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I hear some rustling from up the hill. Then I see motion. Three, no four doe come bounding into view. They stop, turn their necks and stare at me. For the longest time I stare back, gazing at the beauty of such animals in such a pristine place. Satisfied to move on, they were gone as quickly as they appeared. I collect my thoughts and for the first time, I look at my map and really begin to understand what's going on. I had drawn 9 circles and a triangle on the map. The triangle represented the start of my hike, the picnic shelter in that open field I had left only 5 or so minutes ago. The circles, each enclosing a feature on this map were my destinations. The man that gave the explanation called them controls. That's an odd word, but OK, so was he. I had numbered each of the "controls" and connected them with straight lines. This represented my course for the afternoon. I must find the remaining 8 controls and return alive and safe to the picnic shelter, map, compass, and punch card in hand.
I look at the back of the map at the description sheet: "Control 2, 132, Trail and Steam Junction". I look at the circle numbered 2 on my map. Sure enough, the black dashed line crosses a solid blue line a little further ahead and down the hill. The trail takes a circuitous route to my next control. 'Do I dare cut the corner and do a little cross country?' I take off strolling in that direction. No, I am almost jogging. This I am enjoying! See you at the finish!
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