Navigation Class

Navigation class was VERY good!  I feel much better about using a compass and map.  Certainly I still have alot to learn but I feel I'm moving in the right direction.  I think I have a mental block when it comes to maps/campass.  In my mind, it's similar to math and I'm afraid of it.  This class helped dispell some of the hype I had created in my mind that it was going to be hard or that I might be too dense to understand.  Some of it I still don't get but it will just take practice. 

We learned how to shoot a bearing, how to set the declination, and how to triangulate.  Fancy huh?  We also learned about latitude/longitude, elevation and contour lines.  There's alot of information that map gives that I had no clue about!

There's a class coming up where they put you in the field and you have to find your way with map and compass so I'm hoping to do that.  It's coming up fast though so I may not be able to get it into my schedule.  Not sure when the next one after that will be.  There's also a wilderness essentials class I want to do.  That one is closer to Thanksgiving and we are going to Oregon that week so probably won't be able to do it.  I'll figure something out.....

Next up:  Full moon hike up Iron Mountain with full backpack!