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Despite the fact that you would think that it should be the other way around, you will find that the majority of experienced hikers rely on maps to navigate their way along trails and through wilderness areas while newcomers believe that maps are they can simply 'wing it'. The novice often believes that there is no need to go through the hard work of learning to use a map and that sticking to used trails will be okay. Sorry to say, that is a mistaken view. You can get seriously lost even near clearly marked trails and stepping just a few yards off the trail into heavy woodland has caught out more than one beginner. Without the benefit of the stars, sun or geographical markers it is all too easy to get disorientated and to find yourself walking even farther from the trail and getting yourself lost in no time at all. Now in the example here a map by itself would not necessarily help you out of the wood in question. However, you will usually run across another trail which hooks up with the one you were on and a good map would help you to find your way with ease back to your starting point. So, where should you begin? Get hold of an up-to-date map that covers the area which you intend to hike in and begin by studying it at home in a relaxed environment. You will not of course be able to match the map to features on the ground, but it will certainly help you to learn and understand the symbols which are used on the map. All maps will have a legend (which you will find will differ a bit from one publisher to the next) and you want to familiarize yourself with the symbols. You also need to understand the scale of the map which will be printed on it somewhere as something like 1 inch = 5 miles. Remember however that distance is only one part of the story and that 1 inch representing 1 mile on open ground is a quite different thing from 1 inch representing 1 mile over an area that includes a steep and winding path up the side of a 3,500 foot cliff. To allow for the latter, you will need to consider altitude which is shown on the map as a series of curved lines that, if 'stretched out', would make a circle. The spacing between two curved lines around a natural feature such as a hill indicates the steepness of the terrain. Usually there will also be numbers printed along the lines to assist you. These lines are known as contour lines and the closer the lines are to one another the steeper the terrain. Next, you need to study the longitude lines and latitude lines. Longitude lines showing North and South run 'up and down' the map from the top to the bottom while latitude lines which indicate East and West run 'right and left'. In the daytime you can make use of the sun together with natural features to orient the map so that it is aligned with the ground over which you are hiking. Remember that the sun rises in the East and sets in the West so that early in the day facing the sun will have you heading in an Easterly direction. By the same token, late in the afternoon facing the setting sun will have you hiking more or less West. At night you can use the stars to navigate and you can often see the sky quite well as the majority of wilderness areas are a long way from the glow of city lights. One of the greatest joys of hiking is the ability to hike out under the stars and familiarizing yourself with such star formations as the Big Dipper and Orion as well as the North Star.
Article Source: http://00articles.com
One of the first things you will need as a novice hiker is a good pair of hiking boots and you could do a lot worse than a pair of Vasque or Asolo hiking boots
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