Wilderness Safety

Navigation Basics

Map, compass, and the habits that keep you found. A GPS is a convenience; navigation is a skill.

A map and compass are two of the Ten Essentials — but only if you know how to use them. Carrying them without the skill is carrying weight.

Carry a real map

Bring a topographic map of the area, printed and waterproof. Contour lines tell you what the terrain does, which is what matters when you are deciding whether the shortcut down that slope is a walk or a cliff.

A phone map is a fine supplement and a poor primary. Batteries die in the cold, screens break, and coverage disappears exactly where you need it.

Learn your compass

You need three things:

  1. Orienting the map — turning the map so it matches the ground in front of you. Everything else gets easier once you do this.
  2. Taking a bearing — reading the direction to a visible landmark, or from the map to where you want to go.
  3. Following a bearing — walking that direction over terrain, using intermediate landmarks rather than staring at the needle.

The habits matter more than the hardware.

  • Check the map at every trail junction, not just when confused
  • Note the time and your position periodically — this is your last known point
  • Look behind you regularly; the return trip looks nothing like the way out
  • Track handrails: a ridge, a drainage, a road you can always walk back to
  • Set a turnaround time before you start, and honor it
  • Know the terrain trap — descending into a drainage is easy and often wrong

If the map and the ground disagree

The ground is right. Stop, and back up to the last point where you were certain. Do not try to make the terrain fit your idea of where you are — that is the single most common way an experienced hiker becomes a search subject.

If you cannot re-establish your position: stop, think, observe, plan.