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Whenever i see a topo map I recall my college days when I had a mountaineering buddy who took us out to middle of wilderness in his jeep with nothing but a topo

Whenever i see a topo map I recall my college days when I had a mountaineering buddy who took us out to middle of wilderness in his jeep with nothing but a topo map and a compass on a snow shoe hike on the San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff, AZ. We were trying to hike to a cabin but a snow storm cropped up and had to find a fast way down - his skills with a compass and that map were amazing and we made it back to his jeep in 30 minutes what it had taken us the previous 3 hours to hike (we had a couple of daring downhill rides/jumps). With GPS and all nowadays it feels like that skill might be lost, but hopefully there are some guys out there daring enough to keep it going to take those of us who dont know out for an adventure

ghaff 3y ago
I do usually carry a paper map and compass if I'm somewhere I don't know well. I have broken a phone and had the battery die and am very aware that I'm a dropped phone away from being utterly and completely lost.
- arethuza 3y ago
  The only times I have made significant route finding mistakes in the last ten years were after I started using a GPS for route finding - in both cases I took the wrong ridge down from a peak. My wife was also in a group that managed to descend completely the wrong side of a mountain the first time the person leading used a GPS...
gumby 3y ago
If you’re in the wilderness you should know how to navigate with map and compass, and check your gps. A no-power backup could save your life. This is the same reason you should know how to make a fire even if you have a stove. I’ve had a stove fail due to dust in the PRV. A fire kept us warm. Be prepared.
OnACoffeeBreak 3y ago
Local adventure racing and orienteering organizations typically have beginner classes that teach map and compass navigation. At least the one near me does every couple of months.
- prawn 3y ago
  Not sure how popular rogaining is in the US, but it's very fun and might appeal to a lot of HN users. In South Australia at least, every event has map and compass lessons beforehand for newcomers. https://orienteeringusa.org/explore/what-is-rogaining/ https://orienteeringusa.org/explore/what-is-rogaining/
Stevvo 3y ago
For me it was scouts; the scout master would bundle us all in the back of a van at night, drive us a couple of miles in a random direction and then task us to find our way back to camp with nothing but a map & compass. It was a real adventure; we had no idea that the troop leaders were 50 meters away keeping tabs us through night-vision goggles all night.
zikduruqe 3y ago
You should see if there are orienteering courses in your area. It is a fun activity. It's like playing chess while running. https://orienteeringusa.org/explore/what-is-orienteering/ https://orienteeringusa.org/explore/what-is-orienteering/
- diracs_stache 3y ago
  That's cool to see, I remember in high school the ROTC came to track practice to get people to come out for orienteering meets. Turned out to be a fun/useful experience.
kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 3y ago
Not map and compass, but the book The Natural Navigator is excellent for honing your skills. https://www.naturalnavigator.com/ https://www.naturalnavigator.com/

ghaff 3y ago

I do usually carry a paper map and compass if I'm somewhere I don't know well. I have broken a phone and had the battery die and am very aware that I'm a dropped phone away from being utterly and completely lost.

arethuza 3y ago
The only times I have made significant route finding mistakes in the last ten years were after I started using a GPS for route finding - in both cases I took the wrong ridge down from a peak. My wife was also in a group that managed to descend completely the wrong side of a mountain the first time the person leading used a GPS...

gumby 3y ago

If you’re in the wilderness you should know how to navigate with map and compass, and check your gps. A no-power backup could save your life. This is the same reason you should know how to make a fire even if you have a stove. I’ve had a stove fail due to dust in the PRV. A fire kept us warm. Be prepared.

OnACoffeeBreak 3y ago

Local adventure racing and orienteering organizations typically have beginner classes that teach map and compass navigation. At least the one near me does every couple of months.

prawn 3y ago
Not sure how popular rogaining is in the US, but it's very fun and might appeal to a lot of HN users. In South Australia at least, every event has map and compass lessons beforehand for newcomers. https://orienteeringusa.org/explore/what-is-rogaining/ https://orienteeringusa.org/explore/what-is-rogaining/

Stevvo 3y ago

For me it was scouts; the scout master would bundle us all in the back of a van at night, drive us a couple of miles in a random direction and then task us to find our way back to camp with nothing but a map & compass. It was a real adventure; we had no idea that the troop leaders were 50 meters away keeping tabs us through night-vision goggles all night.

zikduruqe 3y ago

You should see if there are orienteering courses in your area. It is a fun activity. It's like playing chess while running. https://orienteeringusa.org/explore/what-is-orienteering/ https://orienteeringusa.org/explore/what-is-orienteering/

diracs_stache 3y ago
That's cool to see, I remember in high school the ROTC came to track practice to get people to come out for orienteering meets. Turned out to be a fun/useful experience.

kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 3y ago

Not map and compass, but the book The Natural Navigator is excellent for honing your skills. https://www.naturalnavigator.com/ https://www.naturalnavigator.com/