Orienteering is a concealed competitive sport that requires much skill and training. Orienteering is the activity of land navigation using a highly detailed map all while incorporating cross-country.
This is a sport that is not very well known in general, especially in Nevada because when participating in these events, the maps typically fall on a forest or marsh terrain that many places do not have. To complete a course, one has to understand the map which includes control codes that are made of little shapes that indicate items and their appearance, location, and landform.
These control codes have to be studied to gain an understanding of what the items are, then one has to comprehend how to read the orienteering map and distinguish where a control code will be found when solely looking at the map. When on a competitive course, the only acceptable items are the map itself, a compass, and a non-digital timepiece. This is to avoid any possible cheating. With that being said, essentially, one is just in the woods running alone, attempting to find various points located anywhere in the area.
To add to the difficulty, there are different levels of maps organized by color, beginning with white, being the easiest course to run considering it stays on trails, and ending with red making the running distance longer and the paths are hidden. These courses must be run and completed in a certain amount of time before one is considered a “Missing Person” and the points have to be obtained in order.
To complete, Orienteering is a sport only done by those who put in the time and effort to understand the material needed to succeed on a course.