Hiking - An Introduction To Using A Map For Navigation

It might appear somewhat old fashioned but sound map reading skills continue to play a very important role in keeping you safe while you are out hiking.

Despite the fact that you might guess that it should be the other way around, you will find that most seasoned hikers use maps in order to navigate their way along trails and across wilderness areas while newcomers think that maps are unnecessary. The newcomer often assumes that it is not necessary to go through the hard work of learning map reading and that he will be okay if he keeps to well used trails. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

You can get seriously lost even close to well marked trails and straying just a few yards off the trail into heavy woodland has confused more than one beginner. In the absence of the stars, sun or recognizable geographical features it is all too easy to get disorientated and to end up walking even farther from the trail and getting yourself well and truly lost in next to no time.

Now in the example above a map by itself will not necessarily help you to get out of the wood in question. But, you will usually come across another trail which hooks up with the one you were on and a good map will help you to easily find your way back to your starting point.

So, where do you start?

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

Every map has a legend (which differs a bit from one publisher to the next) and you need to familiarize yourself with the symbols. Additionally, you will need to familiarize yourself with the scale of the map which will be clearly printed on it as something like 1 inch = 1 mile.

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

To factor in the latter, you need to consider altitude which is shown on the map as a series of curved lines which, if 'stretched out', would make a circle. The distance between adjacent curved lines around a natural feature such as a large hill indicates the steepness of the terrain. Often you will find that there are numbers printed along the lines in order to help you. These lines are known as contour lines and the closer the lines are to each other the steeper the terrain.

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

During the day you can make use of the sun and natural features on the ground to orient the map so that it is lined up with the ground that you are hiking over. Do not forget that the sun rises in the East and sets in the West so that early in the day facing the sun will have you heading in an Easterly direction. Similarly, late in the afternoon facing the setting sun will have you hiking in a Westerly direction.

Once the sun has gone down you can use the stars to navigate and you can often see the sky reasonably well because the majority of wilderness areas are a long way from the glow of city lights. One of the greatest pleasures 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.

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