Last night we trekked to the Greenwood Heights Brooklyn for the first outdoor Mappy Hour of 2015 in the beer garden of Greenwood Park.
We did our traditional name tag station and found out that compass skills would be important to a few participants – one heading to the PCT, another to Alaska in the upcoming summer. After a few 2 for 1 beers and hanging out, Kevin of Gear to Go Outfitters instructed us on basic compass skills to use in the backcountry.
Here are some quick tips for those who weren’t able to make it:
I. LEARN THE PARTS OF THE COMPASS
II. STAY AWAY FROM METAL
Compasses work because of the magnetic pull of the earth – watch out for any metal nearby as your compass might be artificially skewed.
III. RED IN THE SHED
Find North by putting “red in the shed” this means aligning the magnetic needle with the orienting arrow.
IV. KNOW YOUR PACE
Knowing your general pace will help you estimate your travel distance – we tested ours by walking 150 feet and counting the number of times our left leg hit the ground.
And that was just the beginning. Check out this upcoming Trail Map Reading Class or this Orienteering Class to keep learning!
And of course, join us at our next NYC Mappy Hour in May at NY Distilling Co!
