Orienteering Turns 30
By Lindsey Pizzica Rotolo

Some may be surprised to learn that Norfolk’s Columbus Day Weekend Orienteering
tradition just celebrated its 30th anniversary. Brought to town by Jean and Peter
Thompson in 1978, Norfolk’s Orienteering event is modeled after the internationally
practiced competition.
The Thompson’s started orienteering themselves while living in London in the 1970’s,
when they would round up a group of friends and take over a hotel in the English
countryside for a weekend.
After buying a home in Colebrook in 1978, the Thompson’s decided to try hosting the
event there. In its inaugural year, a little over a dozen people took part including a few
Norfolkians and several houseguests of the Thompson’s. The following year, longtime
Norfolk resident Gerry Klauer volunteered to host the event again and the number of
participants grew to about two dozen. From there, the event took on a life of its own.
Orienteering originated in Scandinavia and, in its highest form, is essentially a cross
country running race with a map and clues. Teams depart from a base location to
complete a scavenger hunt in the woods and return in a set period of time. There are
national and international championships, as well as numerous orienteering clubs around
the world. Locally, White Memorial in Litchfield has novice courses for various levels
and groups.

Orienteering 1983

Norfolk’s orienteering event has always taken place on Columbus Day weekend and its
organization changes hands every year. Miraculously, there has only been one year in the
past 30 when someone didn’t rise to the challenge of organizing the event. Anyone who
wants to take part is free to sign up and there are generally around 100 participants.
The Norfolk version was originally based on the United Kingdom’s model, but has taken
on its own incarnations over the years. In its early days, pairs of people would go out in
the woods for five-hour time segments. Now, groups of four to six people divided into
three different skill levels depart for a three-hour hike.
The skill levels range from Challengers, who run most of the course, to Enthusiasts, who
are interested in accumulating points at a less brisk pace, to Strollers, who are simply
looking to go on a nice walk in the woods with little regard for point accumulation. Peter
Thompson says the benefit of having multiple skill levels is, “to give a much broader
cross section of people a great day in the outdoors. There are so many interesting people
in Norfolk. What better way to meet them?”
Norfolk’s Orienteering event is also unique in that extra points are awarded for creativity.
Teams are encouraged to make up songs, poems or skits and perform them after returning
to base camp.
The event is held in a different location each year and, while it is typically held in
Norfolk or Colebrook, it has also been held in Southfield and Sandisfield, MA. Large
private landowners have made the event possible for many years. This year’s event,
organized by Barbara Spiegel, was held at the Doolittle Lake property. Thompson
described the appeal of orienteering as a great opportunity to get some exercise and enjoy
a beautiful time in Norfolk, and a wonderful time to explore parts of town you may never
otherwise get to see. “Star Childs should get a huge amount of credit for allowing his
land to be used for orienteering so many times,” Thompson said. “He is a sustaining force
of the event.”

When asked what tips he has for a successful orienteering team, Thompson said, “The
most important and often overlooked part of orienteering is taking enough time in the
beginning to plot out your course, but managing the team is where it gets interesting. The
social dynamics of the thing are fascinating.”
Interested in adding your personality to the mix? You’ll have to wait until next October,
but rest assured, Norfolk’s Orienteering tradition will continue for years to come.