tent, also learn to read a map and use a compass. I highly recommend that
you get some hands-on experience well before venturing out on your own.
Many colleges offer night courses on the subject.
The Map
A topographical map improves your chances of survival many times over,
but only if you know how to use it and always protect it from damage.
Before setting off, check the date of your map. Depending on its age,
you may find that some features have changed, which could drastically
throw off your perception of where you are. I have seen entire lakes disap-
pear (and new ones appear) on old maps.
Make sure that you can interpret the map’s symbols and identify
major terrain features.
To correctly use any map, you first need to orient it. In simplest terms,
a map is oriented when it is placed flat on a horizontal surface, and its north
and south markings correspond with north and south on your compass (or
at least with your understanding of where north, south, east, and west lie).
If you’re not sure where north is, you can still orient the map using ter-
rain association. To do this, you must know your approximate location on the
map. Seek out the major terrain features in your vicinity (such as hilltops, val-
leys, and ridges), and identify them on the map. This is more difficult in “close”
places such as the jungle and the forest, so you may need to wait until you reach
something more easily identified. Some topographic maps also mark different
types of vegetation, which may help you to determine your location.
Knowing your map-based route is noted as a major priority in “Trip
Planning and Preparation,” the first chapter of this book. If you are on a
charter trip, sit down with your guide on the first day to familiarize your-
self with the map.
The Compass
The compass course I took at my local college always ended with an orienteer-
ing race. It became tradition that those of us who also took survival courses
were under big-time peer pressure to win. Fortunately for me, I avoided much
teasing by winning the year I took the course. My time, however, was not as
good as my survival buddy Doug Getgood’s had been a few years earlier, so I
felt it appropriate that he join me in writing this, and the next, section.
Survival Travel and Navigation | 229