Essentials Preparation for Outdoor Programme

Everybody loves outdoor activity, but not everybody able to organize a memorable outdoor programme. 

“In order to know where you’re going, you’re going to need to know where you want to end up.”

Who is going on the trip? What adventure activity will we choose? Where will the trip take

place? When will the trip be held? Why are we going on this trip? How do we do everything that

needs to be done in order to plan a FUN, safe and challenging backcountry trip that both

leaders and participants enjoy? These questions form the basis for trip planning. The following

is a series of more specific questions that, when answered, will help establish trip details.

Leadership Team

● Who’s interested? Who’s available?

● Relevant and recent backcountry experience?

● Recent and relevant experience working with the age group of the participants?

● Current qualifications?

● Who has worked (tripped) together before as leaders?

● What are their leadership styles? Communication styles?

● Night Owls vs. Early Birds; Grazers vs. Meal-timers

● Health status (allergies, medical conditions that might be problematic in the backcountry)

● DIY (Do it yourself) vs. TPSP (Third Party Service Provider)

Can we do this? Should we do this? What’s my comfort level?

Participants

● Who’s interested? Who’s available?

● Relevant and recent backcountry experience? Current qualifications?

● Are there prerequisites in order to be considered for the trip?

● Do they know each other?

● Have they camped or tripped with each other?

● What are their learning styles? Communication styles?

● Health status (allergies, medical conditions that could be problematic in the backcountry)

● How much training and orientation will they require to be successful on the trip?

Support (Home Contact Person) Team

● Who’s interested?

● Who’s available?

● Are they always available and what’s Plan B?

● Have they been oriented as Support Personnel?

● How well do I know them?

● How well do they know me and my competencies and experience?

● Communication styles?

The What

● What’s the primary means of transport?

● What do we need (gear, knowledge, skills, etc.)

● What is the activity? What are we doing while on the trip?

● What’s plan B?

● What documentation is necessary pre-trip (authorization and approval), during the trip

and debriefing/report post-trip? 

The Where

● Where will the trip start? Where will it finish?

● Where are you going to stay and camp on a day-by-day basis (trip/float plan)?

● Where are they ‘emergency exits’ along the way?

● Is where we’re going a controlled area or Crown Land (Cdn waters vs. intl waters)?

● What kind of climate is it? (marine, tundra, Canadian Shield, alpine)

● Are permits required? If so, what are the permit restrictions (size of group, numbers of

tents, cooking methods, etc.)?

● Are there fire restrictions or bans?

The When

● When are we going? For how long?

● What time of year is it?

● When do we need to leave home to be at the trailhead/put in on-time?

● Large group/small group (high vs. low and shoulder seasons by activity type)

● When do we need to acquire our permits?

● When do we need to communicate with our leadership team? With our home support

team? With our participants? With GGC? With the relevant parks/police authorities?

The Why

● Why do we want to do this trip (WIIFM – What’s In it for Me?)?

● Why does each of the participants want to do this trip?

● What are everyone’s trip expectations? (Are they only interested in how many kms. they

can log, or do they want to be able and stop and smell the roses along the way?)

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Basic Nutrition Planning Tips

The following are basic tips for planning and organizing food for an adventure camp:
● Bring electrolyte powder or other juice crystals to add to the water
● Pre-measure portions by meal or per participant
● Bring extra stuff sacks or dry bags for food storage/food caching
● Pack food in multiple stuff sacks/dry bags rather than in one large bag and have each
group member carry a portion of the food
● Pack foods by meals or by days, whatever way of organizing works. Be organized and
make a list of who in the group is carrying which meals or which day of food
● Ensure snacks can be easily accessed (and not buried) while
hiking/biking/canoeing/kayaking, etc.
● Remove food from original packaging when possible to cut down on bulkiness, but keep
any necessary cooking instructions. Pack snacks in Ziploc bags for each day
● Choose meals that are easiest and take the least amount of time to prepare
● Always bring an extra meal or two on trips in case of an unexpected delay
● Don’t forget to drink lots of water – at the minimum 2 litres per day, and more when
exercising and in hot weather. If you are feeling thirsty, you are already dehydrated
● Bring small packages of condiments, peanut butter, honey and jam instead of large jars
● Packaging food in a food saver helps keep it fresher longer.


The right to make a copy for personal use is part of most existing publishing agreements. This right is recognised as an important right for the author. Because the right is attached to the author and in most cases well defined, personal use won’t harm the publisher.

Navigation Tips for Beginners

Put all your navigation skills together to create a route for a group activity/adventure. Using variables such as the group’s goals, needs and abilities, you can research and explore options for your activity. Acquire relevant maps (recreational/topographic), read about the route in a guidebook, and find some recent route descriptions from an online source. Select the best path to achieve your objective. Mind map: think about the route to take, the conditions that may affect your day (temperature, winds, second day of a trip) and how far you want to travel. Look at options; are there other routes or campsites available to use as a contingency plan? If you plan for the unexpected, and find yourself having to adapt during your day, you will have another

route to follow and succeed.

Your home contact person (HCP) is your lifeline and back-up plan. The HCP should have a good understanding of what you are planning to do and how you plan to do it, including alternative plans. If you are using a locator beacon to check in, the HCP should have an understanding of what the SPOT can tell them – your position, and a SPOT’s limitations – it is only a one-way communication device. If you have UTM co-ordinates listed as part of you route plan, your home contact must know what the coordinates are. Ensure your HCP has the information and training she needs to assist you.

Landmarks

Landmarks are distinctive features that you can find in your area as well as on the map. Examples include peaks, lakes while on land, the end of a small island or the mouth of a stream. Matching your map with landmarks is one of the foundations to all map reading.

Handrails

Handrails are linear features leading you in the direction you wish to go. Identify a handrail on the map and in the field and then follow it towards your objective. Trails and roads are the most obvious handrails but you can follow fences, streams, edges of fields and other long narrow features just as easily as long as they are both on the map and in the field.

A good example would be a stream: a good way to get to your destination is to first get to the stream then follow the stream to your to help you find your destination. Following a handrail takes much less concentration then following a compass bearing. Also since a handrail is illustrated on a map and a compass bearing isn’t following a handrail makes it much easier to keep track of where you are. Using the water’s edge as a handrail while navigating on water can be more difficult as every bay can look similar, and some portages can be hard to locate.

Aiming Off

Aiming off is a technique to ensure you find your final destination, once you have hit your handrail. If you walk out onto a road, which way do you turn to find the parking lot on this road? When you cross a lake, is your campsite to the left or right along the shoreline? When trying to hit a handrail, plan to intentionally veer a few degrees to one side of your objective, so that when you hit the handrail (the road or opposite shoreline), you will be confident in which direction you need to turn. If you aim off to the right slightly, when you hit your handrail, you would turn left to reach your destination.

Estimating Distance

Estimating the distance between two points can be done using the following methods:

● Measure the straight-line distance with the ruler on your compass, and compare with the scale chart on the bottom of the map.

● Use the string on your compass to measure the direct line, or curve it along a known trail: Start fingers at one spot, lay the string on the map/trail, mark the end point by pinching with your fingers. Pull the string straight and measure against the scale chart.

● A quick way to estimate distance is to count the UTM 1 km gridlines, although this will only be approximate. Always count both the gridline across and the gridline up as one each; never count a gridline diagonally as one. This can work very well for cross-country travel without trails (alpine or grassland), and when on the water. Meandering trails with numerous switchbacks will be more difficult to estimate distance for using this method. Although it may be easy to estimate distance over water, factors such as tides, currents, waves and wind will greatly affect your travel time.

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Orienteering Tips for Beginners

If you are planning to race in orienteering one day, here I share some of the tips for you. 

Get tips from the experts

There are many comprehensive guide books for starting out in orienteering which include training tips, how to prepare mentally as well as physically and race nutrition advice. As well as books, orienteering events are enjoying increasing exposure in magazines and on television and useful race tips can be gleaned from interviews with race experts.

Attend a training courses

Many orienteering course offered (by Ministry of Youth & Sports, by Magnet Edge Orienteering) to help people who are just starting out in orienteering. These events will focus on all basic aspects of orienteering from reading the maps, using the compass, and orienteering simulation. Perhaps near the future there will some courses such as orienteering training plan, nutrition, race preparation and race strategies.

Practice your navigation

Take some time to practice map reading and navigating before entering a race. Most orienteering events use either 1:15000 or 1:10000 scale maps. These maps are very highly detailed but you should practice navigating with them prior to entering your first event. This will help you not only get used to the different scale but also the different map symbols that orienteering maps use!

Ignore other competitors

When you first start orienteering it can be very tempting to follow other competitors but this completely defeats the whole object of competing in the first place and you might end up following someone who is either lost or is in a completely different event to you. Learn to use self-confidence and follow your own route.

Relocation training

Relocation (finding out exactly where you are after getting lost) is an art in itself, and there are several methods available depending on the type of terrain you are in. The more you practice your relocation skills then the quicker they will become, increasing your chances of preventing a minor mishap from developing into a total disaster!

Train properly

Training is the key to success when you're starting out in orienteering and the more time you dedicate to training, the higher your chances of success will be. In particular pay attention to your navigation skills as these will ultimately determine your success or failure.

Plan your race

In any orienteering event, time is given to every competitor to plan the race after all the checkpoint details have been given out. A big mistake made by many novice competitors is to rush off into the race, but it is worth spending a little extra time at this vital planning phase as it will make the race go far more smoothly for you. Listen carefully to the pre-race briefing so you don’t miss vital information on race rules, out of bounds areas (private land or farmland), water supply points and checkpoint locations then plan your race accordingly.

Nutrition aspect

Just as important as training for an event is eating properly. Prior to your race eat the right balance of proteins, carbohydrates and vitamins in a low fat diet. During orienteering events high-energy bars and gels are ideal.

Drink enough water

Drink plenty of water prior to a race and ensure you know the locations of water supply points. Depending on the duration of an event you can also carry a Camelbak-type hydration system allowing you to keep hydrated without having to stop.

First aid

One of the most important aspects of first aid training for orienteering events is being able to recognize various symptoms in a fellow competitor and treat them before they become a serious concern. Prevention is always much better than cure! Basic first aid training has obvious useful benefits not just for orienteering events but for everyday occurrences whether at work or at home, so take the time and a little money to invest in a course.

The right to make a copy for personal use is part of most existing publishing agreements. This right is recognised as an important right for the author. Because the right is attached to the author and in most cases well defined, personal use won’t harm the publisher.

Introduction to Orienteering

Orienteering is a great sport for getting your body fit and healthy through enjoyable and social exercise. As well as stretching your map reading mental powers, orienteering offers a great workout for the legs, encompassing a fair amount of running.

Orienteering is a race competed by individuals over rugged terrain to find a number of checkpoints, in a given order, using a map and compass. In orienteering there is no set route that competitors must follow, instead, it is up to each individual competitor to choose their own route between checkpoints.

What is orienteering?

Orienteering equally combines both physical and mental abilities and competitors will have to make many decisions about which route to take to the next checkpoint based on the terrain, their own fitness and navigational ability. Orienteering events range from entry-level ‘sprint’ events to mountain marathons taking place over long distances and mountainous terrain during which competitors must carry sufficient food, water and camping equipment.

Orienteering began as a series of military exercises by the Swedish army during the 1890s and due to the efforts of a Major Ernst Killander to make the sport more ‘mainstream’ the modern sport of orienteering was born.

Throughout the 1950s, 60s and 70s the sport increased in popularity until today over 60 countries actively participate in the sport overseen by the International Orienteering Federation.

What’s the buzz about orienteering?

There are many buzzes to orienteering but one of them is the sheer enjoyment in putting your physical and mental abilities to the test, as well as watching them improve as you compete more regularly. Unlike cross-country or road running races, orienteering events are set within a defined area but there is no set route that a competitor must follow. This adds to the kick of orienteering as the route planning and decision making is down to you. No two competitors will follow the same route to complete a race.

Race organisers are cunning in their placement of checkpoints, putting you to the test! Sometimes the shortest route to the next checkpoint will be over hilly ground, meaning slow progress will be made, so will you decide to take the longer, flatter but maybe faster alternative route … it’s up to you! Each new race introduces the racer to new terrain and new challenges making orienteering a dynamic and highly enjoyable sport.

Finally, competitors unable to succeed in a purely physical event such as cross-country running, can equal or even beat physically stronger athletes though the use of their navigation skills, race planning and decision making. This is also the case in adventure racing.

Who can do orienteering?

Orienteering is a sport open to people of all ages and abilities. Events will often incorporate different courses for competitors based on their age, physical ability and experience. Events are held all over the country but generally located in more hilly or rugged areas of the country, as well as events all over the world.

Just like adventure racing, urban orienteering events have now evolved to make the sport accessible to more people.

What is orienteering like?

Ever been lost in your car, trying to keep one eye on the map and the other on the road? Now imagine that you are navigating on foot over unfamiliar, hilly and wooded terrain, maybe at night, against the clock and other competitors … welcome to orienteering!

Orienteering races will be filled with ‘highs and lows.’ At times you will be cruising along and realize how much your physical, mental and navigational abilities have improved since you took up the sport … at other times you come to a screeching halt in a swamp leaving you lost and frustrated, but you must learn to deal with these situations and get quickly back on track.

You will always walk away from a race learning from any mistakes and being better prepared for your next event but the feeling of satisfaction in achieving what seemed almost impossible to you a few months ago is extremely rewarding!

Who can participate?

Orienteering is one of the very few sports truly open to competitors of all ages and abilities. Events are organised for entrants as young as 8 whilst the International Orienteering Federation’s youngest championship category is for 10-year-old, and they have had competitors over 85 years-old!

Some events are open to disabled competitors through trail orienteering accessible to wheelchairs.

Do you have to do a course or train before getting out there and orienteering?

One of the great things about orienteering is that it is a sport that welcomes people of all ages and abilities so you don’t have to do a course or train in order to give it a go … just turn up and get out there!

Often the best way to learn is by simply having a go, learning by trial and error and taking away what you learn from an event to improve on your next performance.

Of course like anything else in life ‘the more you put into it the more you will get out’ so a little prior fitness and navigation training will go a long way to helping you enjoy your first orienteering experiences.

The right to make a copy for personal use is part of most existing publishing agreements. This right is recognised as an important right for the author. Because the right is attached to the author and in most cases well defined, personal use won’t harm the publisher.