Wild about the woods

We thought we were getting a walk in the park. Turns out we got a dip in the lake and lots of grasshoppers while on an excursion with the folks of Indiana Crossroads Orienteering.

This isn't quite the same as your college freshman orientation. Orienteering involves walking, hiking, navigating, a points system, time limits and bugs.

We showed up on a sweltering Saturday afternoon in late August for the annual Paddle-O, a favorite of its regular participants. Most orienteering events are on foot, but the main affair this day was happening in a canoe.

We don't do well where oars and lifejackets are involved -- everyone has a horrifying canoe story, right?

Thankfully, there was a Score-O as well (on land), so we set out on foot.

Kate was in charge of the map and compass. Jenny donned the backpack and cleared the paths ahead (and was sorely missing her machete).

The organizers of the Paddle-O paddled us to the center of Eagle Creek Reservoir, where we jumped out onto the peninsula portion and began our hunt -- after battling the grasshopper that landed on Kate.

As one of only two land-roaming teams, our competition wasn't too stiff, we thought.

Our goal was to search for, find and punch our scorecards at as many of the 43 checkpoints, or "controls," as we could.

Because this was actually billed as a paddle event, most markers were near the water. We hit the trails, easily scoring our first control.

The second one was not so easy. Jenny's attempt to reach the control, attached to a tree limb and dangling over the muddy water, caused her to fall into the lake while trying to grab it.

From there we trekked farther through the woods, encountering two rabid dogs, which turned out to be adorable deer that promptly ran from us.

Our third control was down a cliff off the main walkway; we were too exhausted to remember the last two controls we managed to get, but we ended up with five in all.

Despite all the bugs, briar scratches and burrs, orienteering is loads of fun and great exercise. It's also a chance to pretend you're a real explorer.

Of course, it's also a chance to pretend (pretend? Kate wasn't faking it) you're a little girl again -- like we did when we ended up screaming over the grasshopper that made it into the car.

- By Jenny Elig and Kate Johnson / Indy.com

Indiana Crossroads Orienteering

Next event: Halloween-O at Eagle Creek East, Oct. 25. Geared toward families, includes treats (and tricks); you are encouraged to wear a costume.

Info: www.indyo.org