Map, Compass & GPS

Map, Compass & GPS
Wild flowers along Fall Creek on the way to the Green Lakes - Oregon

Thursday, February 7, 2013

A Line of Bearing

How can a line of bearing, a compass and a map help the hiker in the backcountry?

This post reviews how a line of bearing and a map can help the hiker determine location.  Ideally, a GPS receiver or multiple lines of compass bearings are used to determine and mark a position on a map.  There may be an occasion when there is no GPS data or only one distant object is available for navigation due to terrain or poor visibility.

An on-line dictionary defines the word bearing as:

“….horizontal direction of one point with respect to another or to the compass.”

Using a compass to take or shoot a bearing is a fundamental step in compass navigation.  It is the process of sighting on a distant object with a compass and then plotting the bearing on a map.

In the image below, the woman is sighting her compass (a Silva Ranger) on a peak in the distance.


To read the complete post go here.

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