[paradoxbox]

i was lucky to learn some neat navigation and wayfinding tricks as a child by reading books, i've never been lost. though sometimes when i'm walking around tokyo things get a bit confusing..

i was also very fortunate to learn about sea navigation by reading a polynesian navigation book - that was remarkably useful, though difficult for most people to wrap their head around.

one of the neat tricks i learned as a child was an old native american trick - how to use a stick stuck in the ground to tell the 4 directions with remarkable accuracy. these days though i always have a compass on me be it my iphone or my suunto mc-2g compass (awesome compass by the way). but a compass is not a lot of use without a good topographic map!

for anyone who is interested, i really recommend learning a bit about navigation - it's quite easy to find resources on the internet. i am especially partial to maritime navigation as it's extremely precise. with a sextant and almanac you can find your position to within a few hundred meters, it's like having a GPS..! then again without charts that is useless, but still, using tracking techniques (to find your own tracks, so you can go back the way you came) in combination with navigation skill (i.e. using fixed reference points both ahead and behind you to avoid going in circles) you can really be more confident when you go out into the woods

these days i enjoy getting lost on purpose just to have fun using my wayfinding skills!