Joomla Login LightBox powered by WowJoomla.com

If you see a bunch of people with maps in Jesse James Park this weekend, chances are they’re not lost — they know exactly where they’re going. The Possum Trot Orienteering Club of Kansas City will be using the park on the north side of Kearney for one of its events from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, July 10.

“Orienteering is the skill of navigating through an unfamiliar area using a detailed map and perhaps a magnetic compass,” according to the group’s website at www.ptoc.org.

Angie Barrett of Kearney is a member of the club. She and her son Joe have been plotting the course.

Typically the group only has events October through April to avoid the heat, ticks and poison ivy that the woods and trails often have in the summer. Recently the group started adding some locations that avoid that by having open spaces for beginner-level courses.

“We found open parks, college campuses, things like that,” Barrett said.

Barrett, her son and one other Kearney resident are the only members of the 80-member club who live in the Northland that she knows of. So they started plotting courses at Watkins Woolen Mill State Park, Smithville Lake and now Jesse James Park. She said they’re working on a course at English Landing in Parkville.

The course in Kearney on July 10 is 2.8 kilometers — about 1.7 miles. She said with the short distance and open area this is a beginner’s course.

“Because it’s a beginner’s level, it’s good for anybody,” Barrett said.

Non-members are welcome to join in the activity, even if they’ve never done orienteering before.

“There are always experienced orienteers there to explain,” Barrett said.

She said they could help people get started reading a map and using a compass.

Courses range from short and simple like the one in Kearney to longer with a competitive element. The basic concept, though, is just to find points on a map.

“We’re trying to find controlled markers,” Barrett said.

The July 10 event will be point-to-point, meaning the goal is to find markers in a specific order.

The cost for Saturday’s event is $3 for adults and $2 for youth under the age of 18.

For more information, visit the group’s website at ptoc.org.

Kearney Editor Kevin M. Smith can be reached at 628-6010 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed