Maps at the GeoTime Trail
Saturday, November 29, 2025
On Saturday November 29 Nature Kids met at the GeoTime Trail in Waterloo. The weather was cold but sunny and there was lots of snow.
Nature Kids volunteer Laura talked to the group about maps and what kinds of things we might see on maps and how to orient ourselves on one. We did a short practice with a small map she had drawn of our immediate area, then Laura gave us a bigger map.
Laura had drawn a map of part of the GeoTime trail with landmarks like trees, rocks, signs and paths along with control points. The control points were cards posted on trees or stumps or rock walls and marked with different symbols.
Using the map, we headed out to find and record all twelve control points. The fresh deep snow made it more difficult to walk and the woods were beautiful. We recorded each point we found by drawing the symbol shown on posted cards.
Laura wasn’t sure if we would be able to hike to find all the points as the deep snow made walking more difficult and tiring, but we were up for the challenge. We found all 12 points! Many people were tired by the end.
This was a fun and challenging activity, and we learned about following a map.
Reported by: Rachelle