1. Get Your Bearings
The most basic and essential navigation tool for any backpacker is the compass. With the advent of technology, more people depend on GPS navigation systems when they backpack, but if these fail for whatever reason it can leave hikers lost and confused. That is why every trip should include a compass, which requires no battery or good reception. Compasses operate differently depending on the location of the hike. Therefore, if you hike in wide variety of geographical locations, be sure to use a compass you bought locally. If you are novice at reading a compass, take a user's manual and try it out at a local park until you can accurately read and understand the compass.
2. Plot a Course
The second most important navigational tool is the good old-fashioned map. You use the map in conjunction with a compass to orient yourself on a hike. Most local stores will sell maps of the area but these maps may be outdated if any recent storms altered the topography of the trails. You can also purchase a topo map from the United States Geological Survey.
3. Electronic Age
Global positioning systems or GPS navigation tools are a boon to the directionally challenged backpacker. However, they should not be the primary means of navigation. Some of these systems allow you to store detailed navigational information and to download to the home computer. As with everything else, you get what you pay for when buying a handheld GPS navigation system, if you purchase a cheap GPS navigation system it will be less reliable and have fewer features. Before taking the GPS system out on a trail, read the instructions thoroughly and make sure you understand how to operate the device. Like the compass, you should take the GPS unit for a test run before you use it on the trail.
4. Longitude and Latitude
Before going on any hike, be sure that you understand how to read longitude and latitude lines on a map or GPS system. Longitude is the angular distance, which is east, or west of the prime meridian. The prime meridian is zero degrees and as you traverse east or west, the longitude changes up to 180 degrees. Latitude is the angular distance north and south of the equator. 0 degrees starts at the equator and as you travel north and south, it changes up to 90 degrees in either direction.
5. Safety First
No matter what navigation tool a backpacker uses it is imperative that you take all precautions be leaving on a hike. First, be sure to check that all the navigation equipment is working properly. The last place you want to learn about damaged equipment is on the trail when you most need it. Also, tell someone where you going and what time or day you expect to return. Finally, never hike alone. Always have at least one person with you to help with the navigation.
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