How To Tell Directions Without a Compass
- August 1, 2008
- 26,622 Views
Writer
Rosemarie_Lennon
Music
Kyle Hildenbrand
Voice Over Artist
Peter Coleman
No compass or map? No problem. Figure your way out of the wilderness just by looking around you.
You Will Need
- A stick
- Two rocks
- The ability to locate constellations
Step 1: Use the shadow stick method
During the day, try the shadow stick method. Find a stick about three feet tall and put it in a flat piece of ground with no greenery nearby. Mark the end of its shadow with a rock. Wait 30 minutes, and mark the tip of the new shadow. The connecting line runs from west to east, with the first mark indicating west.
Step 2: Observe any snow
If there is lingering snow on the ground, gauge where it’s located. In the Northern Hemisphere, there will be more snow on north-facing slopes, which generally get less sun.
Step 3: Inspect tree bark
Inspect older trees. In the Northern Hemisphere, the side of the tree with the thinner bark is usually facing southeast. Also, there tends to be more foliage on that side.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, moss can grow on sides other than north, so this is not an accurate predictor of direction.
Step 4: Wait until the sun begins setting
Wait until the sun begins setting. Whichever direction it’s going down is west.
Step 5: Look at the moon
If the moon is in a crescent phase, imagine a line running from its top tip to its bottom tip and continuing all the way down to the horizon. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, the point where the imaginary line touches the ground is south.
Step 6: Find the North Star
If the moon is not in a crescent phase, find the North star by locating the Big Dipper and following the front edge of its cup from bottom to top, extending that line up about five times its length until you see a star.
Step 7: Walk in a straight line
Once you know where you’re going, walk in a straight line. To avoid accidentally veering off course, find landmarks to walk toward, and go around obstacles on alternating sides every time you come to one.
Step 8: Buy a compass
Buy a compass as soon as you get back to civilization.
The magnetic compass was first used by the Chinese over 2,000 years ago.
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Comments (7)
informational and fun to watch.
over 3 years ago by howtofilm
that's very useful, especially for me, someone rarely go to the wild... ^.^
over 2 years ago by WGAC
timeless and practicsl info and fun - good
over 2 years ago by gilbossa
Excellent information.
over 3 years ago by thomascameron
看糊涂了！~
over 2 years ago by xuelai3000
Great video, except that the big dipper actually looks like a mirror image of what you've shown here.
over 2 years ago by bry9000
well in in between winter and spring the sun sets directly west, but in the summer its angled south more. The winter faces north more so if this was inbetween winter and spring, your good!
over 2 years ago by timelapse123
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