Orienteering at WILDE Adventure Summer Camp
Map in hand, compass spinning to north — find the way through Kimbercote's 100 acres with your crew.
Orienteering turns the whole forest into one giant puzzle. You get a real map, a real compass, and a string of hidden checkpoints scattered across Kimbercote's 100 acres — and it's up to your crew to find them. Read the land, follow a bearing, and figure out the route together. This is real trail-craft, the same wayfinding skills WILDE explorers use in the backcountry.
A day on it
It starts with a map and a question: where are we, and where do we go next? Your instructor shows you how to line up the map with the land around you, set your compass, and follow a bearing into the trees. Then you're off — moving as a crew, checking landmarks, counting your steps, hunting for the next hidden checkpoint. Spot it, mark it, cheer, and reset for the next one. Wrong turn? You read the map again, talk it out, and find the way back. That's the whole game: lost, then found, then a little braver.
By the end you can do something most grown-ups can't — point confidently to north and actually know why. You'll have crossed meadows, ducked under branches, and crossed the finish with a crew that figured it out together. No screens. No "this way, follow me." Just you, a map, and a forest that finally makes sense.
- 1Get your map and compass
- 2Set your first bearing
- 3Follow the trail as a crew
- 4Hunt for hidden checkpoints
- 5Read the land, find the way
- 6Finish the course together
There's no "follow me" out here. The map is yours, the compass is yours, and when your crew finds that last hidden checkpoint, you'll know you read the whole forest to get there.
See you on the trail,
The WILDE crew
Safety, handled
- Campers explore in small, supervised groups led by trained WILDE instructors who stay with the crew the whole way.
- Every route is set on familiar terrain across Kimbercote's grounds, planned and walked by staff ahead of time.
- Instructors set clear boundaries and check-in points before the course begins, and account for all campers throughout.
- Campers carry water and dress for the trail; staff carry a first aid kit and a means of communication.
- Activities are adjusted for each age group and for the day's weather and trail conditions.
What to bring
Closed-toe shoes or hiking boots you can move in, weather-appropriate layers, a hat, sunscreen, bug spray, and a water bottle. Everything needed for the activity — maps and compasses — is provided by camp.
Earn the Orienteering Merit Badge while you’re at it
Love this? Turn the skills into a merit badge you can show off — earn each level by doing, not just showing up.
