Hi Everyone,
I hope you all are well. This week I am sharing my challenge for you to learn some great skills to read topographic maps and learn a bit of navigation in the wilderness!
One of the TEN ESSENTIALS we should be getting familiar with is navigation tools. These are a compass, our map of the area we are traveling in, and perhaps our GPS. REI has some great videos on the subject that I encourage you to watch here.
https://www.rei.com/learn/series/intro-to-navigation
In addition, in normal times you can take navigation courses to help you learn to use your compass and your map to figure out where you are in the wilderness by identifying visible mountain peaks. I recently did this with the Mountaineers, it was very helpful. Cool thing is that I found the Columbia River Orienteering Club video they used in my navigation class on YouTube, so here it is for you:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkYHuimd2BspoT35iDNVnvK6xBsRyhRGA
Once you begin to understand how to read these TOPO maps, the next step is to learn how to use a mapping program to create your own maps. I really like https://caltopo.com/. You can create a free account (mine is linked to my google). The program has a ton of features, so people have created some helpful tutorials to learn to use it. Here is one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjUo6PwHmAQ
Try it. Try searching and creating a map you can print to a favorite hiking destination. I am looking forward to leading some hiking and backpacking trips to destinations like:
Barclay Lake (what’s that mountain right next to the lake?)
West Fork Foss Lakes (how many lakes are there?)
Colchuck Lake (how much distance and elevation is this hike?)
Heather Lake (what’s the peak to the east of this lake?)
What are your hiking and camping destinations this summer and beyond?
Kim Miller