If you take a compass navigation class, the instructor is likely to teach you how to translate between magnetic bearings and “true” bearings, despite the fact that the grid lines on almost every map printed today are based on true north. One of …
Read More »Navigation and Trip Planning
Hiking in Hurricanes
I backpacked the northermost section of Vermont’s Long Trail during Hurricane Ike in 2008. I didn’t realize that I was hiking through a hurricane at the time, even with the heavy rainfall and wind, since that kind of weather is the norm …
Read More »Following a Poorly Blazed Trail
I’ve hiked a lot of trails in New England where the trail blazing is erratic. Sometimes this is due to a shortage of tail maintainers and sometimes it’s deliberate, in order to create a greater sense of wilderness. Regardless of the cause, …
Read More »Navigational Tools: A Watch
Last weekend I was hiking a section of the Long Trail in Vermont and I met up with an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker who asked me what time it was. I was a little surprised that they guy wasn’t wearing a watch and …
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