Boxing The Compass

Day 135: Quite a few of my friends admit to being (as they put it themselves) "directionally challenged," a concept which both baffles me and causes me great consternation. Should I ask for instructions to get to their library, for example, they'll tell me to "turn left" off the main drag without asking which way I'll be heading. "Left" depends on the direction of travel in order to be interpreted correctly. If I'm travelling eastbound, "left" will take me north; if westbound, a left turn would route me south. Kinda makes it hard to find the destination, y'know?

Now I don't expect miracles here, but if you know the cardinal points of a compass (North, South, East and West), you should be able to figure out where NE, SE, SW and NW are. Being able to recite them in order clockwise/anticlockwise is called "boxing the compass," and mariners were once required to be able to recite not just the eight points I've listed, but the full 32 (in some cases, 128!) "winds": cardinal, intercardinal/ordinal, half-winds and quarter winds. Examples: NNE is a half-wind, halfway between N and NE, NbE ("North by East") is a quarter-wind E of N. I've 'shopped a 32-point windrose into the compass mirror for illustrative purposes. While you won't need to commit them all to memory for basic land navigation, your well-oriented friends will appreciate directions which cannot be misinterpreted to mean the opposite of what you intended.

Strategizing September Morn

Day 335: Tomorrow is the second biggest holiday of my personal calendar. No, I'm not referring to Labor Day, although this year, it coincidentally falls on the same date. I am talking about September Morn. For me, the first of September marks the beginning of the Earth's in-gathering, a time when she pulls her energies together to prepare for the long winter ahead, a time when she guards her children most carefully and tenderly that they might survive.

Those who know me well know that on September Morn (or thereabouts), it is my custom to plunge myself in a cold mountain tarn in a ritual of spiritual renewal, my "annual bath," as it were. It is also an occasion when I like to do something special like go on an adventure or buy myself a present. Often, the day is spent hiking (preferably in solitude). This year, I've already had my bath...two of them, as a matter of fact...and with a busy September schedule staring me in the face, I'm going to have to grab my moment when I can.

Labor Day or not, I have a hike planned for tomorrow. It's a geology project of sorts, tracking down a particular rock formation to examine the amygdules it bears. It's some distance to drive to the trailhead, so I'll be leaving well before the sun starts to cast its blush in the eastern sky. Hopefully, by arriving before sane folk are out of bed, I'll be assured of a parking space. It's tough when September Morn shares the calendar with Labor Day!

Easily Amused

Day 157: I'm easy to amuse. Just give me a map and compass and turn me loose! Although nowadays, I do a lot of plotting beforehand using the computer, and in the field, I'm likely to be navigating by GPS, I always carry map and compass for backup. You don't want to find yourself with dead batteries five miles off trail.