Submitted by Garrick Larkin on
This course teaches navigation skills that are essential for leading club trips as well as sports like rogaining and orienteering.
Course Format and Content
The course consists of about 7 hours of theory and in class practical exercises which will be taught in a class room at ANU on 3 Thursday nights. There will also be a practical session on a Saturday morning at Mt Ainslie to slowly go through practical skills in a realistic setting.
After each formal session participants should practice the skills to ensure that they reinforce them. While there are many ways to do this the easiest would be to attend events organised by the Orienteering ACT or the ACT Rogaining Association.
The course starts with the foundational skills of understanding the information on your map and how to use different types of compasses. It then teaches both basic and advanced navigation skills divided into categories of map to ground based skills, dead reckoning based skills and skills to work out your position after you have got lost. The final session reinforces the technique and covers new topics like grid references and GPS that would be useful for trip leaders.
The course covers the essentials that would be covered in a professional navigation course but excludes some less important content to fit in a shorter timeframe. The presenter has past experience teaching navigation professionally.
Planned Dates
- 23 February 6-8:15pm - ANU Melville Hall Room G51 (Map at http://www.anu.edu.au/maps#toggles=302&list_buildings=1&show=28945 )
- 2 March 6-8:15pm - ANU Melville Hall Room G51
- 9 March 6-8:15pm - ANU Law G14 (Map at http://www.anu.edu.au/maps#search=law&show=31111)
- 18 March 10am – Mt Ainslie
Suggested opportunities to practice skills:
- 20 Feb Street Orienteering Garran
- 22 Feb Twilight Orienteering #14, Lake Ginninderra
- 27 Feb Street Orienteering Red Hill
- 1 Mar Twilight Orienteering #15, Waramanga Campuses
- 5 March 2017 ACT Paddy Pallin 6 hour
- 8 Mar Twilight Orienteering #16, Commonwealth Park
Cost (not including Orienteering or Rogaining entry fees)
- Free to club trip leaders who have lead at least 2 trips
- $20 full time student club members
- $40 non-full time student club members
The cost will be refunded to any club member who completes the course and becomes a trip leader leading at least 2 trips within 12 months.
If places are available non-members can attend at an additional $50 cost.