Table of Contents

IntroductionWhat's New in this Edition1. A Sense of DirectionLocating Your Sixth SenseHow Not to Get LostWhy We Get LostHow to "Get Found"2. MapsThe World in Your HandsTypes of MapsThree Dimensions into TwoThe Language of MapsReading the TerrainLatitude and LongitudeScaleDistanceDirectionPutting Yourself on the MapMap Care and Gear3. CompassesWhat Compasses Can DoEarth's Magnetic FieldHow Compasses WorkMake Your OwnDeclinationCompass TypesOrienting Your Compass to Magnetic NorthOrienting Your Compass to Geographic NorthBearingsDeviationFollowing a Compass CourseTesting Your Skills4. NavigationMap and Compass CombinedOrienting the Map with a CompassFinding a Course from the MapLocating a Mapped Object in the FieldLocating an Observed Object on the MapA Bearing from a Mapped ObjectOther Lines of PositionWarning BearingsCrossing Lines of PositionReturning to the Same SpotA Running FixFinding Distance OffMeasuring Distance CoveredDead Reckoning5. Navigation in UseRoute PlanningThe Practice of NavigationOn the TrailHitting What You Aim ForLandmarks as GuidesSources of ErrorWhen You Are Lost6. Looking to Nature for CluesFinding North and South at NoonNorth and South from a ShadowQuick but InaccurateMovements of Sunrise and SunsetBearings from Sunrise and SunsetPolarisThe Southern CrossOther Stars7. Extreme EnvironmentsMountainsSnowDeserts8. Electronic NavigationGPS 101Getting StartedE-Maps: Topos and Charts on CD-ROM9. AppendixBearings of Sunrise and SunsetDeclination CorrectionsMetric Conversion TablesOrienteeringSources of Maps, Books, Compasses, Videos, GPS Manufacturers, and Electronic MapmakersTravel PlanIndexAcknowledgments

About the Author

David Seidman (Oak Beach, NY) has spent a good portion of his life finding his way around the world. He has crossed oceans, toured central Asia and Mongolia without a map or the ability to speak the language, and found a Mayan ruin in Guatemala. He is the author of The Essential Sea Kayaker, The Essential Wilderness Navigator, and The Complete Sailor and a former editor of Boating magazine.



Paul Cleveland has worked as a wilderness ranger in New Mexico and designed and built trails in the Appalachians. He is a frequent contributor to Backpacker and Climbing magazines and the Gorp.com Web pages. He guides whitewater rafting trips and teaches CPR and first aid for the Red Cross and wilderness navigation for Outward Bound.