Up North Orienteers is inviting individuals to traverse the outdoors this weekend, both physically and mentally, during The Burnt Mountain Summer Spectacular on Sunday in Lebanon.
Jim Arsenault, the president of Up North Orienteers, which supports events primarily in New Hampshire and is an offshoot of the New England Orienteering Club, described orienteering as a “navigation sport.”
Adding that generally participants are “using a map to find control locations, whether in the woods, in an urban setting, whether you’re on foot, running, walking, on a mountain bike, doing it on skis, whatever.”
Arsenault likened the field of participants to a community 5K in that there will be individuals using the custom-made maps, flying through the course, tagging the control locations and attempting to reach the finish in personal-best times. At the same time, there may also be families with young children.
“Local events like what we’re doing this weekend — it’s designed so that it can be done by the whole family, individually or collectively,” Arsenault said.
As part of Sunday’s event, there are different course levels for seasoned participants and newcomers alike based on both length and navigational challenge.
“(That’s) one of the main ideas, especially given that everyone in orienteering wants to increase the amount of interest and involvement people have in the sport in the U.S.,” said Erik Tamre, a post-doc candidate at Dartmouth College who is a native of Estonia, a country where the sport is more popular.
“We very much want to make it so that anyone, with any level of ability or background, can in fact come and participate,” he added.
Tamre, who is also a member of the Up North Orienteers, indicated that easier courses are mainly along trails, while some of the most challenging are off-trail and feature tough terrain. Examples of shorter courses for Sunday’s event are around 2.5 kilometers in straight-line distance, while longer ones stretch to a little over 7Ks.
But mere distance does not necessarily equate to difficulty, as shorter courses could include more challenging navigation.
Sunday’s event is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. and run until noon. Registration can be done beforehand or on the day of the event.
Day-of registration, as well as the start and finish, will be at the “trailhead on the south side of the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center parking lot,” according to Arsenault. “I think there’s a loop road that goes around, and there’s a trailhead there just across from the southernmost part of the parking lot,” he added.
Most individuals can participate for $10. Those 20 years old or younger, or students at Dartmouth College, can participate for $5. Members of Up North Orienteers can enter for free.
Arsenault encouraged newcomers to check out the sport this weekend, noting that officials will direct individuals to the course that best suits them.
“Many times folks will go out and try the next harder course as well, once they get their feet on the ground,” he said.
For more information about Up North Orienteers and The Burnt Mountain Summer Spectacular, visit https://upnoor.org/event/burnt-mountain-lebanon/.
