NOLS Wilderness Navigation

You should not borrow this book; you should own it. It’s a significant reference and educational tool, invaluable for anyone desiring to leave the beaten path. In fact, especially of value for those wishing to stay on beaten paths!

I have never read a better-presented training manual.

Learning to use all of the methods detailed will not be accomplishable overnight. The writers lay out many exercises and practices, both to use individually and in concert with others.

Humor is present, with frequent warnings of the risks of getting lost without having sensibly carried the wherewithal to safely camp, or of relying on electronic gadgets (which typically lose power just when you need them).

Emphasis is on the importance of good maps and a well-stocked mind. Terrain evaluation is a trainable skill, map reading another. Basic and always-to-be-carried are the essentials; a compass and a map. Absolute Necessity is to be able to read and understand both. GPS is nice; carry the basics anyway.

Subjects include: magnetic declination, using azimuths to terrain features to self-locate, course plotting using map features, coordinate systems . . . the list is too long to detail.

An amazing resource, worth every penny of the very reasonable price.