W: I've just started my first orienteering event. Everyone around me seems to know exactly where they're going but I haven't really got a clue. Oh, I know, is that I met this was a triangle on the map. I think I need some help.
M: Need some help?
W: I thought you'd never ask. I know I'm here at this triangle I know this is the staff but I'm really not sure where I should from here.
M: Well, what are you actually looking for is what's in the middle of this first circle, is first control. So, in this case it's a little track down.
W: And then I've got did them in order after that?
M: Yeah, for this particular event you have to know to go from one to two to three, and keep going to the controls in order. There is different types of orienteering as score events relay sway you can do it in different orders but for this particular event you need to visit the controls in order.
W: It's a pretty awkward not go from this of this of this of this.
M: Yeah, I know. Disqualify you in this case.
W: It's a shame.
An orienteering map is a highly specialized piece of cartography, working for detailed aerial photographs, orienteering map makers spent hours doing fieldwork that involves making tiny details such as individual boulders and creek, peaks, that orienteerers use to navigate through the terrain.
So, how will I know from the map, what I'm going to look for and what I'm gonna see when I map, along my course.
M: Most maps will have a legend so on the legend it will describe what the feature is...tend mark, a dam or something and each one represented a by different little symbol on the map.
W: Seems contain a lot of little of those but what about these brown lines here?What it was telling me?
M: Yes, so that are contour lines, so they represent points on the ground which are over peak or hut.
W: So, are they telling me when I'm going up or down?
M: Yeah, exactly, normally up.
W: For sure, so it's gonna be like deal all the way so I can tell him...
So now, I know where I have to get to, and what i'm looking for when I get there. The next question is: which direction do I going?