Navigation Articles Getting Back to Civilization In One Piece: Wilderness Navigation Navigation Explore 5,000+ GPS Choices. Save On navigation. We all love the idea of getting back to nature. Well, maybe it's not for everyone, but there are still a lot of people who find the idea of nature treks romantic, or an appealing form of exercise. While wilderness travel can indeed be fun, it can also likewise be a huge mess of trouble if you manage get lost. Even if you're with a friend or guide who's experienced in wilderness travel, it's a good idea to know exactly how to find your way back home in case you get separated and find yourself blundering out in the woods with the wolves and bears. Okay, the first thing you need to know about wilderness navigation: you'll need two things, a reliable compass, and a map of the area. And please, please make sure it's a good, detailed map with things set to a scale that you can read; having a map of the entire country is useless if you get lost in an area that's only the size of a city. Having a ruler and pencil will also be helpful. Illustrated Navigation Thoroughly illustrated manual on traditional navigation, electronic navigation (using GPS and radar) and celestial navigation (using sextant). The most basic skill you'll need to know is getting a fix on your current position using a map. Forget about latitudes and longitudes; find a good field map with clearly marked terrain features that are easy to spot, like large, oddly shaped boulders, hills, clumps of trees, and such. These landmarks are a lot easier on the brain, and more practical, than trying to figure your exact position right down to your altitude and angle. Truly Cross-Browser JavaScript Menus Create stylish & truly cross-browser JavaScript menus in just minutes. Use AllWebMenus, save time and money. When you find yourself lost, immediately start looking for terrain features that match those marked on your map. Then, lay the map on the ground and draw lines from those landmarks you can see, to your approximate position. Where the lines from several landmarks intersect is a good rough estimate of where you are. Mark this off as Point A. Navigation GPS Systems from 136+ Shops. Buy navigation Fast. Next, you have to determine WHERE you want to go. This will be point B. Once you have both points marked, it's time to start planning how to get there. You'll need a good compass at this point. A good compass will have a direction arrow that gives you the direction you want to be traveling in, and a rotating outer rim marked with the compass points of north, east, south, and west. Navigation We Offer 3,500+ GPS Choices. Save On navigation. First, lay the direction arrow onto (or parallel to) a line on the map that you draw from point A, where you are, to Point B, where you want to go. Then, rotate the outer rim's dial until it's North indicator is also pointing to North on the map. Finally, stand up and hold the compass flat on your palm, and slowly revolve around until it's magnetic arrow (most are divided into red and black segments; RED is north!) aligns with the North indicator on the outer rim. $279 GPS Car Navigation 1/2 OFF PYLE navigation for your car. Lowest prices in the country. This said and done, the direction arrow will now be pointing in the general direction of Point B. Look in that direction and fix a landmark in your memory, then keep walking towards that landmark. Once you get there, repeat the process you just did; eventually you'll get to point B. Navigation Huge Discounts on navigation Free shipping. A few tips here though; since compasses are magnets, avoid having anything metallic or magnetic near it when you get your bearings; there's nothing worse for getting lost than getting north turned into west or east because you have another magnet in your coat pocket, or wearing a metal wrist watch. Navigation Compare Prices on a Variety of Electronics & more at PriceGrabber. Another tip to remember is that compasses point to Magnetic North, while maps are designed with a Geographical North in mind. Magnetic north is determined by the earth's magnetic field, while geographical north is fixed at the north pole. Before venturing out, ask if the area you're in has any deviations between magnetic and geopraphical north; this is called Magnetic Declination. If there is any difference, it will often be expressed as a few degrees to either east or west; meaning the compass needle swerves a bit in one direction or the other by the stated number of degrees. Factor this extra angle in when you turn your compass rim while getting your bearings, and you'll be fine. Mojosgear - For All Your Flying Needs Shop online for gifts, survival gear, navigation, carabiners, quicklinks, portable weather electronics, books, videos, paragliding and hanggliding equipment and accessories. Ainuddin Mohamad is the Webmaster of the Online Reading Center at http://onlinereadingcenter.com which features online reading resources.