Taking Good Care of Your Compass
If a hiker is willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a pair of boots why not spend a bit more for a decent compass; it can make a huge difference.
Post Tagged with: "compass"
Making Sense of Declination
Degrees true refer to an angular measurement from true north; the North Pole. Degrees magnetic refers to the angular measurement from magnetic north. Magnetic north and true north in most cases are not the same. So, if a hiker travels to the east or 090° magnetic that direction is equivalent to 106° degrees true. The difference is the declination of an area.
Selecting a Magnetic Compass
In my navigation classes I’ll use features (roads, trail segments) that I know are laid out in true north to stay dialed in. Faulty compasses jump right out with their inaccuracies when you trek along a route that you know runs true north.
Baseline Navigation
Returning to a baseline is a pretty straight forward concept. The idea is that you leave camp from a known location and strike out in a specific direction such as North, or 000°. When it is time to return aim to the left or right of camp (like 165°T), hit the logging road camp is on and turn right. That is the concept but there is a bit more to it.
Follow Us!