2025 Wednesday Evening #7 – Lake Wilderness Park
Special note: At this last Wednesday Evening Series event of the year, help us celebrate our club’s juniors who trained and competed in Europe at this summer’s JWOC and EYOC. To help offset expenses from these travels, we’ll be offering a Maze-O and are asking for Venmo donations to participate. We’ll have some of the juniors available to share stories, pictures and amazing experiences while in Italy, Sweden, and Czechia. Thanks for your support!
The seventh and final event in the 2024 Wednesday Evening Series will be held at Lake Wilderness Park Maple Valley! The Wednesday Evening Series is our most relaxed, casual set of navigation events, held in local parks once the weather (hopefully) warms up. These events are a little more low-key than those in the Winter League, and we typically offer a barbeque afterward for all participants.
Events in the Wednesday Evening Series are generally less challenging (both physically and navigationally) than many of our other events, and are therefore great for beginners and those less experienced with orienteering – while also offering a challenge to longtime participants of the sport.
We will be offering day-of event registration in addition to preregistration. There will be no start time pre-signup.
COURSES
Course designer(s): Chris Cooper
Course 1 (Beginner) – 1.0 km, 10 controls, 15m climb
Course 2 (Intermediate) – 2.1 km, 13 controls, 35m climb
Course 3 (Advanced) – 3.2 km, 14 controls, 65m climb
Course 4 (2+3) – 5.3 km, 27 controls, 100m climb
How are courses measured?
Courses are measured as the crow flies, in a direct line from control to control. Unless you have wings, you will travel farther than this distance! Courses are measured in kilometers, so a good rule of thumb is to simply round up to miles to estimate how far you will go. So in a 5 kilometer race, you’ll likely travel up to 5 miles.
COURSE NOTES
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Disc Golf Course: While not out of bounds, I recommend runners hug the outsides of the disc golf course. There are no controls placed directly within the golf course but you may be tempted to cut a corner or two as you transit between controls. Personal experience has taught me that frisbee strikes to the head can be painful. You have been warned!
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Arboretum: Please respect the mapped out-of-bounds (olive green) within the arboretum area. We would like to continue to use this venue and we cannot damage or mar the grounds that so many others enjoy. Part of the challenge of the arboretum out-of-bounds is the rapid paced navigation needed to expeditiously move along the in-bounds areas. Embrace the challenge!
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Traffic: All three courses will take you through the parking lots of the park. Courses 2 & 3 may even provide opportunities to run adjacent to park roadways. Warning signs will be posted along both roads entering the park but use caution whenever traveling off of the sidewalk and onto the pavement.
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General Public: With weather forecasted to be sunny and in the mid-70’s next week, we expect the park to have its fair share of evening users. Knowing the park can see heavy use on summer days, controls have been placed away from high-volume areas. Similar to the disc golf course, please respect other park guests and use care when navigation between controls. Please provide plenty of distance when traveling around families, younger children, older children, those still young at heart, beach aficionados, and summer parties.
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Pants Versus No Pants: None of the controls have been placed in dense vegetation. All map updates were performed while wearing shorts with minimal bleeding or the need for stitches. However, if you are the kind of runner that believes a personal best must be achieved at each race (regardless of care of skin) I would recommend you wear pants. For all other runners, I believe shorts would be acceptable. All controls have been placed so that (after careful review of the map) a non first aid route can be easily ascertained.
SCHEDULE
5:00 pm – Registration and starts open.
7:00 pm – Registration and starts close.
8:00 pm – Course closure.
Why is there a start window?
This event uses an interval start, which means that participants are started in waves instead of all at once. When you arrive at the start tent, find the chute for your course and follow the start volunteer’s instructions.
PRICES
PRE-REGISTRATION PRICES
$22 base price
– subtract $5 for CascadeOC members
– subtract $5 for using your own e-punch
DAY-OF-EVENT REGISTRATION
$25 base price
– subtract $5 for CascadeOC members
– subtract $5 for using your own e-punch
For day-of-event registration, we’re able to accept cash, check, Venmo, or Zelle.
Participating as a group? Just $5 for each additional adult (18+) group
member, no cost for additional minors.
What’s an e-punch?
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 show 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!
SIGN UP
Online pre-registration closes: Tuesday 8/19/2025 9:00 PM
Day-of-event registration is available by cash or check, made payable to Cascade Orienteering Club.
LOCATION
PARKING
Parking location TBD.
CARPOOL
Looking for a carpool? Join the club email group and share your request to find a ride.
THE MAP
No map preview available
SAFETY & ETIQUETTE
Return to the Finish
All participants MUST return to the finish and download their e-punch or turn in their punch card.
Even if you have not finished your course, you must still return to the the finish and confirm with event staff that you have returned safely.
Out of Bounds
Some areas may be marked out of bounds. It is imperative to respect these boundaries to maintain our relationships with land managers. Participants MUST NOT go out of bounds. Any participant caught going out of bounds will be disqualified.
Course Closure
All participants MUST return to the finish by course closure time. If a participant does not return by course closure, event volunteers will begin coordinating a search party.
If you need a long time on the course, start as early in the start window as possible, wear a watch, and be prepared to cut your course short to make it back by the course closure time.
Whistle
All participants MUST carry a whistle on the course. Complimentary whistles are available at the start tent (please only take one).
If you are injured on the course and need assistance, blow three long blasts to call for help.
If you hear a call for help, abandon your course to find the person in distress.
Voices
Part of the fun and fairness of orienteering is navigating your own course, so please be polite when you find a checkpoint and don’t holler that you’ve found it.
