Finding North
Are you lost? If you are in the northern hemisphere, The sun is to your south. If it is afternoon the sun is south west. If it is before noon the sun is south east. So if it is in the afternoon, Put the sun to your back and left. Now you are facing roughly north. If it is in the morning put the sun to your back and right. Again you are facing to the north. If it is night find the big dipper. Follow the two stars that make the big dipper's scoop up and you will see the north star. Once again you are facing to the north.
Walking in a Straight Line
One of the most common reasons that people get lost, stay lost, generally get scared, panicked and eventually wind up dead in the woods is because they cannot walk in a straight line. At least they can't without an asphalt road to guide them. People generally walk in a wide circle because they favor one side of their body, generally the dominant side. Without landmarks that people are familiar with using for positional orientation, people easily veer off their intended track in the bush.
Using two-point sight lines is a good basic way to avoid veering off course. To do this line up two landmarks, one in the middle distance and one in the far distance- in the direction you wish to travel. Now turn around 180 degrees and look straight back behind you. With moving your view find two landmarks that area already lined up and mark them as well. This is reverse two-point sight lining. Now reacquire your forward sight lines and walk to the first landmark. When you reach the first landmark, turn back and reacquire your reverse sight lines to make sure you have not veered to far off and to reorient yourself with the view back the way you came. Now repeat the process.
If a point is far enough away and on high enough ground, you may safely use a single point as a tracking method for traveling in a straight line. This is called High Ground Single Point walking. One reason that single point walking can be deceptive is that if the point is not high enough so as to be visible the entire journey you may have to give up sight of point for some period and may, in that time, go off course. Another reason single point walking can be deceptive is that you may have to shift to the left or right to go around obstacles, and without a second point you may reach your first point, but be aiming in a different direction when you get to that point than you originally intended.
Further Information
http://redcedarvolunteers.wetpaint.com/page/Navigation
Are you lost? If you are in the northern hemisphere, The sun is to your south. If it is afternoon the sun is south west. If it is before noon the sun is south east. So if it is in the afternoon, Put the sun to your back and left. Now you are facing roughly north. If it is in the morning put the sun to your back and right. Again you are facing to the north. If it is night find the big dipper. Follow the two stars that make the big dipper's scoop up and you will see the north star. Once again you are facing to the north.
Walking in a Straight Line
One of the most common reasons that people get lost, stay lost, generally get scared, panicked and eventually wind up dead in the woods is because they cannot walk in a straight line. At least they can't without an asphalt road to guide them. People generally walk in a wide circle because they favor one side of their body, generally the dominant side. Without landmarks that people are familiar with using for positional orientation, people easily veer off their intended track in the bush.
Using two-point sight lines is a good basic way to avoid veering off course. To do this line up two landmarks, one in the middle distance and one in the far distance- in the direction you wish to travel. Now turn around 180 degrees and look straight back behind you. With moving your view find two landmarks that area already lined up and mark them as well. This is reverse two-point sight lining. Now reacquire your forward sight lines and walk to the first landmark. When you reach the first landmark, turn back and reacquire your reverse sight lines to make sure you have not veered to far off and to reorient yourself with the view back the way you came. Now repeat the process.
If a point is far enough away and on high enough ground, you may safely use a single point as a tracking method for traveling in a straight line. This is called High Ground Single Point walking. One reason that single point walking can be deceptive is that if the point is not high enough so as to be visible the entire journey you may have to give up sight of point for some period and may, in that time, go off course. Another reason single point walking can be deceptive is that you may have to shift to the left or right to go around obstacles, and without a second point you may reach your first point, but be aiming in a different direction when you get to that point than you originally intended.
Further Information
http://redcedarvolunteers.wetpaint.com/page/Navigation
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