Hiking in remote areas is a great experience if approached with due regard for fitness, safety and skill. One of the major skill categories, is the ability to navigate with or without compass and map. Ideally, no one should head off the beaten track without map or compass, but what if you lose or damage your compass? Here are a few basic skills that could one day be of use...
Finding direction by using your watch
If you have a watch that is set to local time, you can always quickly determine approximate direction as long as the position of the sun is visible. The method used varies depending upon which hemisphere (northern or southern) that you happen to be living in. The following methods are described using an analog watch, (that's a watch with an hour and a minute hand) but they can be applied just as well if you own a digital watch. Just use your imagination to superimpose the 12 hourly numerals and the relevant position of the "hour hand" on the face of your digital watch. This method will give you a good approximation of true north or south but is not a substitute for the accuracy of a compass and the closer you are to the Equator, the less accurate.
Northern Hemisphere
Holding your watch horizontally, point the hour hand of your watch at the sun. Note the direction that lies exactly midway between the hour hand and the numeral twelve on your watch. This will be South on a north/south line. If there is any doubt as to which end of the line is north, remember that the sun rises in the east, sets in the west, and is due south at noon. The sun is in the east before noon and in the west after noon. Once you have established this, it will be easy to determine the other points of the compass.
Southern Hemisphere
Holding your watch horizontally, point the numeral twelve on your watch at the sun. Note the direction that lies exactly midway between the twelve and the hour hand. This will be North on a north/south line. If there is any doubt as to which end of the line is north, remember that the sun rises in the east, sets in the west, and is due north at noon. The sun is in the east before noon and in the west after noon.
These methods will give you a good approximation of compass direction.
If your watch happens to be adjusted for daylight saving at the time, then remove the daylight saving for greater accuracy.
To find North without a watch
Another method of determining direction points can be used if you do not have a watch. This method takes longer and also requires enough sunlight to cast a shadow...
Before noon, on level terrain, position a stick of about 3ft upright into the ground. Mark the tip of its shadow with a peg or stone. Using the tip of the shadow as a radius, draw an arc around the stick.
The shadow will shorten as it approaches noon, pulling back from the arc. It will then lengthen again - where the afternoon shadow once again touches the arc, place another peg or stone. Now draw a straight line between the two pegs/stones - this will be an East/West line, with the first peg being in the westerly direction. You can now draw a North/South line at right angles to the East/West line.
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