SANDPOINT — Families, friends and individuals gathered at the Litehouse YMCA as hushed whispers ensued. 

With their maps in hand, they were all scheming a route around Sandpoint before the 11th annual Sandpoint Street Scramble kicked off. The event, hosted by the Eastern Washington Orienteering Club, lays out checkpoints with assigned point values for teams to find within the three-hour time limit. 

Instead of the usual electronic markers, the Sandpoint Street Scramble uses a multiple-choice test for each of the checkpoints to ensure fair and honest competition. Questions can be as simple as how many bluebirds sit on the antler at the sculpture on Pine Street, or require a little bit more thought. 

The checkpoints are designed by John Harbuck, who has been laying out the street scramble for the last 11 years. Harbuck said he builds the map by simply driving or walking around town, looking for points of interest, like the town's downtown artwork. 

"I'll basically ride or drive around and find interesting things to you know, like there are a number of artworks downtown that I've used," Harbuck said.  

While he's been doing the event for over a decade, Harbuck tries to keep things interesting every year, switching up the checkpoints to allow for new adventures. 

"I keep thinking, 'Oh, this would be good. Oh, I used that already,'" Harbuck said with a laugh. "So, I just drive around and try not to duplicate." 

Many participants in the crowd said they were returners from last year's event and enjoyed the affordable adventure. The event kicked off at 10 a.m. and lasted through 1 p.m. with over six groups competing to collect the most points. 

The event is hosted to promote orienteering, the sport of competitive outdoor navigation. That means no phones or GPS allowed, as participants must only use their map and potentially a compass to find their way through Sandpoint to find the checkpoints. 

In fact, that's why Harbuck said he continues to come back. 

"I'm addicted to orienteering," Harbuck said with a smile.  

The EWOC was started by John Beck, an economics professor at Gonzaga in 1988, and continues to put on events like the street scramble across the Inland Northwest. Freeman Thompson, a member of EWOC, said he loves to see people come out for events and the children's excitement. 

"I pick up the courses at the end, but I do like to see everyone excited," Thompson said. "Especially seeing the little kids, learning how to read a map and learning how to navigate themselves." 

    A family huddles together to plan their route before the Sandpoint Street Scramble.