Find It Checkpoint Challenge

22/01/2025

Lisa will do a repeat of this week's navigation coaching session on Friday, 24 Jan at 17h30 to 18h30 on the lawns near Trail Kiosk.

At the navigation session today, we added a few more tools to the navigation toolbox and polished others:

- pacing (measuring distance by counting your steps when running or walking)
- thumbing (keeping your thumb on where you are on the map and moving it as you progress)
- folding (we touched on folding the map so that it fits into your hand so that you can keep your thumb on where you are)
- awareness of map colours and symbols (we used an orienteering map today but this applies to any map; the colours and symbols give you information and tell you about the terrain and features)
- being aware of features on the map and where you are in relation to these features.
- and most important: keeping your map orientated to the terrain as you move and change direction.

Lisa will do a repeat of this session on Friday at 17h30 on the lawns at Trail Kiosk.

Next week we look at: "Attackpoints and the stories we tell ourselves"

22/01/2025

Nav coaching is on today (Wed, 22 Jan) at 17h30 to 18h30 on the lawns next to Trail Kiosk.

Last week we used cone grids to practice the fundamental skill of keeping your map orientated. We also considered the relationship between objects as a guide to knowing where we are, and also using significant features (the red cones in the big 7x7 grid) to find our way.

After learning these skills, you are ready to handle an actual map.

In the session today, we will focus on awareness of our surroundings, map orientation, our relationship to features in the terrain, and how to judge distance (which is useful especially as maps come with distance scales). You don’t need to bring anything other than your thinking caps 😊

If you missed last week, come anyway.

Send a message to learn more

15/01/2025

Lisa is adding a repeat of Navigation coaching Session 1 on Friday, 17 Jan at 17h30 to 18h30 for those unable to make it tonight.

12/01/2025

On Lisa's To Do list this year is to develop orienteering in our area. Find It Checkpoint Challenge is a variation on a type of orienteering event so if you loved the event, you'll absolutely love other navigation-based activities - but you need a few basic skills.

Lisa is hosting navigation coaching sessions on Wednesday evenings (see below) in Jan and Feb with each session aimed at giving you additional skills. Sessions are 17h30 to 18h30 in the park at Trail Kiosk. Just come over.

George Trails Garden route Trail Running Trail Kiosk at GroundZero Garden Route Orienteering

Lisa will be hosting navigation coaching sessions on Wednesday evenings in January and February at Trail Kiosk, from 17h30 to 18h30. Starting Wednesday, 15 January 2025.

General navigation skills are useful for outdoor activities and sports as well as travel, touring and having confidence to visit new places. Having the skills and knowing that you can get yourself from A to B, and out of trouble, is a great confidence boost.

Sessions are progressive as each one builds on the next. Try to attend them all or tag-team with a friend to catch each other up.

Children of ages 12+ are welcome.

Sessions
15 Jan: Understanding map orientation, scale and pacing
22 Jan: Walking the line and thumbing
29 Jan: Attackpoints and the stories we tell ourselves
5 Feb: Understanding colours and symbols, and robot nav
12 Feb: Using a compass
19 Feb: Understanding contour lines

A 'test' event will follow. Dates to be discussed.

About Lisa de Speville
Orienteering and navigation is Lisa's passion and she has over 20 years of coaching navigation skills in the adventure racing and orienteering sports to hundreds of adults and students. Lisa is a qualified orienteering coach. She has coached at camps for Junior and World Orienteering Champs competitors, and she developed a coaching programme for schools.

George Trails Garden route Trail Running Trail Kiosk at GroundZero Find It Checkpoint Challenge

06/01/2025

We had a wonderful Xmas Find It Checkpoint Challenge, a fun map-based event on the GTR holiday programme. These photos from the GTR Social Calendar 2024 album (link below in the comments for more photos from other events). These photos taken by Emma.

28/12/2024

Here are some of the top-scoring routes at Find It Checkpoint Challenge on the run course, which covered a wider area than the 'walk' course.

28/12/2024

A couple of photos from the Find It Checkpoint Challenge. You get 5 minutes of free time at the start to look at the map and plan where you want to go. It is well worth using this time to familiarise yourself with the map, look at the allocation and distribution of points, and to plan the first part of your route.

28/12/2024

Thank you to all the participants - wonderful to see so many of you there yesterday evening for the Find It Checkpoint Challenge. Great to see so many children out there too.

I'll post some route tracks a little later.
With thanks to Garden route Trail Running, The Mountain Community, Trail Kiosk at GroundZero and AR Gaiters , and also to Liz de Speville for her assistance. Emma was out there taking photos for GTR - thank you for this too.

Lisa ###

27/12/2024

Percentage chance of rain for this afternoon is down to only 30%. As George rain goes, anything that fall is likely to be spitting rather than rain-rain. The cooler temperature today is very welcome.

See you later at Trail Kiosk at GroundZero with Garden route Trail Running , The Mountain Community and AR Gaiters.

Send a message to learn more

20/12/2024

If you are wondering how the Find It Checkpoint Challenge works...

I always recommend pairs (good fun), but solo participants are welcome. The route (on roads) is good for prams, small children on bicycles, and dogs (on leash). This event is for runners, joggers, walkers and families. Please bring a highlighter/pen with you.

Registration at Trail Kiosk from 15h30, briefing at 16h15 and start at 16h30. You get 90 minutes to locate checkpoints.

I look forward to seeing you on Friday afternoon.

The Mountain Community Garden route Trail Running Trail Kiosk at GroundZero AR Gaiters

17/12/2024

Find It Checkpoint Challenge on Friday, 27 December 2024. Starting from Trail Kiosk at GroundZero . Registration from 15h30, briefing at 16h15 and start at 16h30.

You get 90 minutes to locate checkpoints to score points. Each location corresponds to a question on your cluesheet. While there are competitive runners going for max points, this is also a family-friendly, social event. Pairs recommended. Gonna be super fun, as always.

Bring along a pen or highlighter too to mark your answers on the cluesheet. This is part of the awesome Garden route Trail Running holiday programme with The Mountain Community .