Tuesday 25 July 2017

Navigation training for the military skills guys

I had a blast last week Wednesday when I hosted a navigation training session for the five guys (four competitors plus coach) going over to the Military Skills competition abroad - they leave this week.

As I've been out of the local orienteering scene since I moved to Parys, I've kept myself busy with mapping the Forest Run area, the local primary school, a section of the Vaal River (for paddle-O) and assisting with the annual rogaining event, which was held out here last year and will be out here again this year. I've had a break for a while and so I was delighted to be recruited by the reservists to plan a training session for them.

I set them a 13km as-the-crow-flies course. Not too difficult, not too easy. The idea behind it was for them to get some practice reading contours and to get into the scale. The terrain can be challenging enough. During the event they compete in teams of three; the competitive trio covered 18 kilometres - they made one big error which cost them distance and time.


The other pair took it steady and had excellent navigation - bar a bad decision that saw them bashing through vegetation and totally missing the lovely path to their right.


I thoroughly enjoyed planning the event for them and also being out there looking for them. A really good day in the office is one where your desk isn't behind a computer.


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