You're hiking alone through the woods when you suddenly realize that you've lost your compass. You know that you need to travel south. But which way is south? What should you do?
Stick and Shadow Method
What you need.
You can create a makeshift compass with two common items: an analog watch and a 6-in. stick.
In the Northern Hemisphere
Push the stick into the ground, so that it casts a shadow.
Place your watch on the ground so the hour hand is parallel to the shadow. Then, find the point on the watch midway between the hour hand and 12 o'clock.
If the watch is set to daylight saving time - which is all during the summer - use the midway point between the hour hand and 1 o'clock.
In the Southern Hemisphere
Place your watch so that 12 o'clock is parallel to the shadow.
Cloud Method
Look at the clouds to determine in which direction they are moving.
Generally, weather moves west to east. While this may not always be true in mountainous regions, it is a good rule of thumb and may help to orient you.
Moss Method
Locate moss.
Moss grows in places with lots of shade and water - areas that are cool and moist. On tree trunks, the north side tends to be more shaded and moist than the south side and, therefore, moss usually grows on this side. However, this method is not infallible - in forests, both sides of a tree can be shady and moist. So, moss may grow around the entire trunk.
Source: Popular Mechanics Magazine
Adapted from the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht, ©2001 by Book Soup Publishing. Used with permission of Chronicle Books, LLC.
Stick and Shadow Method
What you need.
You can create a makeshift compass with two common items: an analog watch and a 6-in. stick.
In the Northern Hemisphere
Push the stick into the ground, so that it casts a shadow.
Place your watch on the ground so the hour hand is parallel to the shadow. Then, find the point on the watch midway between the hour hand and 12 o'clock.
If the watch is set to daylight saving time - which is all during the summer - use the midway point between the hour hand and 1 o'clock.
In the Southern Hemisphere
Place your watch so that 12 o'clock is parallel to the shadow.
Cloud Method
Look at the clouds to determine in which direction they are moving.
Generally, weather moves west to east. While this may not always be true in mountainous regions, it is a good rule of thumb and may help to orient you.
Moss Method
Locate moss.
Moss grows in places with lots of shade and water - areas that are cool and moist. On tree trunks, the north side tends to be more shaded and moist than the south side and, therefore, moss usually grows on this side. However, this method is not infallible - in forests, both sides of a tree can be shady and moist. So, moss may grow around the entire trunk.
Source: Popular Mechanics Magazine
Adapted from the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht, ©2001 by Book Soup Publishing. Used with permission of Chronicle Books, LLC.
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