Map App for Oregon Hunters

I came across an article in the BendBulletin on Monday.

Oregon's Department of Fish and Wildlife has developed a map App of the state.

The link to the  App is at the top of the web site.

Buying A New Compass

Silva Ranger  - Outdoor Quest Image

There are several things to keep in mind when buying a compass.

My preferred compass is a declination adjustable sighting compass like the trail proven “Silva Ranger.” (Silva, Brunton and Suunto all make good compasses.) The key is that this type of compass can be adjusted for magnetic declination and that keeps your wilderness navigation simple. You can expect to pay roughly $35.00 - $60.00; a cheap compass will not serve the hiker well.

My experience is that most sales clerks are compass illiterate and have little navigation experience.  While looking at a compass ask the clerk to remove it from the plastic container/packaging.  Check the compass to ensure:

1. The dial moves freely and does not stick.  There are no bubbles internal to the compass housing.
2.  Information engraved on the base plate must be legible.  If there is a magnifying glass verify that it is clear and not scratched. 
3. The tick marks on the dial are in two degree increments.  The tick marks should be readable.
4. The base plate, rotating dial assembly, and mirror are not chipped or broken.  
5. The sighting assembly hinge allows freedom of movement without excess side to side movement at the hinge .

 Packaging should clearly state that the compass is declination adjustable.  Adjustable compasses may have a small metal tool that allows for setting the declination.  If the packaging states that the compass has declination marking but does not use the word adjustable move to another model.

After purchase visit the website www.magnetic-declination.com to determine the declination of the area the hiker will be traveling through.

Remember that the red magnetic needle will always point to magnetic north.  With a declination adjustable compass the rotating dial has been adjusted so that the information provided by the compass is now in degrees true.

Monitoring the Weather - Weather Systems

Monitoring  and tracking the weather is a great backcountry skill.  Here is another method to consider.

Last June SeattleBackPackersMagazine posted a short article on tracking barometric pressure with a GPS; barometric pressure.  Recently my son reminded me of a little known theorem that helps the hiker’s situational awareness.  This theorem is called Buys-Ballot’s Law.

In 1857 Dutch professor Christopher Buys Ballot postulated that there was a relationship between wind direction and air pressure. Buys-Ballot’s law provides a rough approximation of the location and direction of the low pressure system as it tracks through a region.

Simply put in the northern hemisphere, if one faces the wind, the center of a low pressure system will be to the right and slightly behind the observer.  High pressure will be to the left and slightly ahead of the observer.   Further, weather systems in the northern hemisphere track from west to east.  

Importantly for the hiker, a low pressure system is associated with rain, snow and bad weather in general.  A high pressure system is associated with improving weather conditions.

So, if the hiker determines that high pressure is to the west of the present location, and because the system will move from west to east, the weather may be improving.

The YouTube video by meteorologist Vince Condella presents this nicely; video. 

Buys-Ballots Law coupled with a GPS are both useful tools to improve the hiker’s ability to monitor and anticipate the weather in the backcountry.

Monitoring the Weather

In a recent post, I recieved a comment by Alex about his site regarding the weather in the High Sierras.

This site is impressive and Alex has done a lot of nice work.

Visit Alex's web site.

Monitoring the Weather In The Backcountry

While serving at sea in the Navy in the 1970's I learned the importance of monitoring barometric

pressure.  Many of the new GPS receivers can track barometric pressure.

Barometric pressure data is important because it gives the hiker an idea of how the weather is developing and changing.   Monitoring barometer using GPS allows you to know more about your weather in the back country My personal choice for a GPS is the Garmin GPSMap60CS receiver, and here’s what I do.

In the back country, keeping yourself aware of pressure changes gives you more time to plan, improvise and re-evaluate your situation. Today, I continue to keep a sharp eye on the weather before an outing and while in the field. At home I frequently check my internet sources such as Wunderground.com and the National Weather Service’s site  and watch the weather reports each morning.  At a base camp I have a radio capable of receiving the NOAA broadcasts.

Read the complete post at Seattlebackpackersmagazine.

Finding Direction Without A Compass

Ever hit the trail with out a compass or your compass is broken?  Check out my latest post on the Seattlebackpackersmagazine site.

Winter Survival

Section Hiker has a very timely post on winter survival.

"Winter is when the training wheels come off for hikers, climbers, and backcountry skiers. When all of the planning and preparation you did before your trip won’t help you get out of the jam you’re in. When your buddy hits his head on a tree skiing down a backcountry route or a big chunk of falling ice takes out your belayer. When you fall through an ice ledge on a river soaking your winter boots and clothes or a whiteout smothers the peak you’re climbing and a winter storm blows in. "

His short article on fire starting is right on the mark.  Visit Section Hiker.