The Western PA Orienteering Club sent us an email about the upcoming scavenger hunt at Raccoon Creek State Park on March 25. I know there are quite a of our readers who have participated in previous scavenger hunts, the Urban Hike folks organize one every fall. This looks like a neat way to check out Raccoon Creek state park and patricipate in a scavenger hunt. Raccoongaine III is limited to 150 entries – according to the facebook group for the event – 115 have registered thus far so there is still room to enter.
In a rogaine-style format, individuals or teams have a fixed time (3 or 6 hours in this event) to visit as many checkpoints as possible; walking, running and resting as they see fit. The checkpoints are spread over a large area, and are pre-marked on a map issued shortly before the start of the event. Point values for visiting each control vary (and are specified in advance) depending on such factors as distance from the start/finish area, elevation, navigational complexity.
Participants in a Rogaine come from diverse backgrounds: hikers, walkers, cross-country runners, trail runners, adventure racers, ultra runners, orienteers, hashers and family groups. Widely varying levels of competitive intensity are found, going from the casual stroller who wants a little variety added to the weekend hike to the serious athlete. Map reading skill is perhaps the most important technique needed. Route planning strategy is also very important since there won’t be time to get all the controls, so the choice of which to try for is crucial in maximizing scores.
Here is a video of the 2011 event…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zeuf2KEu_8[/youtube]
Raccoongaine III
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Raccoon Creek State Park
Event starts at 10am, Maps will be handed out at 9am
Click here for complete event details
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