Despite the fact that you would guess that it ought to be the other way around, you will find that the majority of experienced hikers make use of maps to navigate their way along trails and across wilderness areas while novices feel that maps are unnecessary. The newcomer often believes that it is not necessary to go through the hard work of learning map reading and that sticking to well worn trails will be fine. Regrettably, that is not the case.
You can get seriously lost even close to clearly marked trails and stepping just a few meters from the trail into heavy woodland has caught out more than one beginner. In the absence of the stars, sun or geographical markers it is all too easy to get turned around and to end up walking even farther from the trail and getting yourself lost in no time at all.
Now in the example here a map by itself will not necessarily help you to get out of the wood in question. But, you will frequently come across another trail which hooks up with your original trail and a good map will help you to easily find your way back to your starting point.
Okay, so where do you begin?
Get hold of an up-to-date map which covers the area you are planning to hike in and begin by studying it carefully at home in a relaxed environment. Of course you will not be able to match the map to features on the ground, but it will help you to learn and understand the symbols which are used on the map.
Every map has a legend (which differs a bit from one publisher to the next) and you have to familiarize yourself with the symbols. In addition, you will need to familiarize yourself with the scale of the map which will be printed on it somewhere as something like 1 inch = 1 mile.
Do not forget though that distance is only one part of the story and that 1 inch representing 1 mile on level ground is a very different thing from 1 inch representing 1 mile over an area including a steep winding path up the side of a 3,500 foot cliff.
To allow for the latter, you will need to consider altitude which is shown on the map as a series of curved lines that, if 'stretched out', would form a circle. The distance between two curved lines around a natural feature such as a hill indicates the altitude. Normally there will also be numbers printed along the lines to assist you. These are called contour lines and the closer these lines are to one another the steeper the terrain.
Next, you need to study the longitude and latitude lines. Longitude lines showing North and South run 'up and down' the map from the bottom to the top while latitude lines indicating East and West run 'right and left'.
During the day you can make use of the sun and natural features on the ground to orient the map so that it is lined up with the ground which you are hiking over. The sun rises in the East and sets in the West so that at the start of the day facing the sun will have you heading in an Easterly direction. Similarly, late in the afternoon facing the setting sun will have you hiking more or less West.
After dark you will need to use the stars to navigate and you will often be able to see the sky reasonably well as the majority of wilderness areas are a long way from the glow of city lights. One of the greatest pleasures of hiking is the ability to walk out under the stars and familiarizing yourself with such star formations as the Big Dipper and Orion as well as the North Star.
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