Unlock the Backcountry with Navigation Skills
Do you yearn to explore far from the beaten track? Escape it all and make your own path in to the wilderness. Good navigation is imperative for any trip or adventure and even more so when you want to explore. Navigation Essentials is a foundation stone for backcountry travel. Good navigation skills allow you to travel further, more efficiently and ultimately have a grand wilderness adventure.
Hikers, mountaineers, canoeists and backcountry skiers have used map and compass for 100’s of years. However, everyone now has easy access to modern technology that breaks, runs out of batteries, and just is quite simply a weak link. Learning map and compass navigation is the foundation for good navigation. is by far the most accessible source for most people with an internet connection to get maps and route information. We will go through the things to do or not to when navigating with a phone. The fundamentals of map reading still apply even with a phone.
Being able to read and use a map with skill and ease takes practice and some fundamental skills. This weekend course of navigation essentials will introduce you to those skills and give you some practice to give you confidence to explore the backcountry further. You will have all the skills you will need but some practice will be needed to master them. A terrible excuse to go out hiking or skiing! Navigation essentials is a practical based course and off trail hiking is involved. It is co-taught by an ACMG Hiking Guide. Arguably the hardest ACMG qualification when it comes to navigation.
In a nutshell:
We cover everything from how to read a map to taking a bearing and walking on it. What is declination and the affect that it can have if you ignore it? Walking on a bearing through thick timber, fog or whiteout conditions. Handrailing and using the landscape. How to plan a route and write a route card and estimating accurate timings. These are all critical aspects of good decision making in the mountains. We will cover the three Norths. Yes, there are 3 different norths!! What are they? Come and join us and find out more.
Who is it for:
Navigation Essentials is aimed at beginners and anyone wanting to improve their navigation skills. It is an intensive course as there is enough content to cover a 5 day course squashed into 2 days. We will be hiking and putting these skills into practice in the mountains with some classroom based introduction. Its a fun bushwhacking and exploring experience and you never know we might even get you lost! (deliberately)
We cover everything from how to read a map to taking bearing and walking on it. What is declination and the affect that it can have if you ignore it? Walking on a bearing through thick timber, fog or whiteout conditions. Handrailing and using the landscape. How to plan a route and write a route card and estimating accurate timings. These are all critical aspects of good decision making in the mountains. We will cover the three Norths. Yes there are 3 different norths!! What are they? come and join us and find out more.
We have affordable glamping tents and camping available for people coming from afar wishing to stay local. Please contact us or book through the Glamping page.
Navigation Essentials Itinerary
Location:
Day 1 will be meeting at the Backwoods bushcraft Workshop/office base in Winlaw
For day 2 the normal meeting point is at the Vallican/Passmore bridge in the Slocan Valley. From here you will have the option to car share or get a ride to the areas we will be exploring.
The weekend starts with an introduction and the Winlaw base and then travel to do the practical application. Most of the map work and navigation lessons will happen in the field. It is by far the best way to learn and practice. We will do a quick equipment check before we depart.
There is the option of camping at a base camp that is accessible. You also have the option of driving home or into town at the end of the day and returning for the following morning. We will be leaving promptly in the morning to head into the mountains. If you miss the rendezvous time you will not be able to catch up with us.
We will provide maps and compasses of the area we will be in. If you have a map and compass please bring them and you can familiarize yourself with your compass and we can answer any questions you might have.
We will cover:
Map orientation
How to use a compass
Declination and adjusting your compass
Taking a bearing
Walking on a bearing
Using Terrain features
Timing and route planning.
