ORIENTEERING | PERMANENT COURSE
Upper Dublin Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Fort Washington State Park
10/2020
ORIENTEERING - What is it?
Orienteering is a sport of Scandinavian origin. The
game’s objective is to locate fairly easy-to-nd
markers in the woods with the aid of a map and, if you
like, a compass. The challenge of orienteering results
from participants’ not knowing ahead of time the
markers’ locations. The test lies in determining the
best routes between these locations and, in the sport’s
competitive form, in nding all these points (called
controls) in the least possible time. At its best, not only
does orienteering improve your knowledge of
geography and practical navigation, it enhances
physical and mental tness as well.
Orienteering is a sport for people of all ages, abilities,
and gender. Participants can travel alone or in groups,
running or strolling, to win the contest or merely to
savor nature’s beauty, which, as any orienteer will
attest, is winning itself. The sport provides excellent
family fare.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Reference the course control sheet for course
distance and total course climb. The course begins at
the parking lot, indicated on the map with a triangle
symbol. The course ends at the start location, indicated
on the map with a double circle symbol.
2. Familiarize yourself with the map before you begin.
NOTE: Familiarization with the map relative to the elds,
roads, and features shown is easier if you hold the map
at in front of you and rotate it until it is “oriented” to
the terrain. Magnetic North lines will help if you have a
compass, but you will nd that the map is detailed
enough that you may not need one on this course.
3. Set out to visit the controls in the sequence outlined
on the map starting at the start triangle and proceeding
towards control #1. Upon reaching each control,
record, on the course control sheet provided, the letter
code shown on the marker post placard (see
illustrations to the right). You may also want to time
yourself from start to nish.
SAFETY NOTES
At the pace of a slow stroll, the course at Fort
Washington State Park can ordinarily be completed
within 60 minutes. It is wise to take this into
consideration, especially when setting off towards
dusk. On the remote chance you become hopelessly
disoriented, make your way north to Militia Hill Road.
Remember that the sun rises in the east and sets in
the west.
Some areas of the park may be hazardous. We told
the Park Rangers we would remind you that you are
responsible for you and your groups’ safety.
Suppose, after a fairly challenging and satisfying
amount of navigation, you nally arrive at the vicinity
of control #3. To your delight, you sight it precisely
where it should be: at the foot path trail junction.
Take a closer look; you will notice the control number
and letter code on the marker post placard.
That’s it! You’re off to your next control, and so on to
the nish.
By recording the letter codes in the
appropriate box on the control
sheet, you provide proof of your visit
to the control for later verication.
INFORMATION
Fort Washington State Park consists of 493 acres in
eastern Montgomery County. It takes its name from the
temporary fort built by George Washington’s troops in
the fall of 1777, before heading to Valley Forge.
For information about park activities, contact: Fort
Washington State Park, 500 South Bethlehem Pike,
Fort Washington, PA 19034-2107, 215-591-5250.
For information about local orienteering events, other area
permanent courses, and club membership in eastern
Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware, or for
copies of this and other orienteering maps, please contact:
Delaware Valley Orienteering Association (DVOA),
14 Lake Drive, Spring City, PA 19475, 610-792-0502,
www.dvoa.org.
For a complete orienteering experience, please try one of
our local weekend events. You can nd the schedule at
www.dvoa.org. Membership entitles you to reduced map
fees at all of our events.
Congratulations and thank you for participating!
As an example, consider an imaginary control #3,
marked on the map as shown below:
Referring to the map legend, you note that the control
location, the point at the center of the circle, seems to
be crossing between two paths. To conrm the terrain
feature on which the control is located, look at the
description and feature symbols provided on the
sample control sheet shown below.