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Have You Been Lost? - Page 3

I am taking notes feverishly. There are a ton of great tips coming in. Thanks guys!

Lost You Have

Its always good to be prepared, but people don't always get lost with the proper tools on hand.

An analog watch is a decent substitute for a compass. Place it horizontally, and point the hour hand at the sun. In that position a line pointing halfway in between the hour hand and 12 is pointing close to due south. (Assuming one is north of the tropics at any rate)

If one lacks even that, place a tall stick in the ground, and make a small mark at the very tip of its shadow. Wait 10-15 minutes, and mark the tip of the shadow again. An arrow drawn from the first mark to the second is pointing east.

If the sun isn't available, but the stars are, your best bet is to find Polaris. That usually means learning to recognize the big and little dipper constellations.

Edited: daishain on 1st Mar, 2017 - 4:47pm

Have You Been Lost? History & Civil Business Politics

I always heard that if you hold your watch up towards the sun you could always see the current time.

Sometimes after learning a new skill you should go out and test your ability to understand it by actually experiencing it. Like how to make with fire with two sticks? Make sure one stick is a match.

Page 3 Lost You Have

Those are good ones KN *smile* It always helps if one of the two sticks is a match. I've watched enough Survivor to feel somewhat confident at making a fire.

Lost You Have

Yeah, the rubbing sticks thing is a pain in the arse. I've done it, once, with one of the sticks converted into a neat bow that I'd be surprised if I could manage in the wild, and near ideal kindling sitting on hand. It took almost an hour, and my arms burned from the effort.

Much, much easier to just have a simple lighter on hand.

Have You Been Lost?

Or a cell phone so you can call for pizza and an Uber! In truth, modern technology is making it more difficult to get lost. At least, that's true in the US. You have to really be in the sticks now to not have signal. But it does happen enough that you should be prepared. Especially if you know you're going somewhere deep where there isn't any signal.

Have You Lost - Page 3

It is nice to have all the signal strength all over the US but if you phone is dead or left back in your car then you are not going to be able to call in a rescue. Sometimes things go wrong and you just have to be prepared for it. Never rely on modern technology as it can fail when you need it.

Have You Lost Politics Business Civil & History - Page 3

Yeah, we shouldn't rely on technology. There's no doubt it will let you down as often as not. But if you have it and it works you should use it. Sometimes people forget about the easiest and most obvious solutions when they start to panic.