I also “feel” the directions with the Sun. When I change the hemisphere I switch the feeling of directions automatically. But I have problem near the equator.

I can read maps but problem to feel distance and therefore where to turn.

Mark, I am not following how Southern vs Northern hemisphere makes a difference.  In both hemispheres the sun rises in the East and sets in the West.  In both if you face East, South is to your right and North to your left.  What am I missing?

• This reply was modified 8 months, 2 weeks ago by matthew k.

In the temperate zones of the USA, which would include the Catskills, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and shines from those directions except around the noon hour.  If you’ve been bushwhacking much of the day, eyesight and the vestibular system combine to maintain a sense of those directions most of the day.  Even in cloudy weather, the light from the sun usually comes from its direction, projecting through the clouds, so the brain can remain oriented.  In heavy overcast, however, a compass is needed, and it is a pain to constantly have to take one out to keep oriented.  It takes much of the fun out of bushwhacking.

What also gets in the way is extremely varied terrain, with numerous steep hills packed closely together, with deep ravines between them.  Here around Mt Chocorua, I call the hills,”dinosaur backs,” as they look like the remains of giant beasts that have formed numerous mounds everywhere.  But it makes off-trail hiking fun and challenging.  Numerous huge deadfalls, not so much, especially in Colorado, where the trees grow to much larger diameters, and it is a lot of work to lift the Shelties over them.  The advent of boring insects in fir trees may have contributed to this, making bushwhacking through deadfalls much like the journey of a rat running through a maze.

All the same, it is great fun to chart new routes, so long as landmarks are kept in mind, and enough time is kept available to get safely out of the forest before dark.

“Compasses are promoted as if they are like a standby mechanical steampunk version of a GPS”

1. that’s funny
2. yeah, agree with the general sentiment that you can’t just check off compass on your ten essentials list and call it good. Kinda like first aid kit item—learn how to use them!
3. I actually did triangulate where I was once. It can be done. But I was relaxed and “voluntarily lost.” And turns out I was where I thought i might be, and that was very reassuring.
4. If you were really, really turned around the basic “oh, that way is North” might help some. But better to not get that turned around. And rare for someone hiking trails.
5. if it’s whiteout conditions, fire up the dang GPS

• This reply was modified 8 months, 2 weeks ago by matthew k.

“For the average hiker who is following a trail with a trail map, and probably a GPS, a compass is not adding much except a false sense of security.”

The article is about hiking off-trail. So no following a trail.
The posts I was responding to were about locating N and S without a compass.
Agree that one needs a map with a compass. I always carry a USGS 7.5 minute topo when hiking off-trail. In the Rockies, the forests are often sparse, so one can look at the map contours and features, and form a mental image of the terrain. Then looking at the actual terrain, and orienting with the compass, the direction to follow becomes clear.

But in forested areas in the East, the subject of the article, visibility is limited, and hiking off-trail is not so easy. But note from the article’s photo that the trees are well spaced, the terrain is fairly even, and moving through the forest is not difficult. But if one knows the compass bearing being followed, proceeding to the next feature on the map, like a stream or a ravine or just a sharp change in elevation, will indicate if on course.

I’ve never needed a GPS to stay on course, but carry a 3 oz Garmin 301 and mark waypoints at landmarks, in order to provide them to those who navigate by GPS.
Works for me both at home and in the Rockies.

I highly doubt anyone could ever use compass triangulation to get back on a popular hiking trail.

Hate to bust your bubble, but people have been doing exactly that for centuries.

“Hate to bust your bubble, but people have been doing exactly that for centuries.”

I doubt it. The hiking compass wasn’t invented until 1928, for orienteering. Prior to that if you wanted a bearing your main option was a pocketable military prismatic compass (not invented until around 1915), which wasn’t widely available. Prior to that , if you were wealthy, you might have a pocket-watch type of compass that could point north, but wouldn’t give bearings useful enough for triangulation.

• This reply was modified 8 months, 2 weeks ago by matthew k.

Let see how good you are by looking at your surroundings to tell what direction you are heading. What direction is he going in???

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He’s walking “Northward”  checking compass for true north.

The prominent tree center mid-left appears to have some shadows on it.  Thus the sun appears to be coming from the right side of the photo, perpendicular to his path.  So it depends on the time of day.  If in the northern hemisphere in early morning then the sun is in the east, mid-day to the south, and late afternoon to the west.   I can’t say more than that…

P.S.  I stink at navigation, my wife takes care of it.  I walk off trails and get turned around all the time.  Number one rule:  she must wait for me at all trail junctions or I’ll more than likely head down the wrong path (I’m always last because I stop fairly often to take photos).

triangulating positions with a map and compass is a requisite skill for passing Maine Guide certification.  It absolutely can be done, but is also the most common cause for failing the test.  As easy as it is, some people just cant wrap their heads around it.

Nobody, not in the article, not in the comments, mentioned wind.  Taking note of the wind direction, and understand thermals in mountain terrain can provide very valuable directional clues.  I’ve used wind when I had nothing else on an overcast day in flat swamp country and its gotten me back on course.

Nice article.  Thanks