Staying Found: On-Trail Navigation

This hands-on course, tailored to on-trail adventurers, provides focused information on key skills and tools, and hands-on practice on the trail, to become confident reading a topographic map against the features of the terrain around you, get important information from a compass and altimeter, and maintain a steady awareness of where you are as well as how to find yourself if you get temporarily misplaced.  NOTE:  This course does NOT satisfy the requirements for the Wilderness Navigation badge, which is a requirement to graduate from courses like Scrambling, Climbing, Backcountry Skiing and Intermediate Snowshoeing that have a focus on off-trail navigation.

The required elements of the course include (1) an evening online instructional seminar; (2) a pre-field trip homework exercise; and (3) an in-person, small-group field practice day held outdoors at Tiger Mountain State Forest (no more than 6 people in a group). The field practice day will include a map and compass exercise, a trip planning exercise, and a 3-to 5-mile hike to apply the skills you learned.   If you are a student, please register for the Staying Found Online Seminar and for the Staying Found Field Practice Day.  (Students should not register for the Leader Orientation,)  ** If you must cancel from or add yourself to one of the required elements, open this course listing, scroll down and click on Manage Registration (to the right on a computer, at the bottom on a smartphone) and then click on the element(s) that you want to cancel from or add yourself to, then SAVE.  **

On the field practice day, The Mountaineers Covid-19 Code of Conduct will be enforced including maintaining physical distance, requiring everyone to wear a face covering when/if we must get within 6 feet of each other or another hiker, and carrying hand sanitizer to use regularly when/if we must touch someone else's compass or map to provide assistance.  Participants and leaders may not share gear.  There is required homework before the online session and between the online seminar and the field practice day.