Jeremy Anderson Orienteering Course

at Chambers Park

 

Lake Cuyamaca’s Chambers Park location: 15027 CA-Hwy 79, Julian, CA  92036.

 

Lake Cuyamaca phone number: (760)765-0515.

 

The orienteering course starts near the Trailhead located on the north end of the dike at the far end of the parking lot. You can download the Lake map and print it out for the course. At the north end of the dike near the base of the trailhead, you will find a marker similar to the one pictured below. It will have the letter "K" engraved in it. This is your starting point. To measure your pace, take a heading of 180 degrees and walk forward to the next marker on the ground. It will have the Letter "L" engraved in it. This distance is 100 feet.

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Count how many steps it takes for you to reach this 100 foot distance, then use this number to measure your pace when traveling between other orienteering markers.

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Please note that the entire course is on Lake Cuyamaca Recreation and Park District property. There is a tall guidewire on this course that is designed to allow an easement on Lake property for horses to continue to Stonewall Mine Cultural Preserve. This is still within Lake property and may be crossed by people. You will need to cross this guidewire in order to complete this course. A limited number of compasses are available for check out at the Lake’s Tackle Shop.

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Overview

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This Orienteering Course is intended to teach people how to navigate with a compass and to explore the beautiful property of Lake Cuyamaca. 

 

Calibrating your Pace per 100 feet Distance

Start this course by calibrating your own specific pace. To do this, start at the brass medallion labeled “K”. This medallion is next to the trailhead. Set your compass to 180 degrees and walk exactly 100 feet to the next brass marker in the cement labeled “L”.  Walk this line at a normal pace and count the number of steps it takes to walk the 100 feet. If you need to, you may walk the measured distance back and forth two or three times and use an average of number of steps per 100 feet rather than total number of steps.

 

After you have calibrated your steps per 100 feet, let’s use a compass to take magnetic bearings.

 

Basic Compass Use

You may check out a compass at the Lake Cuyamaca Bait Shop.  Most smartphones have a Compass application, or you may use a GPS. Different orienteering devices may have slightly different results. This particular orienteering course is calibrated to magnetic north, which can be found with a physical compass. The difference between devices is not too noticeable, however, so all devices will work just fine.

 

This course will be approximately 1 mile and is only designed for basic orienteering. The waypoints in this course will not be far off of main trails, so if you are close, start looking around for the brass marker.

 

When given a bearing (i.e. 180°), start by turning the inner part of the compass so that the bearing lines up with the direction of travel arrow on the compass (the front of the compass). Then, turn the compass (not the inside of the compass) so that the red magnetic north arrow inside the compass lines up with zero degrees/north on the inner part of the compass (this is called “putting red in the shed”). Now, walk in the direction of the arrow of travel to your desired bearing, which will now be accurate as long as “red is in the shed” (i.e. the red compass must continue to stay in the red lines, thus continues to point to magnetic north).

 

Scouts BSA First Class Requirement:

This course has been particularly designed to help Scouts fulfill First Class requirements 4a and 4b. These requirements are as follows (as of 2017): “4a. Using a map and compass, complete an orienteering course that covers at least one mile and requires measuring the height and/or width of designated items (tree, tower, canyon, ditch, etc.).

4b. Demonstrate how to use a handheld GPS unit, GPS app on a smartphone, or other electronic navigation system. Use GPS to find your current location, a destination of your choice, and the route you will take to get there. Follow that route to arrive at your destination.”

 

When you reach the end of the Orienteering Course, you can use a GPS or phone with a GPS app to pick your next destination, set a waypoint, and navigate there.

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This Orienteering Course was created as an Eagle Scout Project by Jeremy Schabilion, nephew of Jeremy Anderson.  Thank you to all of my adult mentors who donated time, resources, and services to make this project possible - Lake Rangers Jay Blaylock & Butch Paddock, Architect Theo Miserlis, Cartologist Katarina Parker, my parents, my grandmother Adela Rooney, and family friends: Bill Madigan and Jan Payne.  Thank you also to countless Scouts who helped paint, and my fellow Eagle Scout candidates from Irvine Troop 675 who helped to install the course.

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