Backwoods Orienteering Klub

Have Fun in the Woods Orienteering… with the best maps in the world

Orienteering Raleigh NC

Backwoods Orienteering Klub, founded November 15, 1978 sponsors events and teaches orienteering in the North Carolina piedmont, around Raleigh, NC.

We invite you to try orienteering with us. Everyone is welcome at all our events. We always offer beginning, intermediate, advanced and expert courses (routes through the woods) at every Regular event.

BOK’s Early History

BOK’s History

On November 15, 1978 BOK was founded in Fayetteville by Bud Fish and Dick Hawkins. Bud was one of the founding fathers of Quantico O Club, a member of USOF Board of Directors, and was ranked #1 in 1977. Dick competed on the US Team in 1976 and was ranked #2 in the US.

BOK held its first event on December 2, 1978 in Fayetteville. The next president, Joseph Huberman, was appointed by Bud Fish in September 1980 and continues to serve to this writing. Joseph & Ruth Bromer orienteered for the first time at Duke Forest on Dec 9, 1979, and set their first event, which was also the first Raleigh event at Lake Johnson on June 1, 1980. Andy Huber ran his first event with BOK in the spring of 1981, and set his first course for us at Clemmons State Forest on October 11, that same year.

All that time the event directors were making black and white maps just ahead of each event, and correcting them each time we held another event. It wasn’t until September 1982 that we got our first color maps, and the first event using one of them was Joseph and Ruth’s wedding on September 11, 1982. Those first maps were the very western edge of Umstead Park, Lake Johnson, and Schenck Forest including Richland Creek the area now occupied by the PNC Center (previously the RBC Center).

In those early days we were happy to get 10 people to an event, and we were ecstatic if 20 showed up. Membership was $5 per year and entry fees were $1.00 for members and $1.50 for non-members. The new color maps were a huge turning point, and and began our hosting of USOF “A” meets.  Over the next 2 decades we hosted Championship and traditional “A” meets nearly every other year. In 2006 and again in 1013 BOK hosted the ARDF National Championships. The next big kick was in 2007 when we purchased the Sport Ident equipment.  By 2010 we were occasionally getting over 100 participants at our Umstead Park events, and the regulations at the parks were increasing, both limiting the number of events and the numbers of participants. At this writing, 2016, and over the last decade our club membership is fairly stable at 80 – 100 members.  We have about twenty active members and 8 individuals or couples who put on events.  We are beginning to get regular attendance from the Scouts and JROTC groups.  There is very little interest in hosting additional “A” meets.  Generally the feeling is that the work does not justify the rewards.