okansas.blogspot.com Occassional thoughts about orienteering |
Wednesday, November 07, 2007 A favorite mapHelvete = One of my all time favorite orienteering maps.Helvete, for those who don't know Norwegian, means "hell." So you get, for example, the location map with the text, "how to go to Hell." But, that isn't why the map is a favorite. The terrain looks interesting. But, that isn't why the map is a favorite. The map is a favorite because I spent hours and hours studying. It was one of the first Scandinavian maps I'd ever seen. It was also a small piece of paper. I folded the map up and carried it around in my wallet. When I was bored (waiting in line or sitting through an especially weak lecture), I pulled out the map and studied it. I tried to understand what the terrain must look like or imagined how I'd set a course on the map. I got the map back in 1982 when I met Havard Tveite - "famous Norwegian orienteering racer" - and traded a few maps. I came across the map when I was poking around Alfonsson's blog. Back to okansas.blogspot.com. posted by Michael | 6:29 PM
Comments:
That's a rather interesting map you have there. Perhaps especially considering the name of the location.
There is actually a place called Hell, just outside Trondheim - in central Norway. It is right by that city's airport, and is also the local train station on a popular tourist route. In winter time the place gets excruciatingly cold - thereby becoming a popular memory for many a photographer documenting that Hell in deed does freeze over. The military part of the airport is called Hell Air Base, and the sign outside the entrance Welcome to Hell!, needless to say, amuses visiting personell. Albeit not orienteering related, I just thought I'd mention it :-) Keep up the blogging!
That map was obviously made before the numbers "1" and "2" were invented. Back then all courses started at "3." Ahh, those were the salad days...
There's also a town of Hell in the state of Michigan. My kids found it when playing games with Rand-McNally maps. I don't think there's an O map nearby, however.
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