shoes or lightweight hiking boots. When you move up to Orange and above, you will be off-trail, so wear clothing that doesn't snag (and that you don't mind if it tears), shinguards/gaiters and lightweight hiking or trail running shoes.
•    Wear a watch. You must not be out more than 3 hours.
•    We recommend that you carry a whistle for emergencies (3 quick blows).
•    A water bottle.
•    Clear plastic bag for your map (at least gallon size). Map cases are usually available at registration for 25¢. A must if it is raining, but also good to protect against sweaty hands.
•    A small number of compasses are available for rent at registration. If you want to buy a compass, you can get perfectly good ones for about $10-15 at camping and sporting goods stores.

Let me reiterate – bring a compass. What kind? *I think* at the beginner level, any compass that can point North would be ok. Of course, a protractor type compass would be better, like the one shown here - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Walkers_compass_arp.jpg
Also, bring a backpack to put your stuff in.   

Other Gear to bring: Aside from what’s mentioned above, recommended items include – hat, sunglasses, rain gear/windbreaker, hiking poles, camera, binoculars, first aid kit (if you are trained in its use), sun screen, insect repellant,

Meeting Time: We will be meeting at 9:45 AM Sharp! The event starts with a beginner instruction session that begins at 10:00 and I need to sign everyone in before it begins.  As I said above, this event is not being run by the JOC so we will not be on “Jewish time”. I cannot hold up the start to accommodate late comers.

Return Time: I’ll let you do the math: Instruction session is from 10 – 11AM. Then they stagger the starts between 11AM and 1PM. The maximum time allowed for the course is 3 hours. Then you got to drive home, so again, you do the math.

Distance to event: as a point of reference, it is about 56 miles from the Westmont (with some of those miles local traffic).

Note about registration: Registration is open to everyone – drivers and non-drivers. Due to the time constraints (i.e. the event is this Sunday) I will try to accept the passengers in accordance with the number of passenger seats I have available on a rolling admission policy. Please note – your registration is not confirmed until you receive an e-mail from me stating that you are. Please don’t send multiple e-mails asking if you are in.

Getting to the Event: There is no public transportation option that I am aware of. For drivers, you will be driving. For passengers, on Wednesday or Thursday (depending on how registration fills up) I will be sending a spreadsheet with the drivers’ names and contact info to the registered attendees only. Passengers are responsible to contact the drivers directly for a ride. Please note that by signing up you are agreeing to have your name, email, and phone number distributed to all who have registered for the event.

Reservations: To reserve a spot, please navigate to the URL: http://orienteering2011.eventbrite.com/ , click on the “Register” button and fill out the registration information.

Please note – the eventbrite system will send a e-mail confirming that your registration information was accepted. THIS IS NOT ATTENDANCE CONFIRMATION. I will be sending a personal e-mail to confirm if you have been accepted to the event.

Number of attendees: I will be accepting registration for up to 19 attendees ONLY on a first come-first served basis. Please only register if you are really planning on coming. Last minute cancelations and no-shows (without a really good reason) will be added to our Deadbeat list, which may affect your eligibility to register for future JOC hikes and events. Plus it will be bad for the relationship the JOC will be forming with the HVO.

Rain cancellation: I am pretty sure these events go on rain or shine.

Questions?: Please re-read the above info.

Questions?: Please re-re-read the above info and check out http://hvo.us.orienteering.org/index.php  and/or http://orienteeringusa.org/ for more info about orienteering.

Still have questions: Please e-mail me at joc_hike AT mlehmann DOT com, but beware – there is a real chance I may not know the answer.
Excited? Me too!

So get your compass and whistle and join us as we go Orienteering!