| By :
Roger Brown
It's always a smart idea to have a backup plan. Even if you have all the best equipment in the world, like altimeter watches and extra compasses, things still go wrong and you might find yourself up and the woods without a compass or, up the creek without a paddle. It is always a great idea to be prepared. But, there's only so much you can do. Equipment fails and sometimes you find yourself in a situation where you have to use your creativity and resources to get yourself out of trouble and back to safety. Even with the power of altimeter watches you can't guarantee that they will not fail. Many are powered by regular lithium batteries that have a useful life depending on how much you use them of approximately 6 months. If they fail while you're out in the words, then unless you have a replacement battery with you, you are going to be without your compass function. What do you do? Is it possible to find your way around without a piece of equipment to tell you exactly where you're going? Thankfully, and answers yes. The first thing to do is determine which direction is North. Here are several ways that you can do that: Rely on shadows. Get in an area that has little groundcover and either drive a small stake in the ground or use something existing, like a small tree. The object will cast a shadow, not unlike a sundial. Then, put something to designate the edge of where the shadow falls. Just something like a small rock or a twig will do. Then, wait about 20 min. The shadow you are observing will have moved towards easterly direction. Here again mark this position as well some small object. Now, site directly between two points were that you marked. Now you have an estimate of a line that goes from a westerly to an easterly direction. Now arrange yourself so that your left shoulder is somewhat aligned with where you place the first pebble or stick and make sure you're right side of the body is oriented towards the other marker. Congratulations! You are now looking in the direction - approximately - of True North. It really doesn't matter where you're located on the globe, this method will work, whether you own a watch compass or not. While it is great to buy things like altimeter watches to bolster your safety while you're out in the wilderness, it never hurts to have a really strong backup plan.
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