Scout creates the Infirmary Mound orientation course

Very soon, adventurous explorers will have the chance to test their skills against three orientation challenges at Infirmary Mound Park, located at 4308 Lancaster Road.

Orienteering is a sport that challenges participants to search for posted checkpoints – some of which are quite difficult to find – on park courses covering different distances and terrains.

New to the park is the Eagle Scout project by Andrew Lowery of Granville.

The idea for an orienteering offer came from a park employee, Lowery said in an interview with Infirmary Mound Park on July 26.

The finishing touches to the project are still in progress for an upcoming launch.

When the concept of orienteering was brought up, Lowery decided it was a good idea for his Eagle Scout project.

Lowery, who has been a Scout since about age 10, has enjoyed and enjoyed orienteering through his involvement in Scouting.

“Our troop took an orientation course through the Ohio Orienteering Club, and I liked the course, so it’s modeled after that,” he explained.

The most time-consuming part of the project, he said, was planning and deciding on course positions. The actual execution at the park site took only a few hours to place signs on markers, he said.

The final stage of the project is the final upload of the maps to the official Park District website. At that time, the orientation course challenges will be fully in place.

With the help of about 10 comrades from Granville Troop 65 — part of the Eagle Scout mission familiar with the project delegation process, Lowery explained — three courses of varying complexity were set up at Infirmary Mound Park.

Lowery said there was a one-mile trail, a two-mile trail, and a three-mile trail.

“Some markers are harder to find,” he said.

There are a total of 10 markers on the three trails, according to Lowery.

Maps should be available online soon on the Licking Park District website at http://lickingparkdistrict.com/

Lowery, who turned 18 in mid-July, will be a senior at C-TEC this coming school year, where he will focus on studying automotive technologies.