Orienteering meet at Hartwood Acres

I showed up promptly at 11 am at the Hartwood Acres entrance off Middle Road, but there was already a sizable crowd assembled. I got in line at the registration tent behind a couple of scouting groups and assorted others. While waiting, I got some tips on how to use the map and compass.

The idea is to point the centerline of the compass from your location on the map to your desired destination, then rotate the compass dial so that it aligns to north, measure the distance on the map, convert that to the scale ratio to determine the approximate distance to the goal. If you are really good, you maintain your bearing by keeping the needle aligned north while pacing off the number of yards...and voila.

It didn't work that way for me, but more on that in a bit. When I got to the desk, I learned that I could choose any of four courses, with increasing levels of difficultly. I picked the second easiest, the Yellow course, paid my $4 fee and was given a packet containing a topographical map of the park showing the locations of the course controls (orange flags placed all over the 600-acre property, a hint sheet with abbreviated clues where to look for the control ("Southmost rootstock," for example) and a scorecard to be punched at each control location to prove you were there.

When you are ready to start, you check in at the timing table, where they mark down your start time and away you go. After fooling with the compass a bit and studying the map, I realized that most of the controls were located near to paths, which were well marked on the map. I could see that if I walked along here and stopped before I reached that intersection, and then looked to the left side of the path, then it should be there.

And sure enough that's how it worked, first in the open field area of the park, then following Little Pine Creek (yes, that's the real name of our old creek) toward Hodil's, then swinging along our old trail toward the stables, and onward toward the north side of the woods before swinging back past the bandshell and then overland across the field and back to the start.

3.48 kilometers and 10 controls. I finished in 79 minutes. Pretty good, and enough time left for me to try a harder course. So I signed up for the second hardest course, Orange, paying just $2 for the second packet. (The official times are posted on the Western Pennsylvania Orienteering Club website here. Click on Meet Results and select the Hartwood meet to see my times. )

Guess what. The Orange course was much harder. Controls were further off the trails and they were hidden so they couldn't be seen at a distance. And there was a lot more elevation, including bushwhacking up the steep hill behind Hodil's, one of several areas of Hartwood where I had never been before. That part of the course led to the top of the pipeline cut, and then down over the other side into a deep thicket of woods where my trail-hugging strategy finally failed me. I couldn't find Control 7. Worse, I in fumbling around in my packet, I had dropped my scorecard. Bummer, without a scorecard I was going to be disqualified.

Then I heard some rustling off to my left about 20 yards—another orienteer who had just found Control 7. I made my way over to the flag and there under a rock was my scorecard. A friendly competitor had found it and left it there for me.

After that, there was no stopping me. I found the rest of the flags without further difficulty and hurried on back to the finish. Five kilometers, 11 controls, 132 minutes, 52 seconds. That was good enough for sixth place, but a full 50 minutes slower than the winner. (The competitive orienteers run from flag to flag.)

What a blast! It's a great sport for all ages. I plan to check out the Bay Area club. Doing it in our old stomping grounds at Hartwood Acres was an amazing experience for me. I heartily encourage others to consider checking it out for next year, perhaps as part of a reunion.

Of course, Hartwood has lots more to offer. The summer concert series brings in top talent in various genres. No acts named yet for 2009, but last summer you could have seen John Hiatt, Yonder Mountain String Band, Earl Klugh, and the Pittsburgh Symphony, among others. From the end of Green Valley Drive, it is about a 10 minute walk through the woods to the stage.

If the big reunion is summer 2010, let's do it on a weekend when there is a concert at Hartwood.