Photo by Gerry Gosselin

Guest post by Gerry Gosselin
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Every hiker should have a compass right? Eventually I got around to picking one out, not because I felt I needed it, but because I’m a gadget whore and that itch needed to be scratched. A Suunto A-10 found it’s way into my possession for about $15 US. Then it sat in my bag for 2 years barely getting any use. I’m a novice day trip hiker who usually sticks to marked trails. Every now and then I get turned around but the areas I hike in Western MA don’t usually extend more than 10 miles in any direction before hitting a road. Getting truly lost was never a concern, only a minor nuisance.

This last Saturday June 12, 2010 I took a Compass, Map, Survival Course offered free by the State of Massachusetts. It’s a 10 hour course, half classroom and half in the field. The course was light on survival but very detailed on the map and compass work. If I took anything away from the course it’s that you will never ever use the ‘L’ word (lost) again as long as you have your trusty compass and map. The course really changed the way I think about hiking in the woods. Here are a few benefits I can see to truly knowing and practicing map and compass navigation.

1. Who needs it when everyone has a GPS? The obvious answer is GPS batteries die, GPS units die, and GPS reception will probably be flaky when you need it the most. A compass is a non-electronic analog device powered by the Earth itself. You can submerge it in water and it will likely outlive you. No one is saying throw out your GPS in favor of a compass. Having a backup for a critical tool is good survival planning. Backup your GPS with a solid compass and detailed map and you’ll never be lost again.

2. GPS units point you in a straight line to your destination. But a good 1/24,000 scale contour map will show you the terrain. Observe the contour of the land. Perhaps you’d rather go around a mountain, or avoid scrambling up a cliff, or cross a river at a bridge. Good map skills can get you where you need to go safer and easier. That is, until Google starts mapping major hiking trails with traffic data, routing based on elevation, weather patterns, average pace, and Calorie efficiency. You know it’s coming.
3. The biggest danger to you when you are turned around in the woods is your own head. You need to keep cool, come up with a plan, and execute it. A map and a compass in hand will instantly reduce your stress level because you aren’t really lost! Your first job is to find where you are on the map. In heavily wooded areas this can be a challenge. But once you hike that peak or find that vista where you can get a good idea of the layout of the land you should be able to find your location. Now you plot your course and make for it. Constantly checking up on your progress with your map and compass is a reassuring thing that will keep you cool and levelheaded. It’s easy for your head to make you believe you need to go in a certain direction. Some may call it intuition, direction sense, or a dangerously over-inflated ego. It can be unnerving when the compass tells you the opposite. After a quick check of your compass to ensure it’s not pointing at your cell phone or wind-up flashlight, you need to put your flawless direction sense aside and trust the compass. Your head can be in a weird place when you’re lost, trust your tools instead.

4. How did you get lost in the first place? Another important thing I learned from the course. Didn’t you plot out where you started and where you were going before you headed into the woods? Did you check your compass and map all along the way? If you fail to use your map and compass from the get-go, your job is much harder. Before you head out study the map, mark it up, plot your course and return trip. If you do these things, use your map, and compass along the way you’ll never get lost in the first place. Everyone likes to be told periodically that they are doing a good job when they are engaged in a difficult task. Your map and compass will be that calm and confident nod of approval every step of the way.

5. Know your pace and keep track of it. I had never thought about this unexpected gem. In the course, we measured how many paces it took to walk 100 feet. A pace is every time your left foot hits the ground. I believe mine was about 21. If the map tells us we need to travel 1500 feet to our next destination, and I’m counting my paces, I will know roughly when I’m in the right area. If I go 2000 feet and still haven’t found my destination then I know perhaps I was too far left or right and went by it, time to backtrack. Smart map and compass users carry rangers beads or pace count beads to keep track of how far they’ve gone. My instructor was nice enough to give me his to keep after the course. It’s some shoe lace and beads but it meant a lot and I’ll never go into the woods without it.

In closing, I’ve read a bit more about this subject in the last two days and there seems to be a bitter distaste for GPS users in this community. I’m an all inclusive kind of guy so if I have a GPS unit AS WELL AS a map and compass I’m going to be a lot happier than having only one or none. I can see the point that a GPS can make you lazy in that you never practice your map and compass skills, and that’s a valid concern. Hell I’ve been hiking for decades and this is the first time I’ve seriously respected the old map and compass combo. I strongly encourage you to get a Sylva style compass (with that transparent internal dial), read a good book or take a course on map and compass use, then practice. Not only can it save your life, it’s pretty fun and rewarding as well. And when the zombie apocalypse comes, you’ll be a survivor!

By the way, I like my Suunto A-10 but the class gave me an appreciation for compasses with a sighting mirror. This Brunton 15TDCL appears to be the bee’s knees. Reviewers have suggested that there are cheap knock-offs of this compass but this model is the original and maintains a high standard of quality. It’s definitely on my list to become my primary compass with my A-10 as a backup.

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