Navigating the Wilderness - How Not to Get Lost

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Navigating the wilderness requires some effort and presence of mind from you.
It can be hard to learn how not to get lost in a place full of greens and species that you just learned actually existed.
But the good thing is, navigating the wilderness is possible.
Navigating The Wilderness Through Orienteering Orienteering is the capability to read topographical maps, and know exactly where you are on the map.
It also involves having the skill to competently use an orienteering compass.
The harmony of being able to do both skills is called orienteering.
How Not To Get Lost: Know Your Compass Basically, there are three kinds of compasses: The, floating dial variety, five-and-dime special, and the orienteering compass.
Navigating the wilderness through an orienteering compass would be the best choice, especially if you are a beginner.
An orienteering compass offers you easy to read markers that point from your palm to the direction of travel.
It also has a rotary housing dial that is adjusted to line up with the true magnetic north pointer.
When you are able to match the rotary housing with the magnetic north, the arrow placed on the outer plastic housing will point you to the direction that you are going.
An orienteering compass is helpful in setting up a starting point without having a map.
Simply place the compass in your palm and read the degree heading displayed on the top.
You will see a red line beginning at the center of the clear plastic, which leads to the adjustable dial.
This line shows that the degree heading dial reading is the same as the direction of travel.
To get a return heading, basically make use of a tree or a landmark in front of you as your reference point.
Once you are comfortable and competent in using an orienteering type of compass, you will learn that you are not obliged to have a topographical map in order to venture out into uncharted territory.
However, it is still best for you to master both skills.
Navigating The Wilderness Through Topographical Maps Once you are competent in using an orienteering compass, you can start practicing and applying your skills to topographical maps, also known as topos.
When you include topo maps, all of what you learned in using an orienteering compass will eventually fall into place.
Once you start learning to read topo maps, you will get to know the different color codes and the how the curves work and what they stand for.
By knowing this, you can actually find interesting features of the area by just looking at your map.
You can even discover old mines or ghost towns.
The best thing about learning to read topos is that you can be forewarned of potential geographical dangers in the area.
Topo maps can help you plan your trek in various ways.
You can set up your direction of travel and approximate the time and distance you need to cover for each portion of your trek.
This can also help you plan your food intake.
Other than orienteering, there are several other ways for you not to get lost in the wilderness, such as paying close attention to your landmarks and surroundings.
As you do this, relate them to your location on the map.
It would also be best to stay put when it is already nightfall, especially if you are exhausted or injured.
The best tip to navigate the wilderness would be: stay calm.
Panic will often be your greatest enemy, especially if you think that you are starting to get lost.
With orienteering skills and these helpful tips, navigating the wilderness won't be a problem, but could even be a pleasurable experience!
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