My post on Orienting a Map has received a lot of hits since first published three years ago.  The fundamentals are still essentials of back country navigation.

A quality topographic map is key to your backcountry travels.
Many quality outdoor stores have good maps.  Do check out www.MyTopo.com  Map Pass and the free site at www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.html

Orienting a map is a starting point to identify where I am, where I want to go and where I have been. I orient my topographic map (topo) before I leave the trail head and at regular intervals during a hike.

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