Finding your way around is something you will not just do on a scout campout, but rather, a skill you can use through out your life. Just think, when was the last time you were in the car with your family? If you were going somewhere you have never been before, your parents portably used a map. Being able to read this map can mean the difference between getting lost, or getting where you want to go.

 

Learn How to Orient a Map Orienting a map is one of the basic skills of map and compass. Why is it important to orient a map? When you orient a map, what your doing is turning the map to match the terrain. That way you can see where you are, and where you are going. This is a requirement for 2nd Class.

Learn the Parts of a Compass To use your compass accurately and effectively, you need to know how you compass works and what it can do. Its important to know all of this before your out in the woods somewhere.

 

Finding Your Way Without a Compass
What happens if you can't find your compass, or if for some reason it stops working? By knowing some of theses methods, you can be confident that you can find you way through any circumstance.

How to Take a Bearing This method is pretty accurate if your sure to follow the directions. An easy and straight forward way to take a bearing.

 

Map Symbols This is a very important 2nd Class requirement. If you know what the map symbols mean, you have a much better chance of getting where you want to go.

 

All About Contour Lines You've always wondered what those weird lines were on the topographical maps. Well, now you can find out about one of the essential of Map and Compass skills.

 

Declination Declination can really screw you up if you don't know what your doing. If you don't account for declination while in the back country, you may end up miles of course.

 

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For More Information About Orienteering, check out these internet sites:

www.uio.no/~kjetikj/compass
A lot of links about map and compass, also does a good job on explaining how map and compasses work. Lots of helpful stuff on this site.

www.members.tripod.com/~BFarns/index-compass.html
Put together by a Scout, this site provides links to many map and compass sites.

www.topozone.com
Download any topographical map in the U.S. for free.