2. Turn dial face of compass so that north on compass is parallel with north on map.

3. Place your compass level in palm of your hand and turn yourself until needle in compass aligns with North marking on face dial.

4. The big arrow on base plate is now aligned with your bearing.

Declination Value and Bearings - A Trick to Make it Stick

If you walked 10 miles through woods in Washington State, without factoring declination value in your bearings, you would finish over 3 miles off target. That’s too much!

To avoid confusion in finding bearings, keep central principle in mind:

Make map bearing = magnetic bearing.

You will achieve this in field by adjusting your bearings to compensate for magnetic declination. There are 2 ways to account for magnetic declination in finding your bearings: an adjustable compass and marking your non-adjustable compass.

The easiest way is with an adjustable compass. Simply turn declination adjustment screw on compass to correct value and all readings are automatically converted to true north. If it’s available, it’s always best to have an adjustable compass on your walk.

The next best way to account for declination is to mark declination value on your non-adjustable compass at beginning of your journey.

That’s simple to do. For example, when map indicates a declination value of 20° west, you will mark your compass dial at 340°. If map indicates a declination value of 10° east, you will mark your compass at 10°. Make mark with a permanent marker and erase later with rubbing alcohol.

Now when you take your bearings in field, place your compass level in palm of your hand and turn yourself until needle in compass aligns with declination marking on face dial. Then big arrow on base plate will point toward your bearing and automatically compensate for magnetic declination.

Outdoors Adventurer, Writer and Webmaster Will Robertson lives with his family in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Put yourself out there. Locals are always interested to interact with foreigners, and it’s best to take advantage of this. Meet people that you can share life with while you are in their country. Immerse into their culture and be open to new idea’s. A lot of times we are closed to new idea’s and we miss out on opportunities for better things to come along. Be open, willing and accepting.

If you want to be changed, and to experience you need to leave tourist at home. Bring out inner traveler in you and see world in way that it was meant to be seen.

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