DESCRIPTION:
Please join the Greater Phoenix Orienteering Club and the Tucson Orienteering Club as we present two days of orienteering events at Petrified Forest National Park in eastern Arizona. On both Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20, 2024, we will offer a 4-hour event called a "Rogaine" in which participants navigate on foot using only a map and compass to different locations within a designated area. Participants are allowed to visit as few or as many locations as they can within the 4-hour time limit.
Our orienteering events at Petrified Forest National Park offer an excellent opportunity to practice your navigation skills while at the same time exploring an incredibly beautiful and unique National Park. Petrified Forest National Park has offered us an excellent and rare chance to practice our sport inside a National Park. We hope you'll take the opportunity to join us and discover this amazing national treasure.
Please note that we're still working through the event details with the national park administration. We'll post full event details at least one week prior to the events.
NOTES:
Pre-Registration:
(Pre-Register
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(Reg List
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Pre-Registration is Required!
Petrified Forest National Park does not allow any money exchange within the park. In addition, there is a strict limit to the number of competitors the Park is allowing for our events. Because of this, pre-registration is required for the events using our on-line registration site.
Registration/Fees
Because of the pre-registration requirement, we use an on-line registration site to help with the registration for the Petrified Forest Rogaines. Fees for the events are set on a staggered scale to encourage you to register early. (Early registration helps when it comes to printing the maps!) The entry fees are the same for each event and are per participant. Individuals who wish to compete as part of a team still must register and pay individually. We are allowing individual participants as well as teams of 2-4 individuals. If you would like to compete as a team, we ask that you include the name of your team in the "Notes" box of the registration screen.
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Regular Registration: Register by 11:59 PM Arizona time on Sunday, October 6. The regular registration fee is $30 per person per day. A $5 discount each day is applied if you register for both days ($50 for both days.)
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Late Registration: Register by 11:59 PM Arizona time on Wednesday, October 11. The late registration fee is $40 per person per day.
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Onsite Registration: We are unable to offer onsite registration.
We're sorry, but in order to meet national park rules, we must close registration the weekend before the events. There is also a strict limit to the number of participants we can invite. Please help us by registering early.
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Refunds: We regret that we are unable to refund registration fees after registration is complete.
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Electronic timing: We are not using e-punch. The two events will use a manual punch system. The registration form requests that you enter an e-punch number or check a box to rent an e-punch card. Please ignore the e-punch requests on the registration form.
Parental Consent Required
(Click here for more information)
All participants under age 18 are required to have a signed parental consent form on file with the
club. You must complete the form before the event and either scan it and send it to us by e-mail or
regular mail.
Packet Pickup
We will give you several opportunities to pick up your packet. We will provide full details including packet pickup and the event headquarters location at least one week prior to the events.
EVENT HEADQUARTERS
The Event Headquarters IS NOT at the Visitor Center. Instead, the event headquarters is located inside the north entrance of the park at the Chinde Point parking area (Hozo Point), just west of Kachina Point and the Painted Desert Inn. We will conduct a pre-event briefing each day at 8:30 sharp, followed immediately by bus transport to the start location each day. Please plan your travel time accordingly.
Carpool to the Events
Because of the fee required to enter Petrified Forest National Park, we suggest participants find a way to carpool into the park. We'll provide further details at least one week prior to the events.
We suggest that participants arrange to meet outside the south entrance to Petrified Forest National Park, then carpool to the Event Headquarters (Rainbow Forest Museum). There is plenty of parking just outside the south entrance to the park. There is a fee to enter the park. "America the Beautiful" and other national park passes are accepted. Click here for more information. If you carpool, you can save on the entrance fee.
ACCOMMODATIONS
There are a number of options for accommodations in the Holbrook area. The lodging options includes deluxe and standard motels, RV sites, cabins, paid camping, and free camping. You can click on the
List of Accommodations to see the places we have used for lodging in the past. We appreciate everything the local Holbrook businesses have done to help with our weekend of orienteering fun.
RESTROOMS
Portable toilets are available at the event headquarters at the Chinde Point parking area. On Saturday and Sunday, we'll provide an emergency camp toilet at the start and finish locations. On Sunday, we'll provide an emergency camp toilet at the start location. There is a restroom available on Sunday at the finish. Please note that the terrain throughout the national park is barren. There aren't many places to find privacy.
MAP AND TERRAIN
We will post details of the maps used for the events at least one week before the event dates.
COURSE NOTES
We will have course notes at least one week prior to the event dates.
AWARDS/CATEGORIES
We will present awards to the top 5 finishers overall as well as the top 3 finishers in each class. Each event has a minimum of three classes of teams: Male Open, Female Open, and Mixed Open. Depending on attendance at the events, we may expand the categories to include age-groupings. For purposes of the Petrified Forest events, a "team" consists of one to four members.
SCHEDULE:
Schedule details will appear here at least one week prior to the event dates.
FOOD:
We will have drinks and snacks at each day's finish location. You just wandered around through the desert for 4 hours; you deserve something for your efforts!
WHAT TO BRING:
The list below is recommended gear for the rogaines.
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Whistle (Mandatory for all. Available for purchase for $1)
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Compass (Mandatory for all. Available for rent for $1)
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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.
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Sun screen. There is little or no shade on the course.
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Sturdy hiking shoes and long pants are recommended. You won't encounter a lot of vegetation but there is a fair amount of loose terrain.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Please direct any questions to the Meet Director at
birks(at)yahoo.com (The (at) refers to the "@" symbol.)
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