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Want to shorten your life? Or meet me in the line of duty? (I am a search and rescue volunteer.) You are likely to do one of those if you head into the backountry without a map and compass *and* the ability to use them. Trust me, getting lost is no fun. At best you will be scared and miserable. At worst we may not find you. Prevention is many times better than cure. And things like GPS can be nice but won't always work.

This topic is obviously too broad to cover here, in fact I wrote an ebook about it (_Bringing Yourself Back Alive). However I can give some pointers. Remember though that this is just the beginning. Don't trust this or any other short article to keep you out of trouble.

First, get a good compass and do the cowardly thing of actually reading the directions that come with it. Different models are different and you need to know how to use yours. It is useful to get one with adjustable declination which will help you compensate for the difference between true and magnetic north.

Take that compass to somewhere you know well so you won't get lost. Study how it works, where it points etc. Following the directions that came with it, set a bearing (direction of travel) and practice following that bearing. Read the bearing to some objects you see. If you can, get someone knowledgeable to go with you and check your readings. Alternatively if you have a GPS you can check yourself with the GPS. Be certain that the bearings you find with your compass match what the GPS says they are.

Second, get a map of an area you know well and compare how the map represents the terrain. Be certain you understand what you see and how the three-dimensional reality is represented on the two-dimensional map. Take your compass with you and make sure you can orient the map with map north matching true north. Do this for several different areas and map types.

Study the information in the margins of the map as well. There you will find the scale of miles or kilometers, descriptions of what different things represent and other useful information.

The most useful map type for the backcountry is the topographic map, usually just called a topo map. These maps have contour lines, each at a constant altitude. Lines close together mean a steep place, lines farther apart show areas where it is not so steep. Usually every 5th line is darker and labeled with the altitude, though it can be difficult to find that label among all the other stuff on the map. In the margin you should find something

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