My first Orienteering Rogaine on Tuesday 16 May was pure mud and fun! Starting with a 1.5km uphill walk to the starting point. Once there, we found out that there were thirty controls in total each worth 30, 40 or 50 points depending on how hard they were to get to, and we would have 90 minutes to get as many as possible. I was partnered up and we quickly got to work with planning out our route. We would try and get seven controls creating a loop from the start line to make it back on time. Everyone jostled to the starting pen and with the final ten seconds till it started, everyone counted down from ten, till the air horn went off and everybody bolted. Sadly, the idea of running didn’t last long as you either trotted on cow do do, rocks or squishy wet mud. After the 1st control the course took us up a very steep shuffle then down a hill to a ledge on the mountain, to find the 2nd control. Oh, but the 3rd was worse, it was an even steeper climb – once conquered, we enjoyed a very quick slide down the mountain, creating a look that covered the back of me in glorious mud. Each control was an adventure through mud, although I did find a freezing cold river that I could wash off in. Nature didn’t like that idea so much though because ten seconds later I slipped over, covering myself, in you guessed it, Mud!
Despite encountering obstacles such as muddy rivers, we collected controls, ran the final stretch, and earned 290 points, ultimately accomplishing the task successfully. 😂
