Using A Compass To Find Your Way

By Kent

Have you ever thought you were on the right road, taken several turns, and ended up with the road in front of you disappearing into a cow pasture with no idea how you got there? It's not so bad if it's a bright sunny day, but at night getting out again can be quite confusing. If you have a GPS you just retrace the recorded path. That is, assuming you have a GPS and that it's working correctly, which isn't always the case. You can, however, find your way back with a simple map and compass. This method won't set you back an entire paycheck.

A compass is basically a dial (bezel) with directional and 360 degree markings around the edge, a magnetized needle with one end painted red or some other distinguishing color to indicate north, and some sort of base plate to hold it all together. The magnetized needle points to the north, and once aligned with the pointer the other marks will provide the other directions. If you don't own one, a compass is a valuable addition to your travel kit. Look for a sturdy one with a liquid filled rotating dial at your local department store for around $20. Maps suitable for navigating most of the state are available free from the Department of Transportation. You can also find directions for using them in a past VirginiaWind article.

To use you compass you must first familiarize yourself with its operation. Lay it on a flat surface so the needle rotates freely. Make sure there is no metal objects nearby that can attract the point of the needle. Align the base plate pointer to the north mark on the dial, then rotate the compass until the needle is in line with the pointer. Your compass should now be pointing north.

Next, try rotating the pointer 90 degrees counter-clockwise. The bezel should indicate the pointer is pointing west. Rotate the pointer another 90 degrees counter-clockwise and and the bezel should indicate south. Lastly, another 90 degree rotation should show your pointer at the east mark. To set the compass for use, just rotate the pointer to the direction you want to go and the bezel will provide the direction. This may sound a bit silly or simplistic since you don't really need to rotate the pointer to be able to read the direction, but it's a good habit because when you actually need to use your compass it will be because you are lost, and possibly cold, tired, and confused. Rotating the pointer helps reinforce correct use. You don't have to remember the direction you're supposed to go because all you need do is align the needle to north and the pointer will show you the direction to travel.

All this is useful if you know the direction you should be going because the compass allows you to travel in a known direction. For example, you park your bike in a lot by a road, then followed the setting sun into the woods to do a little exploration. If you get disoriented, since you know you went west because of the sunset you know you'll need to go east to get back to the parking lot again. Just set the pointer to guide you east and you'll get back to the road again. You might miss the parking lot, but once at the road you can follow it until you find your bike.

If, however, you've reached that cow pasture mentioned in the beginning of this article (a true story by the way), walking cross-country to anywhere isn't much of an option since you need to stay on the roads. This is a situation where you need your map. Your compass will also become a practical travel tool as it will work in conjunction with your map to get you back home again.

To use your compass with a map you simply orient the map to north as indicated by your compass. Just find the directional arrow on your map and align it to the compass needle. Once you've done so you can look at the road in front of you and know where it will lead you. In the case of the cow pasture above, I had to head back up the road a bit until I found an intersection I could locate on my map. Once that was done I knew my directions and could plan a route home again.

Finally, there is something called a declination. I've not mentioned it before as it can be a bit intimidating but it is a compass that operates by aligning the needle to the magnetic field of our earth, and it will point very accurately towards magnetic north. Unfortunately, magnetic north isn't always true north everywhere on earth. Magnetic north even varies a bit from year to year. Here in Virginia, the declination (variance from magnetic north to true north) is only a few degrees (about -6 degrees in the southwestern tip to about -11 on the eastern shore), so if you're using a state highway map and trying to locate a route it's rarely worth the effort to figure in the declination. Should you need to, however, simply rotate your bezel counter clockwise if the declination is a negative number and clockwise if a positive number (about 9 to 10 degrees clockwise if you're in the middle of Virginia). To figure your exact declination, go to http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov.

Ride safely.
Kent

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