Field Activity #11: Traditional Navigation using a map and compass

Introduction:

The exercise this week was geared towards utilizing the compass skills that we previously learned in another activity. In order to familiarize ourselves with the compass and how to connect it with a map each group had to revisit their blogs on how to orient. This navigation exercise took place at the Priory, which is owned by the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. The Environmental Adventure Center placed an orienteering course on the large property in order to teach students how to use a compass in the woods. Each group was given one of the three different courses to navigate with each having five points of interest that should be traveled to. There were approximately two groups per course.

Image 1: The image here shows April Leistikow's metal booklet that contained our maps, punch card and notebook. This was a great tool in the woods because a flat writing surface is hard to come by.

Study Area:

As was stated above, the orienteering course took place at the priory which is located on the southern portion of Eau Claire. The Priory is also located just south of Interstate 94. Image 1 below shows a map of where the Priory is located compared to major roads and the general campus. The micro-topography of the region shows a region covered in pines and oak trees that also have a significant amount of buckthorn. There are also ridges and hills that span the property and make it fun to traverse. The Priory also acts as residence hall for students and also houses the children's center.

Image 2: The image above was taken from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire's Priory website. The map shows where major properties are located that the university owns and their relative location in Eau Claire.

Methods:

Our class met out at the Priory to begin our orienteering challenge so as to not waste time congregating in the classroom. This allowed for more time in the field and picture gathering. Each group was tasked with providing their own maps for this project that we created during a previous activity. Each person had to create two different maps: one showing a grid in meters and the other in decimal degrees. We were then provided with a compass and the list of each point with its respective meter or decimal degree location on the map.

Image 3: The image above shows Blake Johnson (red striped shirt) and myself orienting our path of travel together in the woods. I had the runner job so it was paramount that I knew where I was heading. 

Each group begin this activity by plotting the points from each course on their maps. This helped to give us an idea of where each point would be and also helped in the orienteering process of finding the azimuth of each point. Each course had its own starting position which had to be reached by in order to gain the first azimuth. Each team member had their own job when it came to the actual team orientation. The jobs included the runner, the compass holder and the pace counter. The compass holder begins by finding the azimuth to each then telling the runner to go in the direction of the desired location. The runner would run to a specific location that the compass person tells them to reach. The pace counter then paces out to the runner and gets a general idea of how far they have been traveling. Finally, as each team member comes upon the spot then the whole process begins again. Once a group comes upon one of the flags, then they would use the punch to mark on their card that they made it to the specified flag.

Image 4: The image above shows one of the flags that had the puncher on it. Each flag was orange and white and suspended nearly 5 feet into the air from a tree. Some were much easier than others to find.

Results:

Each navigation flag had its own recognizable punch for whichever one you were at. They are all numbered so as to differentiate between the courses as well since some of them converge near one another.

Image 5: Here is the final checklist after the activity. Blake Johnson (red) and myself can be seen as happy campers after getting scratched up out in the woods for a few hours.

Discussion:

Our group had a tough time finding the initial starting point because it wasn't actually marked by anything other than being a trashcan. We wasted a good ten minutes trying to find a starting point when it was literally the trash cans. After we figured out the starting location we really didn't run into any other problems. The main issue with the activity was that none of us knew what to expect in the woods so some of us wore shorts which was a bad idea. Between thorn bushes, broken branches, barbed wire and buckthorn many of us cut our legs and arms up pretty good. Wearing a light long sleeve layer would be highly suggested.

Conclusion:

In conclusion this activity was a blast! It was tough to make our way through some of the thicker brush, but trying to find each point was a good time. My group had a positive attitude and was able to joke around during the activity while still staying on task. Knowing how to use a compass and map in the woods is an invaluable tool for an backpacker, hiker or hunter. Learning how to use these proven tools over the technology, which will almost always fail you in the field, is important for any true sportsman.