Adventurer of the week: Cascade Orienteering Club president Bob Forgrave
About 500 people will be scurrying around Lakewood’s Fort Steilacoom Park on Sunday morning (March 6), finding their way from target to target using just a map and compass.
Some will be kids. Some will be adults. Some will run. Some will walk.
The Cascade Orienteering Club is hosting the event, one of its approximately 35 it stages each year. The events are held in parks from Spanaway to Mount Vernon and participants of all levels and ages are invited.
“That is one of the things I think is unique to orienteering,” said Bob Forgrave, club president. “You look at a track meet and you go ‘Wow, it’s a meet, it’s a championship, my place is in the bleachers.’ Well, it’s not like that in orienteering. In orienteering there are different types of courses and there is always some level of beginner instruction.”
That’s what piqued the interest of Forgrave, a 55-year-old Kirkland resident, and his family. He, his wife and two daughters could all compete on different courses.
Participants get a map at the start and are required to navigate to various targets around the park, recording their progress along the way. Assistance is available for those who need it, Forgrave said.
We had a few questions about the sport and Forgrave, director of Sunday’s meet, recently took a few minutes to point us in the right direction.
Q: What do you need when you show up the first time, besides appropriate clothes?
A: It’s funny that you mention that, because that is the most important thing. We are orienteering in any weather. There are some events where it’s rained ¾ inch because we are holding it in February. A change of clothes is important. You want to have shoes that have good grip to them so you don’t slip.
A compass is useful but not required, especially on the more beginner courses. You’ll be given a whistle and you’ll be given a map. That’s about it. I guess, it doesn’t hurt to have $5 for chili. Chili and hot chocolate are the antidote for anything you experience out there.
Q: People are so reliant on their electronic devices these days. Will people come away from their first experience with a basic understanding of how to use a map and compass?
A: Absolutely. … It is an easy way to get familiar with map-based navigation. You are learning things that help you not get lost in the first place, like how to check your route entirely along the way. And the other thing is the skill of relocation. I did lose contact with my map, now what can I see around me that is on the map so that I can figure out where I am and where I need to go.
That is essential. Yes, we have phones with GPS and they work really great until your battery dies or you don’t have a signal. … Maps are as relevant as ever.
Q: What are some of the things that make orienteering a sport?
A: Once you get really used to reading a map, how complex a course can you follow? That could be a hiking thing of running thing. And if it’s a running thing, OK, how fast can you run without overrunning your ability to analyze the map.
Q: How does orienteering compare to geocaching?
A: It’s interesting, it has some things that are identical and some things that are the opposite. What’s identical is that you are getting out in the woods and you are going point to point looking for stuff, trying to solve a problem.
But, when you are geocaching, you are looking at this GPS unit and until you get very close to the area you are focused on that man-made thing. You could be going through a beautiful park and not have a clue about that. With us, we are looking all around us and saying ‘Oh, that is a stream, that is a hillside that should be on the map.’ So you are more aware of the park.
Q: What do you enjoy about running orienteering events?
A: I really enjoying watching people get better. … That is what powers me. This is kids learning how to set a goal and go after it step by step. If that isn’t a life skill, I don’t know what is.
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Learn more
Events: Pre-registration was required to participate in Cascade Orienteering Club’s training at Lakewood’s Fort Steilacoom Park on Sunday. Spectators are welcome for “Ultimate Orienteer” competition, which started Saturday in Spanaway. The Cascade Orienteering Club invites first-timers to events, said president Bob Forgrave. For more information, visit cascadeoc.org.
Maps: Orienteering maps for 16 Western Washington parks, including Fort Steilacoom and Federal Way’s Celebration Park, are available for free download at cascadeoc.org/map.
This story was originally published March 3, 2016 at 12:56 PM with the headline "Adventurer of the week: Cascade Orienteering Club president Bob Forgrave."