Hiking - A Basic Introduction To Navigation Using Maps

Hiking - A Basic Introduction To Navigation Using Maps

By:


Though you might guess that it ought to be the other way around, it is a fact that most experienced hikers use maps to navigate their way along trails and across wilderness areas while novices feel that maps are unnecessary. The novice hiker often assumes that there is no need to go through the hard work of learning map reading and that sticking to used trails will be okay. Regrettably, that is a mistaken view.

You really can get yourself seriously lost even near clearly marked trails and stepping a few yards from the trail into heavy woodland has caught out more than one novice. Without the benefit of the sun, stars or recognizable geographical markers it is very easy to get disorientated and to end up walking even farther from the trail and getting yourself lost in no time at all.

Now in the example here a map by itself would not necessarily help you to get out of the wood in question. However, you will usually run across another trail which hooks up with your original trail and a good map would help you to find your way with ease back to your starting point.

Okay, so where do you start?

Begin by getting hold of an up-to-date map which covers the area you will be hiking in and start by studying it carefully at home in a quiet and relaxed environment. Naturally you will not be in a position to match the map to features on the ground, but it will certainly assist you in learning and understanding the symbols which are used on the map.

All maps will have a legend (which differs slightly from one publisher to the next) and you have to familiarize yourself with the symbols. Additionally, you will need to familiarize yourself with the scale of the map which will be printed on it somewhere as something like 1 inch = 5 miles.

Remember however that distance is only part of the story and that 1 inch representing 1 mile on flat ground is a very different thing from 1 inch representing 1 mile over an area including a steep and winding path up the side of a 2,000 foot cliff.

To account for the latter, you will need to think about altitude which is shown on the map as a series of curved lines that, if 'stretched out', would make a circle. The distance between two altitude lines around a natural feature like a large hill indicates the altitude. Generally you will find that there are numbers printed beside the lines to help you. These lines are called contour lines and the closer these lines are to each other the steeper the ground.

Next, you have to study the longitude lines and latitude lines. Longitude lines which indicate North and South run 'up and down' the map from the bottom to the top while latitude lines which indicate East and West run 'right and left'.

During the day you can make use of the sun together with natural features on the ground to orient the map so that it is lined up with the ground which you are hiking over. Do not forget that the sun rises in the East and sets in the West so that at the start of the day facing the sun will have you heading roughly East. By the same token, late in the day facing the sun as it sets will have you hiking in a Westerly direction.

Once the sun has gone down you can use the stars to navigate and you will often be able to see the sky reasonably well as the majority of wilderness areas are far away from the glow of city lights. One of the greatest joys of hiking is the ability to hike out under the canopy of stars and familiarizing yourself with such formations as the Big Dipper and Orion as well as the North Star.

About the Author:
One of the first things you will need as a novice hiker is a good pair of hiking boots and you could do a lot worse than a pair of Vasque or Asolo hiking boots



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


Tags: , , , , , ,

|

Loading...
Related....
Videos...

Recent Sports-and-Recreation Articles

Comments

Still can't find what you are looking for? Search for it!

Loading

Site Navigation:

Copyright 2005-2011 ArticleSnatch, LLC - All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | Terms of Service.