Orienteering finds its way to popularity

It's a scavenger hunt to some, a muddy-shoed challenge to others. It's a family outing, a strategy game, a cross-training exercise or the ultimate urban adventure.

It's orienteering — the art and craft of navigating by map through prickly bushes, up wooded ravines, down into boggy marshes, hidden trails and other terrain to reach checkpoints and cross a finish line. And it's becoming more popular each year.

More than 25,000 people from all over the world took part last year in what's sometimes described as the biggest orienteering party on the planet: the O-Ringen event in Sweden. A local orienteering event at Woodland Park last year drew nearly 300.

This year's 25th annual Bog Slog at St. Edward State Park in Kenmore on Saturday drew scores of die-hard denizens as well as dozens of newcomers.

"It's really fun," said 8-year-old Deanta Kelly, who skipped from the final checkpoint of the easiest course down to the finish line where others, who were sprinting for time on the harder trails, raced in beside her.

"The hardest part is trying not to orient to the south," she said, referring to an easy-to-make mistake that's about the equivalent of reading the map upside down. "The best part is finding your way around. I'm not an expert, but I can do it myself."

The underlying principle of the sport is to use a map to steer through a course as fast as possible, according to orienteering instructor Mike Schuh. A compass is an oft-used tool but not a requirement.

An affinity for mud, good shoes and at least one change of clothes are also recommended.

Those who participated in yesterday's event, put on by the Cascade Orienteering Club, walked, ran or rode mountain bikes, but there are orienteering event for skiers, kayakers and canoers. There also have been nighttime matches and a few other oddball events.

"We once did one using buses and the Metro bus schedule," Schuh said.

Seconds before the timer starts, participants are handed a detailed topographical map that outlines the course, shows the checkpoints and gives indications of landmarks.

"Reading on the run is a technique you develop," Schuh said.

Initially, it seems as if the point is simply to get from one point to the next, but in fact, the challenge is in figuring how best to do that.

"You have to be able to think," said Tori Borish, whose team from Lakeside High School placed first in a statewide orienteering event last year.

"And it's a lot more fun that running around a track," said her teammate Catherine Olsson.

They've gotten lost in the woods before, but they've learned how to look for landmarks, retrace their steps and seek higher ground for the clearer view it offers, they said.

The popularity of the sport has increased in recent years for a couple of reasons.

Locally, the formation of the Washington Interscholastic Orienteering League has introduced thousands of high-schoolers to the sport. Plus, a nationwide interest in adventure racing has brought people to the events.

"Adventure racing frequently has a navigation component, and a lot of people find initially that they're not good at it," Schuh said.

Harvey Friedman, who has been coming to orienteering events since the first Bog Slog, said he enjoys it even more as the years pass.

"It's not like road running, where after a while all you see is heels, and then not even that, and then you get discouraged," he said. "As long as you can see and think and hobble along, you can still get pleasure out of orienteering."

The next major orienteering challenge will take place Saturday at Priest Point Park in Olympia. For more information see www.cascadeoc.org.

Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com