When traveling the backcountry, being able to accurately navigate based on nature's cues or with a map and compass is one of the most useful skills to have. Whether you are trying to find your way after being lost, or sticking to a bearing, there are many reasons why you would want to know where you are going in the woods - and equally as many ways to figure it out.
Your first hints at where the cardinal directions will come from are the sun, trees, and even rocks. These tricks often work best when not in dense forest, so try to seek out a fairly open area with only a few trees. In the Northern Hemisphere, our peak exposure to the sun comes from the south, while in the Southern Hemisphere it is from the north (wherever the equator is relative to you). Because of this, these tricks won't work if you are very close to the equator - the farther north or south you are the better. The side of trees closer to the equator will generally be more abundant in branches because of exposure to the sun. This is where the larger branches may be. They may even lean towards the south, but it also may be because of intense wind. The reason why looking for number and direction of branches won't work in deep woods is because increased exposure to the sun may be skewed by trees blocking sunlight from certain angles. Rocks that are out in the open can also give telltale signs to the directions in the same way that trees that have the most sun exposure to the south will. Rocks will be bleached by the sun towards the south, and if covered by snow, it will have a thinner covering on the southern side.
The most accurate way to tell directions just by the sun is a tool called a sun stick. This one does require consistent sunlight for ideally 30+ minutes, but it will give you an accurate insight into the cardinal directions around you. Find a very straight stick and put it perpendicular into flat ground. Make sure it is at least a foot tall to get a good shadow being cast off it. Then find a much smaller stick to mark the end of the shadow. If it is in grass, it is often helpful to put your hand on the ground to more accurately see where the shadow ends. Wait until the shadow moves a few inches, and mark the end of the shadow again. The line between these two markers is an exact East-West line, pointing directly east and west as the name implies. Because the sun rises and sets in a slightly different spot each day, watching to see where the sun rises and sets *approximately* is not as accurate as setting up an east-west line. This technique gives an exact line that is very accurate with all four cardinal directions.
Another essential tool for navigation is a compass. The two most common types that will be handheld on a camping or backpacking trip are lenastic and orienteering compasses. Although they have their differences, they work in the same way. The most basic, and possibly useful skill to use on compasses is how to take a bearing. This can be done simply by looking at a landmark that you want to navigate to, or on a map by knowing where you are and pointing the compass on the map towards where you want to navigate to. Either way, the compass will have some sort of arrow or sighting hole (to look through towards where you want to go) which you point towards your destination. Keeping this pointed towards your destination, you will now rotate the bezel of your compass. This is a cylinder attached to the circle where the compass needle is. By grabbing the outer edge of the main circle on the compass, you should be able to twist it back and forth both clockwise and counterclockwise. There should also be some sort of line or arrow attached to the bezel so it moves as you rotate it. Keeping the arrow or sighting hole towards your destination, rotate the bezel such that this arrow or line lines up perfectly with the north arrow inside the compass. Now look right under the arrow or sighting hole to see which degree number (0-360 degrees) is at the front of your compass, and that is your bearing. Now just start walking with the north arrow and the bezel line flush with one another, and you'll get to your destination in no time.
These are just a few basic ways to orient yourself out in nature when you have no other means at your disposal. The natural world is full of information, if you just know how to look for it. Happy navigating!
