In another posting, Fritz asked "so armchair map reading, or reading a map while doing a road run, but what exactly am I reading for?"

What are people doing to "armchair" map reading?

-- Michael Eglinski (meglin@juno.com), August 28, 1999

Answers

First of all, I think it is important to point out that "armchair" orienteering is a bit of a misnomer. I've always felt that one could derive the benefits of map-reading (while not on a map) while lying down, running on a street, unmapped terrain, or even while seated in a chair totally devoid of arms. The actual surroundings just aren't that important to me, of course others may have different experiences here!

When I look at a map I typically pick routes (I like to pick out all of the routes that seem reasonable knowing that once I am on a map I'd see the vegetation, etc. and be able to decide which is best). If you know the area you could probably pick a best route while sitting in a chair. I do sometimes look over the area and visualize what certain places are like. For instance, pick a spot at random (or something interesting on the map and decide what you could reasonably see from that point). Also, set up courses. Try to decide where courses could be set to make controls hard, easy, with interesting route choices, etc. Try not to get too bogged down by thinking about where people would be able to park, where the babysitting could be held, string-o etc.

Map reading while on the run is good too because you get better at seeing the map while running. If you haven't done it in a while reading the map while running is hard, and sort of unpleasant because you can't see much...but you can slow down, grab the map with two hands, until you can see something. Then slowly you get better and it will be easier to read while in real terrain. A few easy exercises to do at first would be (1) find all of a certain type of object on the map, or part of the map (2) pick a line on the map, perhaps a N-South line, or contour, and decide what it would be like running along it. I'd practice reading the map the way you would (ideally) on a course. Probably this is to maintain frequent contact with the map, and if when you look away you don't remember what the last tiny bit of the map you looked at looks like, you probably want to look at the map again. It might be good to carry a compass too.

-- Mook (everett@psi.edu), August 30, 1999.