Day 11: Using the sun as a compass…
Finding north with just the sun: As a child of the '80s MacGyver was one of my heroes. This man could make an atomic bomb with nothing more than a shoelace, a paperclip, a rubber bouncy ball, and some gum from the bottom of his shoe. As an adult I realize how unrealistic all of that show was. However there was an amazing information based self-reliance that MacGyver lived by that I admire to this day. Now that I'm in my mid-40s having had many decades on this planet and many Wilderness/Adventure trips under my belt I'm still in awe of people that can get by on knowledge alone. One of my favorite sayings from Mors Kochanski, a seasoned veteran instructor of the Canadian Boreal Forest, is that “knowledge weighs nothing.” Having spent time as a soldier in foreign countries and austere environments like Afghanistan, I've spent a lot of time thinking about how I can survive if I'm stripped of everything by a foreign adversary. The only answer can ever be knowledge. it's something that no one can take away from you. it's something that you don't accidentally leave at home or in your car console when you go on a hike. No matter how much of it you have it still weighs nothing. So having skillsets, like the ability to find True North with just the Sun is something I find extremely valuable. Here is the kicker though these kinds of skill sets are geographical in nature. They work differently at different altitudes and in different latitudes. They also work differently in different environments. This for example is so because in Utah I can use a fire ant hill that has not been Disturbed that is out in the open and look for the entrance hole which will almost always be in one quarter of the circle around Southeast. As I walk in comparison to multiple ant hills I get an average which gives me a general north. In the jungle there are no fire ants and it is often impossible to see the sun and in Antarctica the sun just spins in a circle in summer and goes away altogether in winter. Oftentimes we are lost for want of a general direction. If all I need is a general direction then I can head back in the general correct direction that I came from until I find a road or stream or something to handrail back to my home. So seek out knowledge from people who have actually done the thing you want to learn, because it weighs nothing and no one can take it away from you.
Step By Step finding north with stick card…
if your a skilled survivalist and you don’t have this MEDICAL GO-BAG…
You could be at risk in the wild grab this for a massive discount above
