Sun, Sep 6 2015 - Orienteering with Map & Compass by the Hooch + Free Cookout (View Original Event Details) Trip Leader(s): Bobby Marie, Charlie Cottingham Participants: Charlie Cottingham, Chris Hansen, regina k, Gary F, Marina, Mike M, Marlene, Victor, Janet BF, Kathryn U, Sconi, Sharon B, Rich A., Daniel Mallory, CT Waidner, ANNA P, Eileen, Bobby Marie, Tatiana, Brad, Simo L, Kaysha, Charina, Jessica

Our big friendly AOC group had lots of fun together at "Jones Bridge" today at this annual event hosted by our friends in the GA Orienteering Club (GAOC) and enjoyed sticking around afterward for the delicious hotdog cookout.
  This was the 8th year in a row that we've organized "teams" of AOC map & compass enthusiasts of all experience levels to participate. The big free "O Meet" and cookout celebrates "National Orienteering Day," and is offered as a gift to the general public each September at the CRNRA "Environmental Education Center."  We AOCers begin the event each year with our own private informal "map & compass" tutorial session on the breezy upstairs covered deck of the Ed Center.
  The volunteer GAOC "O Meet Directors" set up several exciting "O courses" (a couple of days prior to O Day) in the wooded terrain along the Chattahoochee River, and the idea is for each participating team or individual to use their topographic maps and simple magnetic compasses to locate a series of orange & white "control flags" that are hung at various interesting features in the terrain.
  I'm proud of the other seven AOC map & compass novices in my own "wayfaring team" who did a great job making sure we found all 10 flags in our 3-km "Yellow Y" Course" in about an hour and a half.  Likewise our other two AOC teams, led by Bobby and Chris, had no problem finishing the same course and returning to the Start/Finish tent at about the same time we did.
  We O Day participants are indebted to our GAOC hosts Charlie & Chun Bleau (this year's "Meet Directors") - also to Jeff Lybarger, Bill Farrell, Martha Carr, Sam Smith, Laurie Searle, Les Hollingsworth and numerous other dedicated O Club volunteers.  We thank them for their gracious hospitality and hard work at this and other fine O meets year after year!   -Submitted by Charlie, Sunday at 5:00 PM