On-Trail Navigation Field Trip - Carkeek Park

We met at Whitman Middle School at 6:45am. After a quick logistical meeting to inform us on the plan for the day, we headed to Carkeek Park via NW 92nd St and then taking Mary Ave NE northbound until we reached the trailhead. After following the trail to the park boundary, we did a loop within the park, returning to the same park boundary entrance, exiting via the same trailhead and then returning to Whitman by taking Mary Ave to NW 100th St to 15th Ave NW southboard.

Along the way we practiced determining where we were on our maps using landmarks, contours, compass bearings, etc. Within the park we had more practice with taking bearings and comparing our results against other students. Then after taking a quick snack and bio break we split into small groups. Each small group was assigned a different route to follow back to the park boundary and was sent off on their own to follow that route.

3.68 miles total with 509 ft ascent over a little less than 4 hours. Actual moving time was about 1 hr 20 min. The rest of the time was spent stopped talking and doing exercises like compass practice.

The GPS end point marks the farthest north we got into the park before beginning the group exercise to return to the park boundary.

The temp was extremely cold but when we exited the park it was starting to warm up and was actually pleasant. Apparently the early start time is to get us in and out of the park before it gets crowded, but there were very few people in the park. Perhaps future January field trips should start later to avoid the cold under the assumption that park usage (by others) in January will be low.