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Thank you for your interest in this hike! Unfortunately, this is an OLD hike. Please revisit our Current Hiking Schedule to select an alternative hike.
Where: Heron Community Center for classroom component, carpool to field site Address:6 Upriver Drive, Heron, Montana The turn-off to Heron, Montana, is just east of Milepost 4 on Montana Highway 200 (40 miles east of Sandpoint and 50 miles west of Thompson Falls.) Watch for a large, home-made sign on the south side of the highway pointing the way to Heron. From the highway, proceed 1.5 miles ± along Heron Road across the river and turn left after crossing the railroad tracks. Follow along the railroad for 1.5 miles ± to the small village of Heron, which is almost entirely on the right side of the road. Pass the Post Office, Fire Station, Heron Store and the Methodist Church. The Community Center is located on the corner just past the church. Turn right just past the big building on the corner and right again into the parking lot in front of the old elementary school. (It looks like an old elementary school, believe it or not.) The classes are in that building. Follow the crowd.
Hike Description:10 am MTN Time ( 9am PAC Time) to 5 pm MTN Time (4pm PAC Time). Join us for a basic orienteering class with emphasis on traditional methods of utilizing a Silva Ranger Compass and topographical maps to layout your adventures and return home safely. Morning classroom session will cover map keys and symbols; reading contour lines and intervals; figuring scales and measuring horizontal distances; laying out and laying off bearings and azmiths; adjusting your declination; triangulation off mountain peaks or known landmarks, and hands on practical use of compass and maps as well as other orienteering tips. There will be an eight dollar fee for class materials, as each student will work with their own topo map which will be provided. Please bring a ruler or scale, Silva Ranger compass with rotating dial and declination adjustment, pencils, calculator. Instructor will have a few extra compass also. We will wrap up morning classroom time with an overview of animal tracking and sign interpretation. Our field study will include an afternoon of hands on track and sign recognition, scatology, and practicing use of compass and maps in the field. Come prepared for a full day with lunch, water, gear, and smiles.
