30. Navigate With Map and Compass #TBT

Orienteering has been one of my favorite activites for years but I haven't done it in the past 5 or 6 years!


This is skill number 30 of 100 Skills Every Man Should Know from The Art of Manliness. This is something I used to do with the boys several times a year, although Nick eventually said that he didn't like it. I haven't done it since I moved out about 3 1/2 years ago. I need to see if Danny might want to go again. You can find organized orienteering events pretty much anywhere in the world, although most of the events I went to were with the Bay Area Orienteering Club. Here are the results from an event that I did with the boys and our foreign exchange student from Japan, Sora Azekawa. We were number 10 under the White Course, the first and easiest course. Knowland Park in Oakland is where the Oakland Zoo is located. We went to the zoo after the orienteering event. That's where I learned that the Japanese word for zebra is shimauma, which means "striped horse".

Sure, we’ve got phones with Google Maps that can give us turn-by-turn directions. But what happens when you don’t have the phone because you’re in the middle of the wilderness and you can’t get a signal? How are you going to get back to your fancy ski lodge now? With a map and compass of course. Out of all the skills I’ve learned over the years, this has been one of the most empowering. It just feels awesome knowing that by simply getting my bearings with a compass and looking at a topographic map I can traverse miles and get to where I need to be.

Interesting days

Today - International Project Management Day, Jellyfish Day, Men Make Dinner Day and Sandwich Day

Tomorrow - Fountain Pen Day, Use Your Common Sense Day and Love Your Lawyer Day

Next Thursday - Sesame Street Day and Area Code Day Area Code is short for Numbering Plan Area code

December 3 - Roof Over Your Head Day and Make A Gift Day