Caledon Navigators

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.

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.

I’m melting! I’m melting!

I had to quote the Wizard of Oz when referring to this race at Albion Hills Conservation Area in Palgrave, Ontario. Even though a good wind cut down the humidity, the temperature during the race went from 25C to a high of 34C for the day.

We had alot of new new racers take advantage of our free orienteering clinic (a few experienced racers felt they needed lessons too!) and they all really enjoyed the short-course we set up for them.

Thank-You to everyone that attended.

See the entire Albion Hills Orienteering Race Photo Album on Flickr.

We organized our first orienteering race at Heart Lake Conservation Area, Caledon, Ontario. It was a very successful race with great participants, weather, race course, and volunteers.

There were over 50 participants all with very happy faces on. Before that race that is. After the race, there weren’t so many happy faces, although they were happy on the inside.

Luckily the weather was over 10 degrees and the sun started to shine just before the start of the race. This made for some excellent photographs.

Thank You to our volunteers, Orienteering Ontario, and Heart Lake Conservation Area for helping to make this a successful event.

See the entire Thomass Heart Lake March 2006 Photo Album on Flickr