Orienteering is a sport in which orienteers use an accurate, detailed map and a compass to find points in the landscape. It can be enjoyed as a walk in the woods or as a competitive sport. A standard orienteering course consists of a start , a series of control sites that are marked by circles, connected by lines and numbered in the order they are to be visited, and a finish . On the ground, a control flag marks the location that the orienteer must visit. To verify a visit, the orienteer uses a punch hanging next to the flag to mark his or her control card .
Different punches make different patterns of holes in the paper.
Most orienteering events use staggered starts to ensure that each orienteer has a chance to do his or her own navigating, but there are several other popular formats, including relays and events in which the orienteer must find as many controls as possible within a specified time. Supplies and equipment for orienteering. Key to the international control symbols . This page prepared and maintained by Heather Williams.