Jimmy HubbsLiving in digitized world, it is definitely hard to imagine getting lost without having no clue of where you are at and having to travel around the world without a map, compass or GPS. Back then, before advanced technology came, people used the sun for navigating and during night time, the stars and the moon serve as their guide to find their way.
Once you fully understood how ancient people did this, you will be amazed on how you can find the true North without the need to use a compass or any tools for direction. Navigating by moon, stars, and sun is what works best for people back in those days and it still works effectively even today. The only thing you should do is to practice some tricks.
Below are some of the techniques that you may use when finding the true north and get reoriented:
Fun Outdoor Quiz
How to find north using Needle
If you are lucky enough to remember your first aid kit during your travel, get the needle and rub that on your sleeping bag’s silk liner and the static electricity will magnetize it. Lay your needle on the blade of the grass and consider floating it in a glass of water. This will orient itself into a north and south axis. You will need to guess which is north, yet at least you will have a 50/50 change.
Using a watch as a compass
If you have a watch and it isn’t digital, you may use it like the way you’re using a compass. First and foremost, point its hour hand to the sun. After that, look for an imaginary line between 12 on your watch face and the hour hand. During the daylight savings time, this halfway line is between the 1 and the hour hand. This imaginary line points south and of course, the north is the opposite direction. If you will wait for a while, you may watch the sun and know which way it’s moving. If it is rising, that is east and if it is setting, it’s west.
How to use the shadow of a stick
Look for a stick with a length of about three feet. Poke that into the ground so it will stand straight up. After that, consider placing a rock at the shadow cast’s end. Then, wait for about fifteen minutes. The next step is to place another stone on the second shadow’s end. With your back to your stick, stand your left foot touching the first rock, then your right foot touching the second rock. You are now facing the north direction.
Look for North Star
North Star was used by many people for a lot of years to find the true north. In fact, even today, kids during camping are taught to find North Star as a method to find north. So, never take for granted the importance of North Star as this can serve as a helpful guide without a compass.
If you do not have a watch, needle or sun already set down, there’s nothing you should worry about as you can still find the true north and that is to find some rescuers near you.
Karin Williams
