2025 SMOC Kensington (4H of Oakland County Collab)

Organizers: Michelle Green (Event Director), Cooper Green (Event Director)

Map: Kensington Spring Hill / Toboggan Area

Kensington Spring Hill will offer the traditional scope of courses from White to Red.

This event is open to all.

Spring Hill offers a great network of trails and a combination of forests and open land. Depending on your course selection, you may get to experience the thrill of going up the toboggan hill.

Please register by Thursday, 10/23 so we can print maps, and you can avoid late fees.

We charge per "start"/group ($10, reduced to $5 for members with coupon code SMOCMEMBER (if you are on the member list here! Not on the list? Join here. If a member of another OUSA club, please use RECIPROCAL), not per person, so if you have extra folks in your party, just have them fill out online waiver. An extra map is another $5. Interested in racing for free? Ask us about volunteer opportunities like flag pickup, giving a lesson, etc.

NOTE: As a Metro Park park, you'll need the Metropark pass. This can be purchased at the entrance.

What is orienteering?

Using a detailed topographic map, navigate to a series of checkpoints (in order for this event). Race competitively, or enjoy a relaxing nature hike with family or friends - the choice is yours! The route between checkpoints is also your choice - take a longer trail option, or head off cross country across hills and over logs...you decide!

Schedule

11:30 Start. We'll be working with 4H before then, so if you come early, please be patient or lend a hand by sharing your love of the sport.

2:00 No more starts

3:00 Courses closed, flags may get pulled at any time. You may wish to start earlier if you are new and/or taking on a difficult course.

Course Descriptions

White/Beginner - One to two miles. Takes 30-60 minutes to walk. Points are on trails.

Yellow/Intermediate - Two to three miles. Takes 45-90 minutes to walk. Flags are visible from the trail, but on nearby major features.

Orange/Advanced - Three to five miles. Takes 90-120 minutes to walk. Flags are generally not visible from trails. Cross country travel is common/generally necessary at some points.

Brown/Expert Short - Three to four miles. Takes 90-120 minutes to walk (w/out mistakes). This course has the highest technical difficulty - flags are on small features well off trail. Mistakes will take a long time to correct, as strong relocation features are not nearby.

Green/Expert - Four to five miles. Takes 120-150 minutes to walk (w/out many mistakes). This course also has the highest technical difficulty.

Red/Expert Long - Five to seven miles. Takes 150-180 minutes to walk (w/out many mistakes). This course also has the highest technical difficulty.

What to wear/bring

Your mileage may vary; you can't go too wrong with this:

• Long pants (potential for ivy off trail)
• Long sleeves, ideally in orange.
• Layers for the temp
• Shoes that can get dirty. Trail running shoes work great (whether you are running or not)
• Shoes for afterwards in case you find mud or marshes
• Snacks and water for on the course
• Insect precautions
• Ivy precautions

We have loaner compasses if you don't have one.

4H Intro to Orienteering

We are excited to collaborate with Oakland County 4H as we introduce them to orienteering.

4H Event Tentative Schedule:

10:00: Map and Compass lesson.

10:30: Practice on the White Course. *We'll walk a few white checkpoints in small groups to get a feel for the map.

11:00: Put your new knowledge to the test on one of our courses:

**Beginners, it is recommended that you register for the Yellow course.

**If you've had experience with orienteering or navigation, you could challenge yourself on Orange.

**SMOC Members: If you are interested in volunteering to help with the lessons, please reach out to Michelle Green: greenmichelle@outlook.com.

Location