Knowing how to get around in the woods is an important skill, especially for those who camp, hike, or hunt. The Mississippi National Guard is coming to Tara this week to teach our summer campers how to use a compass and then they get to practice what they’ve learned through orienteering. Learn more about summer camps
What is Orienteering?
Orienteering gives our campers the opportunity to practice using a compass by navigating to certain designated stations in the woods. Our courses are meant to be challenging, yet they are quite manageable even for the beginner compass user.
Campers are grouped into small teams to work together to navigate their course. We stagger the start times of the teams, so that each team and start campers at different points along the course. This allows each team the opportunity to find their own path. With about a dozen stations, there are multiple paths for campers to take.
How It Works
Campers are given the coordinates and distance to their first station at the starting point. The coordinates and distance to the next station are written on a postcard at each station. Campers are taught to estimate distance using their paces.
We don’t time our courses, but there is still an air of competitiveness around this activity. Teams work together to find their stations quickly and move on to the next point. Guardsmen visually confirm the arrival of each team at the designated points.
At the end of each camp, one camper is given the Navigation Award, for excelling in the use of the compass to navigate the woods.
