If this is the first time you are joining the Map Reading series, you should start from the first post. After covering most aspects of map reading, it is time to get into using a map outdoors. This time it is all about measuring distance on a map. This is a relatively simple subject and […]
Map Reading – What are grid and coordinates systems?
If this is the first time you are joining the Map Reading series, you should start from the first post. A grid system on a map is usually square and is represented by drawn lines on the map creating those squares. The purpose of the grid system is to give each point in the map […]
Map Reading – What are true north, magnetic north and grid north
If this is the first time you are joining the Map Reading series, you should start from the first post. This time we are touching a slightly more complicated and technical subject: true north vs grid north vs magnetic north. The very fact that we have three different Norths is a hint to the problem […]
Map Reading – Common Terrain Features In A Topographic Map
If this is the first time you are joining the Map Reading series, you should start from the first post. In the last map reading post, we went over contour lines and their part in representing terrain on the map. To make map reading easier, some terrain features tend to appear more ofter than others […]
Map Reading – Contour Lines
If this is the first time you are joining the Map Reading series, you should start from the first post. Last time we covered symbols on a topographic map and I mentioned contour lines as a symbols on the map, but they are much much more than that. Contour lines are the heart of a […]
Map reading – map symbols
If this is the first time you are joining the Map Reading series, you should start from the first post. As I mentioned in the topo map post, every map has symbols: graphic representations of objects and features that exist in the maps’ area. Map symbols are split into 2 main categories – natural and […]
Map reading – map scales
If this is the first time you are joining the Map Reading series, you should start from the first post. The scale on a map is probably the first decision (after where to go) that needs to be made for navigation. Choosing a scale depends on the demands of the adventure: 1. What is the […]
Map reading – what is a topographic map
The word map comes from mappa mundi (Latin for “sheet of the world”) and it can best described as a flat diagram of a pre-determined area. There are many kinds of maps and they are almost always drawn from above, but essentially they all require basic features: 1. Scale – the ratio between an object […]
What does it mean to be lost outdoors? Introduction to land navigation
What does it mean to be lost outdoors? I’m sure we all know how it feels, but how does it happen? How do we actually “get lost,” and what can we do to avoid it? The Oxford dictionary defines lost as ‘unable to find one’s way; not knowing one’s whereabouts’. So being lost is when […]