Butcher Jones Navigation Games
(Saguaro Lake)

Introduction

We're excited to offer a day of navigation fun at the Butcher Jones Recreation Area, one of the prettiest sites in the Phoenix area. On Sunday, March 19, we'll present three events for your navigation practice: a 2-hour Score-O, a 2-hour Bike-O, and a 5-hour Adventure Race. Each event lets you practice your navigation skills using different modes of travel.

We start the day with our 5-hour Adventure Race. In the Adventure Race, participants start with a short trek to find points near the event start/finish. This allows teams to separate slightly before heading out to find points on mountain bikes. After the bike section, participants next travel by inflatable watercraft to find more points. Finally, we'll have a set of points to find on foot.

For those of you wanting a more reasonable challenge, we're offering a 2-Hour Score-O, where participants travel by foot, and a 2-Hour Bike-O, where participants travel by mountain bike. In both events, participants try to find as many points as they can in the 2-hour time limit.

Score-O/Bike-O

In the Score-O or the Bike-O, participants try to find as many controls as they can in a 2-hour time limit. Start times are between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM. On the Bike-O, each control is worth 1 point. Controls on the Score-O are given different point values depending on their navigation difficulty and distance from the event's start/finish.

Individuals of all skill levels are encouraged to participate. For beginners, we'll be sure to set plenty of easier-to-find controls close to the start/finish location. We want to give you an experience that helps improve your navigation skills. For our experienced orienteers, we'll find ways to challenge your navigation skills with more difficult destinations.

Each control on the Bike-O is worth 1 point. For those arriving after the 2-hour limit, one point is subtracted for each 5 minutes a participant returns after the time limit.

For the Score-O, points are allocated based on navigation difficulty and distance from the start/finish. Point values vary between 10 and 70 points per control. For those arriving after the 2-hour limit, 10 points is subtracted for each minute a participant returns after the time limit.

Adventure Race

In the adventure race, teams of 1-4 (solos allowed) try their luck navigating by foot, mountain bike, and inflatable watercraft. For this event, we are only allowing inflatable watercraft. To even out the speed teams travel on the water, no solid-shell watercraft, such as racing kayaks, are allowed.

Pre-Race Briefing
We start the day at 7:45 with a mandatory pre-race briefing. All participants are required to attend the briefing. There are several main points:

• To officially finish the race, participants must visit at least one control in each of the event's 4 segments: trek, bike, water, foot.
• Participants must complete the segments of the race in order: trek, bike, water, foot.
• Teams are comprised of 1-4 participants. Solos are allowed.
• In order to officially record a visit to a control, all members of the team must visit the control. Team members must remain within 100 meters of each other at all times.
• Participants are only allowed to record visits to controls on their current segment of the race. For example, participants on the bike segment of the race are not allowed to record a visit to a control on the foot segment of the race.
• For the water section of the race, only inflatable watercraft are allowed.
• Participants return to the transition area after each leg of the race for a quick passport check and map exchange.
• Participants must finish the race by 1:00 PM. Late arrivals are penalized one point for every minute late. A team is marked as DNF if they arrive after 1:30 PM.

Mass Start
After the briefing, the event begins with a mass start at 8:00. All participants start the race at 8:00.

Trek
The first section is a short trek course, to help separate teams from each other. Three controls are available on a trek of ~1 km. Each control on the trek segment is worth one point.

Mountain Bike
Next, participants hop on mountain bikes for ~2 hours. Because of the steepness of the area surrounding Butcher Jones, some hike-a-bike and travel over sandy ground is necessary. Ten controls are available in a ~15km course. Each destination on the bike segment is worth 2 points.

Water
After the bike, teams travel by inflatable watercraft to visit as many as 3 controls in a course ~3km long. No solid-shell watercraft are allowed. Each control on the water segment is worth 3 points.

Participants may provide their own pack raft, inflatable kayak, inner tube, giant inflatable rubber duck, etc. No solid-shell watercraft are allowed. For those who don't have their own inflatable watercraft, we're partnering with CD Outdoors to provide 1- or 2-person pack rafts. CD Outdoors provides the transportation of the watercraft, paddles, and PFDs. Prices for our event are $50 for a 1-person pack raft and $70 for 2-person rafts. Participants who wish to rent a pack raft should contact CD Outdoors directly.

Foot
The final segment of the race is the foot segment. Participants will travel to as many points as they can using the same map used in the day's Score-O. Each control on the foot portion is worth 1 point. Twenty controls are available in ~10 km.

Time Limit
There is a 5-hour limit for the adventure race. One point is subtracted for each minute a team arrives after the 5-hour limit. The team is marked as DNF if they arrive after 1:30 PM.

Parental Consent:

Parental Consent Now Required (Click here for more information)
All participants under age 18 are now required to have a signed parental consent form on file with the club. You can complete the form before the event and either scan it and send it to us by e-mail or bring it with you to the event.

Pre-Registration

Pre-registration is required for the Butcher Jones events. Because of limitations of our permit, we will not offer on-site registration.

Pre-Registration is open until Friday, Mar 17 at 11:59 PM. We will only print enough maps to cover those who have pre-registered for the event. Click Pre-Register this pre-register for the event.

Fees

Due to limitations with our permit, we are not allowed to charge a registration fee for our Butcher Jones events. However, we still have costs associated with the events, including insurance for each participant, printing costs, watercraft costs, etc. During the pre-registration, we ask each participant to donate $10 for the Score-O or Bike-O or $20 for the adventure race.

What to Bring:

• Whistle (Mandatory for all. Available for purchase for $1)
• Compass (Mandatory for all. Available for rent for $1)
• Water. There will be water at the start/finish . We will also have one or two water stations on the course. However, you are strongly encouraged to bring your own water bottles or a camelback.
• Helmet. Mandatory for anyone participating in the bike events.
• Sun screen. There is little or no shade on the course.
• Sturdy hiking shoes and long pants are recommended. You may encounter cactus, cat claw, and loose terrain, especially on the Score-O.
• Adventure Race:
  • Inflatable watercraft. (No hard-shell watercraft allowed.) Bring your own or rent from CD Outdoors.
  • PFD (mandatory). All participants must wear a personal floatation device while paddling. Participants may bring their own PFD. CD Outdoors will provide PFDs for those renting inflatable packrafts.

Butcher Jones directions.
Safety Plan