Navigating the Outdoors

The compass works in mysterious ways - or at least I thought so at one time, it was kinda like magic seeing this little thing know what direction was what. Well, it's really just one little part of the magnificence of our earth that's helping us out with that. What better way to really feel connected to nature than to find your way with the earths' magnetism.

There are two types of Compasses:

• Card Compass that are usually seen in toys or multi-use items and in vehicles. They have a free rotating ball or circle.
• Mountaineering or Orienteering Compass where the needle always points to the North and you have to move the dial to find directions

For navigating on your hiking and backpacking trips the Orienteering Compass is the way to go as you'll get more precise readings and they have a baseplate that is needed for navigating with a map and compass.

Reasons for using a compass:

• tell which direction you are traveling - your heading
• tell which direction an object is from you - its bearing
• keep you following a straight line of travel
• orient a map - aligning a map with the actual land
• triangulation - determining your location with a map
• plan routes - determine directions and distances to travel on a map

Basic information of a compass:

• 4 cardinal points - North South East West
  When looking at a compass and telling other people directions, don't think left and right which change depending on location and direction. Instead think of the cardinal points that always mean the same direction.
• 4 intercardinal points - direction halfway between cardinal points - Northeast Northwest Southeast Southwest
• 8 secondary intercardinal points - direction halfway between cardinal point and intercardinal point - North-Northeast East-Northeast East-Southeast and so on

These points are good for general sense of direction but for more precise directions the compass face is split into 360 marks called degrees.

No matter the compass, one end of the needle always points North. On our mountaineering compasses, it is almost always the red end, but it's a good idea to test your compass before starting to use it:

• If you are north of the equator, stand facing the sun around lunchtime. Whichever end of the needle points towards the sun is South and the end that points at you is North.
• If you're 'down under' the North end points towards the sun and the South end points at you.

How to read a compass:

• Hold your compass steadily in your hand so the baseplate is level and the direction-of-travel arrow is pointing straight away from you.
• Hold it about halfway between your face and waist in a comfortable arm position with your elbow bent and compass held close to your stomach.
• Look down at the compass and see where the needle points.
• Turn your body while keeping the compass right in front of you.
• Notice that as the compass rotates, the needle stays pointing the same direction.
• Keep turning until the needle points East keeping the direction-of-travel arrow and North mark facing straight in front of you.
• Important: This is a very common mistake! The compass needle is pointing towards East so I must be pointing East, right? No, no, no! To find my direction, I must turn the compass dial until the North mark and the "Orienting Arrow" are lined up with the North end of the needle. Then I can read the heading that is at the Index Pointer spot (the butt of the direction-of-travel arrow). Since the Orienting Arrow is usually two parallel lines on the floor of the compass housing, a good thing to memorize is:

  RED IN THE SHED

• Now we know we are really heading West (270 degrees)

Compass Reading Tips:

• Hold the compass level - if the compass is tilted, the needle will touch the clear lid and not move correctly.
• Read the correct end of the needle.
• Use common sense, such as knowing that if you are heading anywhere towards the sun, there's no way you can be heading north, northwest, or northeast.
• RED IN THE SHED!
• Keep the compass away from metal objects - even a knife, flashlight, or keychain can cause a false reading if too close to the compass.

These are just a few basic points about compass reading. A little something to get you interested in taking a compass out for a walk and seeing how our magnetic earth helps us get around.

Finding Mother Nature

About 4 or 5 years ago I was struggling with regular thoughts of discontent and it was recommended I read 'The Power of Now' by Eckhart Tolle.  I did read it back then and although found it good I couldn't say that the teachings changed my outlook at the time.  I just wasn't ready for it then.  In the last year, I have heard Eckhart speak a few times, read 'A New Earth' and reread 'The Power of Now' and see the truth and practicality in his teachings and how it relates to my life and thinking.  'The Power of Now' was one of my introductions to the need for humans to connect with nature.

Find more resources by Eckart Tolle

It seems that we all have the right time to realize some the the great truths in life and it will sometimes take a bit of time to really comprehend how it works in our lives.  Realizing the truth of nature is one of those 'truths' to comprehend.  Not with your thinking though; connect to it with your whole body. 

It's probably easier for most people just starting to see nature's gifts to be in an area where you can be for a while and just see life growing naturally, like a forest, park, country road.  Even in the city there's lots of areas to 'retreat' to and see trees, flowers and birds allowed to grow on their own, even if human planting started them off.  Walking along or sitting, look around at the true magnificence of how self sustaining nature really is.  How the birds are easily providing for themselves, trees and plants growing with just the natural elements being there to sustain them.  These living things are not wanting, not reacting negatively; just simply being. Don't put much thought into the experience, just notice your surroundings.

Feeling this appreciation for just short times, like 5 or 10 minutes will greatly refresh you and help you in seeing and feeling good ole' Mother Nature.

Agricultural Advantage

Found some interesting facts and thoughts on our soil and the Agricultural Industry that I wanted to share from "The Sacred Balance" by David Suzuki:

Some ten thousand to twelve thousand years ago, human beings realized that seeds placed on or in soil would grow into plants that were useful to people. This realization led to the agricultural revolution, which fundamentally altered human behaviour and provided the foundation of civilization...farmers freed humanity from the exigencies of nomadic hunting and gathering, providing a basis for permanent settlements in which individuals could develop specialized roles in an increasingly complex society. We became expert at feeding ourselves by farming, and that expertise allowed our numbers to grow...But agriculture changed more than human life; it changed the face of the Earth, and the great harvests of today are using up the soil they depend on. In 1984, Canadian Senator Herbert Sparrow's report Soil at Risk documented the rapid depletion of topsoil accumulated over millennia that has occured in Canada within the past few decades, a pattern duplicated in the United States and Australia...excessive emphasis on productivivy, has been chiefly to blame...Urbanization, along with poor practices in agriculture and forestry, has caused compaction, soil loss through erosion and decreases in organic matter, which in turn means less water enters the soil to be cleansed of pollutants...organic material produced is not returned to the soil to complete nature's cycle; instead, it often ends up in sewers, landfills or incinerators...Soil continues to be the main source of humankind's nutrition...The interconnectedness of all things on Earth means that everything we do has consequences that reverberate through the systems of which we are a part. When we reclaim this ancient understanding, we will recover the sense of responsibility that it entails.

In my last post I talked about bringing our connection to nature back to a harmoneous balance. How we're treating our soil has to be an area of great focus. I'm not even sure how to improve the soil situation, perhaps Mr. Suzuki has some input a little furthur on in the book but I'd love to hear thoughts from abroad.

Check out THE SACRED BALANCE @ BARNES & NOBLE

Checking the Balance

How vital is nature to human life?

The trees help to create suitable air for us to breath. The air itself improves the functioning of our bodies. The earth (soil) grows our food. Water flows all around us to provide drink, bathing, fun. Just being in the midst of a forest brings an inner peace that can't be felt the same in any other atmosphere.

These are just a few things I've thought of quickly, of course there are so many other things some which I probably haven't even realized quite yet. In our human history, we went from relying on nature for pretty much everything we needed to survive like using plants for healing, trees and rock for shelter, animal skins and fur for clothing and food was only from what was found naturally; either animals or from the ground. Then our intelligence took great strides and we came to rely on nature less and less as synthetic materials and chemicals became the revolutionary way to go. We went too far in that direction as is recognized by the effect that polution, landfill waste and depletion of our natural resources has had on the earth. In the past several years we have made great progress in getting back the balance and respecting the greatness of our natural world.

Check out this project that will change the landscape and life of Niger. Considered the poorest country in the world, efforts to plant a tree park will improve many aspects of the area.  The following is taken from the Tree-Nation Site describing their objective:

Primarily environmental, but also closely linked to the humanitarian aid that it will provide in the long term. The project will benefit local populations in terms of welfare, education and farming practices. And that's not all…

The benefits of preventing desertification extend beyond trees to other kinds of plant and animal life. Any opportunity to re-introduce and/or help prevent any endangered species will therefore become an integral part of our mission.

You can buy trees to be planted in Niger, sign up to take part in discussions and see all kinds of environmental news and be part of the Tree-Nation community.

Go to Tree-Nation

Memories of Mountain Biking

I'm in the midst of a great Canadian snowy winter, enjoying the snow when I can, but anticipating the Spring thaw and the ability to take up a multitude of activities that the winter weather just doesn't allow. I recently received an email that brought up my fond memories of Mountain Biking. I've been an avid 'Biker' for about 12 years, starting off as a means of transportation. It didn't take long to expand my biking terrain from the city streets to the extensive trail systems throughout the city and riding to more rough terrain and rugged trails. Even biking through the streets brought an exhilaration and satisfaction that I haven't experienced in any other activity and once I rode the more challenging trails, I realized my personal practice for fitness and fulfillment. I've had my times of not partaking in this awesome activity, not making the time, not making it a priority to get a new bike, pregnancy (at least this one is more understandable), mainly not doing what truly nurtures me.

I love everything about biking; feeling the open air; checking out the scenery; the workout, especially the achievement of reaching the top of an incline and of course, coasting down a decline; the focus needed to manoeuvre bends, turns and stops. I love it yet I need to motivate myself to make it a regular part of my life which in turn makes me a happier, fulfilled person. As the snow melts, I'll keep focused on the wonderful exhilaration of mountain biking and keeping my eyes open for a bike rack for my van, so that this year I can expand my experience to more challenging terrain available.

I'll add the link that got Mountain Biking on my mind. It's an Arizona destination from The Away Network and looks like an ideal getaway for any of us that my be ready for the snow to be gone.

The email that got Mountain Biking on my mind was from The Away Network. Below is their enticing blurb that makes me want to figure out how I could get to Arizona:

Mountain bikers frozen out of their fat-tire fix by inclement winter weather should look toward the dust-strewn terrain in and around Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona. Literally hundreds of miles of single- and doubletrack lie within a 60-mile radius of this desert oasis resort town, including routes up cardiac hills, across cacti-dotted landscapes, and along trails carved specifically for mountain bikers. Hook up with Arizona Outback Adventures' Sonoran Desert Singletrack trip, which offers either three or five days of cycling in 75-degree weather along with desert camping, gourmet campfire cooking, and tours suited to all skill levels.

Check out Phoenix, Arizona, a destination with great terrain for Mountain Biking and outdoor living