The
Orienteering Hampton Roads group (a facade for
Encompass-Adventure, really) is putting on an "Extreme-O" event this Saturday in Chesapeake at
Northwest River Park. If you want to get in on the fun, you need to
register by this Thursday at Active.com because the Extreme-O maps and materials are expensive to produce (they don't want to make too many extra if they don't have to).
What is Extreme-O? It depends on the course designer, but Extreme-O can involve a combination of satellite photos, topo maps, standard orienteering maps, instructions to follow compass bearings, etc. For example, it might go like this:
- You start the course getting a standard O-map showing you the location of the first control; only one control is shown on this initial map.
- At the first control, you get a series of photographs showing you the route to follow to the second control . . . one photo might show a park sign, another photo might show a downed tree across a stream, etc. It's up to you to locate the second control using these photographs as clues to the proper route. It can be tough, but very fun!
- At the 2nd control, you might get a satellite photo showing the location of the 3rd control.
- At the 3rd control, you might just get a sheet of paper with a compass bearing and instructions on distance to the next control (follow a 110 degree bearing for 150 meters).
And so on. It can be a really fun challenge,
but it takes a ton of preparation to pull off so a huge thanks to Encompass for making it happen and
be sure to sign up no later than Thursday if you want in on the fun this Saturday.
Northwest River Park also rents canoes and has some good paddling options, so you could combine the Extreme-O with some paddling to make it a longer training day. I'm crossing my fingers that I can make it out there this Saturday, but I need to see how some other things shape up . . .