navigation

[Rasputin]

One other method... If the track has pot holes with rainwater in them, the holes on the north side dry up quicker because the southerly side of the track is in the lee of the treeline, Oh I know what I mean,lol

[saxonaxe]

Although in some cases the moss on tree trunks can be a good pointer i think in dense woodland etc it is just not a reliable pointer. I have been told that wind can be used to help you find water which in turn you can follow. I was once told that wind blows to large water source's in the morning and away from it in the afternoon, its ment to be something to do with air pressure over the water. At least if its true you can follow a stream/lake and hopefully reach safety but at least you'll have a source of water and possible food.

A late answer to an old post. Trees and moss.. This tree is in a relatively clear space in the wood, so the 'North Moss' indication is accurate by my compass when I checked.



And as the tree sees more than it's fair share of sunlight, so branches tend to grow well on the sunny Southern side. and she wears a moss coat against the cold North wind too..



I think Dave's reference to the movement of air over water might be as per sea breezes on warm/hot days. As the land warms up the air rises and the cooler air over the sea moves in to take it's place, so you get an onshore 'sea breeze'. At night, the land cools quicker than the sea and the general air flow is reversed so often there is a nice sailing breeze coming off the land..Very handy for making night coastal passages..
I don't know for sure but I would think it would have to be a fair size area of inland water for the effects to be noticable enough to help with inland navigation.

[Rasputin]

A late answer to an old post. Trees and moss.. This tree is in a relatively clear space in the wood, so the 'North Moss' indication is accurate by my compass when I checked.



And as the tree sees more than it's fair share of sunlight, so branches tend to grow well on the sunny Southern side. and she wears a moss coat against the cold North wind too..



I think Dave's reference to the movement of air over water might be as per sea breezes on warm/hot days. As the land warms up the air rises and the cooler air over the sea moves in to take it's place, so you get an onshore 'sea breeze'. At night, the land cools quicker than the sea and the general air flow is reversed so often there is a nice sailing breeze coming off the land..Very handy for making night coastal passages..
I don't know for sure but I would think it would have to be a fair size area of inland water for the effects to be noticable enough to help with inland navigation.

Again on the moss issue..+ 1

[Bulletman]

Very useful indeed!

[Ferrell freddy]

On the stick in the ground issue; the line drawn between the 2 shadows will give you east-west the 1st shadow mark being west and the 2nd East.

[Dave ward]

Great examples of moss growing on the north side! Very interesting ways of navigation here, I've had a go at tieing a cotton thread to a needle to use as a compass and it took me a good 5mins because it was so fiddly!

[MikeWilkinson]

I'm currently reading ' finding your way without a map or compass'.

Has some very interesting things to say about cloud formations. Light refraction and trees and moss formations.

Not finished it yet. But regards the moss thing, you need to know about the areas prevailing wind and rain. Should it blow northerly then moss is unlikley to grow on the north side due to the moisture being dried out and it is more likely to grow east and west. Moss will grow where it is slightly shaded and damp. So knowing the local climate is vital. Likewise for trees having more branches on one side or the northern side branches growing up. Prevailing winds can seriously affect the trees growth patterns.

One good method of note is that pines and spruces have thicker bark on their north side and thinner on the south.

[Rasputin]

I'm currently reading ' finding your way without a map or compass'.

Have you read The natural navigator by Tristan Gooley (unfortunate name perhaps, lol ) Its a good read. Its as the name implies but goes quite deep into the subject, sometimes a bit OTT but very interesting. ATB Ken BTW its not birch bound,lol

[blacksmith]

I grew up in Africa and was always taught to note the position of the sun hourly and then you work out roughly you directions from that.

[blacksmith]

When walking in woods, to maintain a straight line walk to the left of the first tree then to the right of the next tree and so on.