Pattee Canyon: Members Only (FREE event)

Join us for a free event for GrizO members at Pattee Canyon recreation area in Missoula!

Grizzly Orienteering is offering annual memberships for individuals and families. GrizO membership benefits include event registration discounts; member-only events; skills clinics; and participation in GrizO's new youth program. The cost for an individual membership (365-day duration) is $35, and for a family $70.

Date and Time

The event will take place Sunday May 15th between 10:00am-2:00pm. Starting time slots will be between 10am-1pm. Please arrive at your assigned time slot in order to help us run things smoothly and safely.

Location

The event will be staged at the main Pattee Canyon trailhead. Exact directions will be posted here closer to the event.

Covid-19 Precautions We suggest wearing masks the entire time you are in the registration, start, and finish areas. Hand sanitizer will be available at check-in. For the purposes of beginner instruction, you will be assigned to one  of our experienced volunteers. Please respect their space and maintain  proper social distancing.

Equipment  We will provide specially created maps with pre-printed courses for each participant. We will also provide loaner compasses. Please return these when you are done. The compasses will be sanitized after each use.Wear clothing that is comfortable for activities in the woods and  off-trail and appropriate for the expected temperatures. Please bring your own snacks and hydration. A limited supply  of single-serving snacks will be provided, but due to Covid-19  precautions, selection and supply will be limited. Also due to Covid-19  precautions, water will NOT be provided. Please bring an adequate  supply of liquid.

Courses You will be able to select from four different maps (courses):  Beginner, Advanced Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced courses. The distances indicate the shortest, straight-line  distance for visiting all the controls and returning to the finish. You  will certainly cover more distance than that. Besides differing in length, courses differ in difficulty levels -  the beginner course stays exclusively on trails; advanced beginner  offers opportunities to take some shortcuts and shorter off-trail  excursions; the intermediate course requires some traversing of the  terrain off-trail; and the advanced courses often do not have trail  options for some of the route choices.We recommend that you pick a relatively easy course if this is your  first event. If it goes quickly and you enjoy it, you can try another,  more difficult course, right away. We recommend going out individually  or in groups of no more than 2-3 so that everyone is able to get the  hang of map reading and navigation.

Beginner Instruction Beginner instruction will be provided by several experienced orienteers. If this is your first event, take a look at the "Newcomers" section of our website to get an idea of what to expect: https://www.grizzlyorienteering.org/newcomers .

Start and Finish You will need to check in with one of our volunteers at registration  before proceeding to the start. Our volunteers will provide you with the  appropriate map, a loaner compass if needed, and a loaner electronic  timing chip and will keep track of  who is out and doing which course. When you have found all the controls  on your course, return to the finish and check in with a volunteer  there. Even if you decide to quit your course before finding all the  controls, please check in at the finish so we do not go out searching for you.

Electronic "punching"

An e-punch records your race. At each control, you’ll dip the e-punch  into an electronic box, which will beep and flash as confirmation.  After you finish, you’ll download the e-punch at the download tent and  get a receipt that shows which controls you visited and how long you took  between each; these are your “splits.”

Part of the fun of orienteering is comparing your splits with people  who completed the same course, and discussing the routes you took!