Priory Navigation with GPS and Paintball Marker

Introduction

For this exercise, similar to the previous priory navigation, we would be in our teams and be required to reach a number of points.  This time, however, we would be required to hit all 15, not 5, and in addition to carrying a GPS unit instead of a map and compass, we were armed with paintball markers and masks.  

Methods

The GPS made navigation easier, in that instead of having to stop and take a compass reading, we could simply watch our position change on the GPS screen and see ourselves getting closer to the points, which were displayed.  On the other hand, when stopped, having a compass where you can just hold it up and get a reading in seconds is much better than having a GPS where getting to a compass requires a menu. 

The display we had on our GPS unit for this exercise.  The red border indicates the boundaries within which we maneuvered.  The red shaded areas were strict no firing zones.  The pink line traces our path.

The paintball markers made the exercise have an additional layer of tension.  Now, while we were scanning the trees for the orange and white flags, we were also keeping two eyes peeled for the movement of other classmates.  Because of this, we tended to move much slower and more cautiously than we would have if we were not in danger of being seen and fired upon.  Our team engaged in three firefights early on; for the first one, we lay in wait and ambushed an approaching team, and I got hit in the leg from a seated position.  The second engagement, I got the hit on the enemy.  For our third shootout, another of our team was hit.  When a team member was hit, his or her entire team was required to take a one minute time out.  This gave the other team time to move out of the area in search of their next point.

Professor Hupy and students prepping the paintball markers before the exercise commenced.

Each team was required to go to a certain point as their first, but after that, it was up to each team to determine their path.  Our path seemed a good one, taking up down into the ravine early on and then sticking to the edge of the map, working in a circle through the points until we doubled back towards the interior for our last four points.  As I said, our three engagements occurred in the beginning of the exercises; for the latter two hours, when we were on the east side of the course, we never saw another team. 

We had some difficulty on this exercise because of the nature of the gear we were carrying.  The masks would constantly get fogged up visors, making visibility extremely difficult.  To counter this, we had to keep pulling the masks up on our heads.  Doing so also made it easy to breathe, because inside those masks, it is hot and humid and horrible.  Also, the guns, while not heavy, were still a burden to carry around for three hours over rough terrain.   We arrived back at the parking lot at 5:30, not the first ones back and not last, but right in the middle.  Our course was good, but definitely could have been better.