Discussion: Thank you!

Really enjoyed it! Turns out it's still fun without tons of snow!@

Thanks for being a great partner in our meet directing! :)

You're welcome. Wandering around in the woods while scouting is where the fun begins. And it continues right through to seeing so many participants pitch in to gather flags at the end.

This international dimension to the club has its challenges. Not insurmountable, obviously, as I keep showing up.
I will write about it sometime. It might be good for a chuckle.

What have you been telling the border officials? We sometimes say we'll be doing "running" races to avoid any confusion about orienteering. And when I was volunteering at Untamed New England, they were concerned about whether I was getting paid.

I said "trail running" a few times (as folks from Windsor do make a point of going to MI state parks to do that). Then they started to ask me how far I was going to run. "Depends on how lost I get" probably wasn't a good answer.

I worry about the volunteering part as that got cracked down on when Canadians were perceived to be taking volunteer positions from Americans at the Belle Isle Grand Prix. But when I crossed the border at 5 am to go volunteer at the National O meet this year, he didn't accuse me of taking an American's job away.....that time.

"Are you going to meet up with anyone?" Umm, yeah, some random peeps who are also kind of lost in the woods.

"How long have you known these people? How did you meet them?" I met them online probably isn't a good answer either.

On the way back into Canada..."Anything to declare?" Sore legs and a bag of clothes that may be contaminated with poison ivy are also things that should be left unsaid.

Smile. Nod.

It is a privilege to cross an international border. One that I truly respect.

It is indeed. It's hard enough to explain our hobbies to our own families without sounding like lunatics. It can be really difficult to sound "normal" at the border!