Finding your way in the wilderness is clearly the most important aspect of survival. With the ability to spend your precious energy traveling in the right direction, you will confidently travel to safety avoiding pitfalls along the way.
If you have packed for survival you will already have your compass handy, if not, I will address makeshift ways of navigation which do not require a compass at all.
Compasses:
A compass works with magnets to indicate the north and south poles. If you check with your local sporting goods shops you will notice that there are many different types and styles of compasses. A well built simple compass will suffice for most navigation purposes. The two most common types of compasses are prism compasses and Silva compasses. A prismatic compass obviously contains a prism which increases the accuracy of the direction. This does come at a cost, however, and a prism compass will be more expensive than most. A Silva compass is just another name for a standard, basic compass built using magnets only.
Making a Compass:
As a rule of thumb, always remember how a compass works- magnetic forces will make magnetized metal point to the north and south axis of earth’s fields. If you are without a compass your first goal is to magnetize a piece of metal. How is this accomplished in the field? Using a needle and a piece of silk simply stroke the needle in the same direction over and over again. If you do not have a piece of silk use a sock, scarf, or other light fabric. Anything that has some static energy on it will likely help to magnetize the needle. Next, after stroking the needle over and over again you must suspend it in some water in order to gather your direction. If you have a bowl or some other container, carefully place the magnetized needle in the liquid. Let the needle float on something extremely light, like a dry leaf, so that the needle will obviously not sink in the liquid. If done properly the needle will point to the north and sole pole direction!
Another way to gather your direction without the use of a compass is by using the Stars. As a rule of thumb, carefully watching the starts while you are standing in one position will give the illusion that the stars are moving. However, in reality, the earth is moving while the stars are stationary objects. Therefore, if you are in the northern hemisphere, locate the northern star, which will NOT move like the other stars. This trick is accomplished by first finding the Big Dipper. Look to the right of the Big Deeper; the Northern Star will be stationary and quite large. It cannot be missed. By walking and traveling in the direction of the northern star, you are traveling directly north. Turn around in the opposite direction to travel south. This age old trick can save your life and prevent you from going in circles.
Creating a Sundial is yet another way to find your direction without the use of a compass. Place a vertical stick in the surface of flat ground. Try to find a clear area that doe not have tall grass or any other shrubs that will affect the view of shadows. Wake up early and mark the shadow’s direction. This direction will be a very simple way of finding west, as the sun’s shadow will be casting from the east. Another even simpler way if you are too lazy to use a stick would be to just look at which direction the sun is rising. Rule of thumb- the sun rises in the east and sets in the west!
Even signs in nature can help you find your direction quickly. The magnetic fields have a great effect on nature and can alter the direction that they grow and/or move. Plants will always grow towards the hot, warm sun. Plants will generally face and lean towards the south when you are in the northern hemisphere.