Orienteering is my first love, with geocaching in second place. My orienteering club, Up North Orienteers, is holding an event in College Woods and you are invited to attend. You'll see people racing through the woods using just a map and compass to navigate off and on trails.
I can teach you what your GPS is doing when you plug in a coordinate and how to duplicate it with a compass. And a detailed topographical map can help you see easier ways to bushwhack over a long distance than just going in a straight line to the cache.
I'm going to create a course that puts you near many of the geocaches in College Woods. If you don't have all the caches, this will lead you to your unfound ones. You will have to solve any puzzles or problems, however. I'm not doing that for you! You can also do a regular orienteering course, from beginner to advanced. Or you can just show up, visit with other cachers, and watch the orienteers start and finish.
The event is free, as is the map and compass instruction. However, if you want to go out on a course, Up North Orienteers charges $5 for the use of the maps and equipment.
The meet starts at 10:00 am, so we'll assemble at 11:00 am when the rush to register is over. Everyone who goes out on a course needs to check back in by 2:00 pm, so that we don't have to send out a search party. I'll do some map and compass instruction promptly at 11:15 am. After that, you can stay as long or as short as you like.
Be sure to park ONLY in a legal parking space while on campus. Parking fines are steep! There is a parking lot in front of Gregg Hall with spaces. There are a few parking spaces at the trailhead into College Woods. And there is more parking available on Waterworks Road along the railroad track.