Be the compass. GPS devices are great for road trips, but when you’re hiking backcountry, compass skills “still rule.” To plot a hike without trails, you need to determine your relationship to true north by first finding your location on the map and placing the compass over it.
True your north. Locate a visible landmark, such as a hill or stream, that is depicted on the map as being due north, south, east, or west of you. Use the landmark to adjust for the difference between true north and magnetic north, which is what the compass needle indicates. (In the U.S., magnetic north can vary by up to 20 degrees from true north.)
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Source: Texas Monthly
-
Mustardy beans and hazelnuts recipeThe Week Recommends Nod to French classic offers zingy, fresh taste
-
Under siege: Argentina’s president drops his chainsawTalking Point The self-proclaimed ‘first anarcho-capitalist president in world history’ faces mounting troubles
-
Sarkozy behind bars: the conviction dividing FranceIn the Spotlight Sarkozy speaks to the press with wife Carla Bruni at his side outside a Paris courtroom after the guilty verdict
