Orienteering is a sport. But because it exercises your mind as well as your body, you will often hear people call it a puzzle, a treasure hunt, or a mind game, "The Thinking Sport".

It is a sport for a lifetime. At any event you will see people of every age group and level of ability. Participants are young and old; they can be runners or hikers. You can go out on a course in groups or individually. Orienteering can be done leisurely or competitively.

Orienteering challenges you to read a map, make decisions, plan a route, all while moving across streams, over rocks or along scenic trails.You will follow the course drawn on your map to find orange an white flag markers (called controls). At each control, you will need to punch in to prove that you are in the right spot.

Everyone enjoys orienteering for different reasons. One thing they all will agree upon is: orienteering never gets boring. It is something new every time you try it: a new course, a new map, a new destination to explore. Eventually, the beginner courses may become too easy. Then it is time to move up to the next level.

Children start to learn the basics of orienteering by doing String-O. Following a streamer, they stop at small control markers to pick up stickers for their control cards. ALittle Troll Program is available to reward the children's efforts.

There are many different versions of orienteering. Foot-O and Ski-O (cross-country skiing an orienteering through a complex trail network) are the most popular. But you will also find clubs organizing mountain bike-O, horseback-O, and canoe-O events. Some clubs have unique offerings such as handicapped-accessible courses, Radio-O and courses to be completed using a GPS.

Orienteering first started in Scandinavia in the early 1900s. It came to United States in the 1940s. In 1971, the U.S. Orienteering Federation (USOF) wqas organized. Member clubs now spread throughout nearly every state. These clubs organize regular local events and larger national and international events in conjunction with USOF and the International Orienteering Federation.

Although the sport is popular in much of the world, it is still relatively unknown in the United States. Approximately 35,000 people orienteer regularly in the U.S.

People are spending more of their free time enjoying the outdoors. Eventually, they may get tired of their familiar hiking trails. Or perhaps you are a runner looking for a more challenging workout. Orienteering is the adventure you are looking for. It is invigorating and satisfying.