Orientation is a crucial skill for anyone who wants to be prepared for any eventuality. In the modern world, the presence of the modern technological devices like GPS and smartphones allowed pretty much anyone to precisely find their location. Even before the time of the GPS network, people had a long history of using compasses both on land and on the sea. This brilliant device has been able to help countless millions to find their way in the wilderness or some other unknown area.
Yet, every prepper understands that both new and older means of orientation could be missing in a survival setup. Because of this, it is exceptionally important for any prepper to have a full grasp of utilizing other means of finding their way in an unknown territory. To do this, everyone can make use of the process of locating the magnetic north. With this set point, even those who are lost in the depths of the wilderness can find their bearing. Luckily, that direction can be found using a range of tools, most of which rely on nothing more than the proper knowledge. Here are some of the tried and tested ways how anyone can find north without a compass.
Shadow Tip Method
For this to work, a stick should be planted in a flat piece of ground during a sunny day. Around the stick, the ground should be empty of any bushes or similar things. Once the stick has been planted, the shadow its tip creates should be marked on the ground using a scratch or something similar. After that, the person should wait for about 10 or 15 minutes for the shadow to move and then once more mark the ground. The movement of the shadow signalizes a move from west to the east. Thick comes from the fact that shadows provide an opposite direction than the movement of the sun – while it travels from east to west, its shadow does the opposite. With two points market out, a line should be drawn between them. This is the line drawn between west to east. Then, the person should place their feet so that the west is at their left shoulder and the beast on their right. Directly in front of them, lies the true north.
Sun and Watch Method
An analog watch can also be used as a substitute to a compass. When using it, a person should only have it and nothing more. First, the watch should be checked to show the correct time during the day. Then, the hour hand of the watch should point towards the sun. After that, while holding the watch in place, a person should imagine an angle being formed by the firstly, hour hand and then a line that comes from the 12 o’clock and running to the center of the watch. In the mind, a line should be drawn that is bisecting the same angle. This imaginary line will point toward the south as long as the person is in the Northern Hemisphere. With this direction, a person can figure out really quickly where the north lies as well.
Sun Rise and Set Method
One of the most straightforward ones, this method includes simply following the path of the sun through the sky. In the northern hemisphere, the sun follows the line from east to west. The same line is a certain guarantee that the north can be easily found as well. When standing in the same line and facing west, a person’s right arm will be pointing directly towards the north.
Employing the Stars
Using the stars to navigate is probably one of the oldest traditions when it comes to seafaring peoples, but also many other land-based cultures that utilized it. The main way to find north using stars lies in finding the North Star or Polaris in the night. This star is the last one in the handle of the constellation called the Little Dipper. This constellation looks like a child flying kite drawn in a simplified manner. In this constellation, two of the lowest stars point towards the North Star. Also, it can be found through finding the constellation Cassiopeia. The North Star lies between the central star of Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper cluster. Once the North Star has been found, the person just needs to mentally draw a straight line to the ground.
Moss on trees
Moss is often called nature’s compass because it grows only in the direction of south. So generally, moss will be concentrated on parts of the trees and rock that are pointing southwards. This way, the north is just the end of the trees that seem to be moss-free.
Needle and Leaf Method
With all of these processes of finding north, the idea of using some celestial bodies and plants was used. However, a simple compass can be constructed in the wilderness without using any huge resources. For this to happen, a person only needs to have a single metal needle or something similar like a straighten paper clip. The needle will need to be magnetized first. Then, a person should find a calm body of water that has no natural currents to it. This means that a small pond can be used but also a hollowed-out tree, a piece of debris or any other means of holding a small amount of water in a pool-like setup. Then, a leaf should be found and placed in the middle of the same water. While it floats free and moves about, the needle should be placed on it. Immediately after it is placed there, the magnetic force will turn the needle towards the north. This is the direction that the person is looking for and the same method can be applied again and again.
With these means of finding a way towards the north, anyone can orient themselves without any high-tech equipment. Using nothing more than a bit of knowledge and a strong understanding of how the natural world works, a person can find the magnetic north and potentially save himself and their loved ones from a very dangerous situation.
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