Caledon Navigators

On Sunday, February 10th, 2008, the Caledon Navigators hosted a Thomass Orienteering event at Glen Haffy (The Dingle). The post-race “buffet” was provided Christine Wallace, Kevin Gross and his wife Gunda Herzog, and Sarah Caylor.

There were many requests for the chili recipe so we posted it here for all to enjoy.

GUNDA HERZOG’S YUMMY CHILI

1 Tbsp. Olive oil (extra virgin)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 whole carrots, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 sweet red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, fresh or canned, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. Chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 cup cooked kidney beans (canned is fine)
1 cup cooked pinto beans (canned is fine)
1 28-oz can tomatoes chopped, we use crushed (reserve juice)
½ tsp. Freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp. Parsley finely chopped

In a large (non-aluminum) soup kettle, heat oil over low heat, add onion, carrot, garlic and peppers. Cover and cook until vegetables are very soft, about 10 minutes. Remove lid, add chili powder and cumin and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans, tomatoes and their juice, simmer 20 minutes. Add pepper. Top bowls of chili with parsley.

DOWNLOAD RESULTS (Microsoft Excel)

BECOME A MEMBER

On Sunday, February 10th, 2008, the Caledon Navigators hosted a Thomass Orienteering event at Glen Haffy (The Dingle).

The Dingle is a renowned area for Bruce Trail hikers. Relative to the geography of Ontario, the venue occurs where the Oak Ridges Moraine meets the Niagara Escarpment. The result is spectacular views and sometimes unusual geographic formations - such as The Dingle.

An unprecedented number of our club members entered this event, many of them doing their first-ever orienteering competition. Thanks to extremely deep snow, it turned out to be the toughest Thomass race so far this season! Some of the racers used snowshoes, which doesn’t happen often, but snow conditions were extraordinary. Interestingly, the top six finishers were evenly divided between people who used snowshoes and people who didn’t, so it seems to come down to personal preference at the highest level.

Race Director Keith Sanger did a great job of coordinating the event. Leanne Mueller set a course that explored a wide variety of different terrain types and included some challenging navigation. Rumour has it that she was trying to set a course that an elite male racer wouldn’t win - but one of Canada’s top adventure racers, Bob Miller, disappointed her by taking 1st place in 1 hr 41 minutes! Denise Rispolie, a finisher of the 2007 Canadian Death Race, placed 2nd, and Andrei Logvin, the current leader in the 2007/08 Thomass Series, placed 3rd.

The top Caledon Navigator was Bill Wells, who placed 6th even though he took a break mid-race to help several other competitors free a deer that had become stuck in a fence. (Yeah, right, the old “deer caught in a fence” excuse…)

An absolutely fantastic post-race buffet was put on by Christine Wallace, Kevin Gross and his wife Gunda Herzog (who isn’t even an orienteer yet), and Sarah Caylor. Yummy chili, hot chocolate and brownies warmed everyone up. We’re going to become known as the Gourmet Orienteering Club, since bottled water and cookies are the standard post-race meal.

Karen Sanger and Gunda deserve special pats on the back (maybe even hugs) from our club for volunteering for over 4 hours while standing at a frigid roadside!

George Shannon, Richard Ehrlich and Ian Sidders (an honorary CN member for the day) took down the flags that Leanne and I had put up. Angus Doughty will be coordinating the crew to take down the ribbons next week after an orienteering training session.

Last, but not least, a BIG thanks to Pete Cameron who provided some *amazing* prizes from Salomon.

Thanks from all of us to all of the club members who contributed in various ways. Our young club is really coming together and getting things done! Looking forward to our next event.

DOWNLOAD RESULTS (Microsoft Excel)

BECOME A MEMBER

On Sunday, February 10th, 2008, the Caledon Navigators will be hosting a Thomass Orienteering event at Glen Haffey (The Dingle).

The Dingle is a renown area for Bruce Trail hikers. Relative to the geography of Ontario, the venue occurs where the Oak Ridges Moraine meets the Niagara Escarpment. The result is spectacular views and sometimes unusual geographic formations - such as The Dingle.

This venue was last used for orienteering by the Gators for an event associated with the Canadian Championships Festival of 2006. Before that, the Gators use it for Day 2 of the Ontario Orienteering Championships of 2005.

The SPORTident timing system will be used for this event. Please see the directions below.

REGISTER FOR THE RACE

BECOME A MEMBER

Our final club event of 2007 is coming up on Saturday Nov. 17. For those of you with full club memberships, this event is *free* - so it’s a bargain AND lots of fun!

The 4th Tree Hugger Invitational fun navigation race will start around 2 p.m. (schedule to be finalized) followed by awards. This race is part of a larger event, AR Wrap-up 2007 - a celebration of adventure
racing - so the prizes are usually pretty good!

Do the nav race solo or in a team of two. You can enter as a Runner or a Hiker. Consider racing with your kids! It will be a 90-minute event where you visit as many flags as you can, answering questions on a clue sheet as you go. This is not your usual orienteering race! You’ll probably need to remember some basic geography and arithmetic - and be prepared to observe things in the environment around you.

Mandatory gear: indelible pen, compass, whistle, watch, weather- appropriate clothing and (optionally) water.

Race entry is $15, half-price for kids aged 13-18, and free for kids aged 12 and under. Also free for full Caledon Navigators members, of course!

Race registration is being handled through Evite, as this is an semi- invitational event. Please e-mail me at barbrich@ca.inter.net if you would like to be added to the invitation.

NavStock is a family camping and orienteering weekend on June 15-17 at Bass Lake Provincial Park near Barrie. There will be 4 orienteering races, and you are welcome attend some or all of them, whether or not you are staying for the weekend. Friday will be a rare night orienteering event near Hardwood Hills. The other weekend races are being used as selection races for Canada’s national team, so this is a great opportunity to see some of Canada’s best orienteers in action while testing yourself on courses designed for different age groups. There is a BBQ by the beach at Bass Lake on Saturday night with fun activities for kids and adults. Check out the details at NavStock. Registration closes on Tuesday night.

Come out to Palgrave Forest & Wildlife Area on Thurs. June 14 for an informal training evening with your clubmates! Pick up your map between 6:00 and 6:30, and check back in by 7:30 p.m. All ages and abilities are welcome. If you’d like some navigation coaching, we will arrange for a group to go out with an experienced orienteer at 6:30 p.m.

Bring your compass. Some people like to wear glasses (clear or slightly tinted) while bushwhacking.

Directions: Starting on Hwy 50 south of the village of Palgrave, turn west onto Patterson Sideroad. Turn right (north) onto Duffy’s Lane, and drive 1-2 km until you see 17650 Duffy’s Lane on your left. The parking lot will be on your right about 50 m north of that house.

This training night is free for full members of the Caledon Navigators and the Ukrainian Club. Adult members of other clubs (or OOA Basic members) are welcome at a cost of $7, and juniors (under 20) are $3.

Please e-mail Barb Campbell if you are planning to come, and also indicate if you are interested in joining the coached group. You can still show up on the event night without registering ahead of time, but this will give us an idea of how many maps to print.

Join the our GoogleGroups List at http://groups.google.com/group/CaledonNavigators to get the latest on this and other events.

The next club meeting is set for Tuesday 15th May and will start at 7 pm. The location is the Caledon Hills Cycling store at 15640 McLaughlin Road in Inglewood.

We will be discussing proposed training sessions and events that we will be organizing throughout the remainder of 2007. So, if you’d like to have input, please plan on attending.

The Caledon Navigators hosted the 5th race in the Thomass winter orienteering series on a day with brilliant sunshine and lots of fluffy snow. The Golden Horseshoe Orienteering Club granted us the use of their 2006 map of Palgrave West - the first time it had been used in a formal orienteering event. Sarah and Mary Caylor, who live on the map, generously offered their property as the race headquarters. The map is relatively small and varied, so participants raced around one loop, including a Thomass Box, then returned for a map exchange and headed out to do a second loop that included another Thomass Box. Novices did a trail orienteering course with an optional shortcut. Nick Duca was the overall winner in a race that was physically challenging due to the snow depth, but left most participants smiling, because there’s nothing more fun and Canadian than playing in the snow. After the race, Sarah Caylor, a member of the Caledon Navigators, provided yummy homemade brownies and apple cider around a cheery bonfire in her back yard, in view of the finish line.

On Oct. 22, the Caledon Navigators are excited to partner with the Canadian Cross-Training Club (C3) to put on the Indian Summer Orienteering Fest. We’ll start with an introductory morning navigation clinic, then hold an afternoon orienteering event that will be suitable for novices and families as well as elite athletes. Registration begins at 9:15 a.m. in the Forest View Picnic Area at Glen Haffy Conservation Area. The clinic begins at 10 a.m. Bring your own light picnic lunch, then get ready to head out for some orienteering at noon. We’ll start with a score orienteering event where participants can practise their newfound navigation skills for up to 90 minutes - or less, if they prefer. For those who just haven’t had enough, we will finish with a 2.5 kilometer orienteering sprint, with lots of fun guaranteed for the spectators. We’ll wrap up the day around 4 p.m. Cost for the event is $15 per adult, $10 for juniors age 13-19, $5 under age 12. The introductory clinic is an additional $5/adult, no charge for juniors and students. For more information, e-mail caledonnavigators@yahoo.ca.

If you think you may come, please pre-register online by Oct. 20 to ensure that a map will be printed for you. Fees are collected at the event.

Online registration is available at http://www.orienteering.on.ca/events/cnoc/IndianSummerO2006.html

Bohdan Kolos from the Ukranian Club (UKR) offered to run a Beginners Orienteering Clinic. I didn’t understand his enthusiasm until I saw how all the women hung onto his every word. From the photos it looks like the men had a difficult time getting a space at the table. It was at that moment that I knew I wanted to become a orienteering instructor too.

Actually, Bohdan also helped me setup the finish line and posed for practice photos so I could take those action shots I took all day.

Becoming an Orienteering Instructor.

See the entire Bohdan Kolos Photo Album at Flickr.