The concept of a compass not pointing to True North was something I struggled with at first when learning orienteering because I had assumed north meant north. The reality is that you have a Grid North, Magnetic North and True North.
That said, orienteering is one of the most valuable skills I think a person can learn but it can be hard to grasp learning solo. For those not familiar there are really two ways to go about it:
- Dead Reckoning
- Terrain Association
Dead Reckoning is all about planning waypoints and using your compass and pace count to get you there. For example: I need to walk 5km at 220° then 2km at 90°, etc.
On top of that, it's easy to make simple mistakes when planning your route. Errors when converting from grid to magnetic(and visa versa) can put you off by a few grid squares so it's important to understand terrain association which is a technique of studying the terrain on a map, plan a route and use those visual terrain features to guide you(If the river is supposed to be on your left but it's on your right, something is wrong).
Having both techniques in your back pocket are essential, but like any skill, they're perishable so you have to practice often.
Some key mistakes people tend to make when orienteering:
- When you're dead reckoning through the forest, make sure you switch which side you favor. For example, if your compass points directly at a tree do you step to the right of it to go around or to the left? Most people will pick their dominant side and tend to veer to the right over time. This won't be corrected by staying on a specific azimuth.
- Night time is challenging when orienteering in a forest with no roads/creeks/etc to handrail. You often can't see more than 10-20 meters and there's no terrain for you to associate with.
- After you plan your waypoints out, do it again from scratch. You likely made a mistake. The protractor you used to get your heading represents your grid angle, every map will have a GM Adjustment(grid to magnetic) you'll need to make.
Source: I'm a former US special ops soldier with hundreds of hours using a map and compass humping through the woods.
That said, orienteering is one of the most valuable skills I think a person can learn but it can be hard to grasp learning solo. For those not familiar there are really two ways to go about it: - Dead Reckoning - Terrain Association
Dead Reckoning is all about planning waypoints and using your compass and pace count to get you there. For example: I need to walk 5km at 220° then 2km at 90°, etc.
On top of that, it's easy to make simple mistakes when planning your route. Errors when converting from grid to magnetic(and visa versa) can put you off by a few grid squares so it's important to understand terrain association which is a technique of studying the terrain on a map, plan a route and use those visual terrain features to guide you(If the river is supposed to be on your left but it's on your right, something is wrong).
Having both techniques in your back pocket are essential, but like any skill, they're perishable so you have to practice often.
Some key mistakes people tend to make when orienteering: - When you're dead reckoning through the forest, make sure you switch which side you favor. For example, if your compass points directly at a tree do you step to the right of it to go around or to the left? Most people will pick their dominant side and tend to veer to the right over time. This won't be corrected by staying on a specific azimuth. - Night time is challenging when orienteering in a forest with no roads/creeks/etc to handrail. You often can't see more than 10-20 meters and there's no terrain for you to associate with. - After you plan your waypoints out, do it again from scratch. You likely made a mistake. The protractor you used to get your heading represents your grid angle, every map will have a GM Adjustment(grid to magnetic) you'll need to make.
Source: I'm a former US special ops soldier with hundreds of hours using a map and compass humping through the woods.