Making the ease difficult
December 12, 2007 ...by Nenad
I am coming from Serbia where orienteering is not so devoloped. Also, orienteering is only a hobby for me. But I am glad to have the oportunity to train with Czech elite orienteerers and even take part in some orienteering competitions. As I am not Czech, my presence is making the Fo-ot international...
Idea of this training was an orienteering using a special map which contains only contours of the terrain. The terrain (Vracovske duny) wasn't a hilly one, but it has some little dunes which give the map some contours. But are they enough for the full orienteering?
As an orienteering beginner I used a normal map with all the standard elements. My task was simple - to put only one control and to find other four that Michal and Jan are going to put. The terrain is really an easy one, also very fast.
My course looked like projected for beginners that have sufficient amount of physical condition - 14.5km of more or less flat terrain with many paths and an easy controls. But, always that 'but'...
it is only if you have all those paths and vegetation type also in your map. It was very easy for me to identify all the contours of dunes,
but if you have not to identify, but to orientate yourself only having those contours - the training has the completely different level. I was thinking about this when putting my first control. The area was almost completely flat with very few contours and the leg was a long one (like all the legs during this training). After some time I met Jan running in the forest and asked him how it had been going. He confirmed me everything mentioned. It was not an easy task for him and Michal to find this control... Other 20km of their course were a little easier because the terrain has more of those valuable contours.
Map sample: A simple 2150 meters long leg on the "normal" map and the same (dificult one) on the contours map with a contour interval 2.5 meters.
I have also learnt my lesson, although not directly connected to orienteering. Don't forget to remember the exact place where the keys of the car are hidden. Ever! Waiting for one hour in a cold and windy South-Moravian forest is not intended to be the biggest impression of this training.
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