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The Essential Wilderness Navigator: How to Find Your Way in the Great Outdoors
Now with full-color topographic maps and featuring the latest on electronic navigation, The Essential Wilderness Navigator is the clearest and most up-to-date route-finding primer available. Providing readers with exercises for developing a directional ‘sixth sense,’ tips on mastering the art of map- and compass-reading, and comprehensive updates on a range of technological advances, this perennially popular guide is more indispensable than ever.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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129 people want to read
About the author
David Seidman
77 books7 followersDavid Seidman is a Los Angeles–area journalist, editor, and author who often writes nonfiction for teens. He comes to the topic of atheism with empathy
for teenagers and for people in the religious minority, but he’s nobody’s advocate. He has written on topics as diverse as a US president, civil rights, teens
in Iran, and holiday lights displays.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 6, 2021
Despite its modest size, The Essential Wilderness Navigator provides an impressive amount of navigational knowledge suitable for beginners. It is hard to call this just a manual because there are a few anecdotes along the seams and the narration is a hint too personal to be labeled as just a manual. This is a book with manual overtones that the authors did a solid job with. David Seidman has traveled the world and navigated through central Asia and Mongolia without a map or knowing the local languages. Seidman is also the author of The Essential Sea Kayaker and The Complete Sailor. He is an editor at Boating magazine. Paul Cleveland worked as a wilderness ranger in New Mexico and designed and built trails for the Appalachians. Cleveland’s writing career appears in Backpacker and Climbing magazines and the Gorp.com website. He also teaches wilderness navigation for Outward Bound. This book written by these two authors shows the depth of their knowledge in a digestible way with these four goals in mind: develop a sense of direction, read maps and compasses, plan routes over any terrain, and learn nature’s clues.
Looking at the table of contents gives the reader a clear idea of what information to expect whilst reading. This book is divided into nine chapters (A Sense of Direction, Maps, Compasses, Navigation, Navigation in Use, Looking to Nature for Clues, Extreme Environments, Electronic Navigation, Appendix) with each chapter having a medley of subsections. The table of contents lay out the chapters and subsections clearly for the reader to quickly reference at any time.
The authors intended for the concepts in this book to be scaffolded and progressive. The accumulation of knowledge from the previous chapters should act as a stepping stone for information in the next chapter. Starting with the most basic skill needed for navigation, the authors discussed how the reader should acquire a sense of direction. From there, the reader would build upon their rudimentary sense of direction with the use of maps. Once readers have a basic understanding of maps, then they can learn about compasses and how to use them with maps. And so on and so forth (refer to the list of chapters above). In my opinion, this was a very useful approach for this topic. Navigation is best learned in practice, but reading about how to develop these skills does have its significance. It gave me a good idea of what to expect for when I practice these skills with actual maps and tools. There were some parts of the book that did not move in this progressive way, which was slightly jarring and made it slightly confusing to interpret some of the new knowledge. For example, on pg. 52 (Chapter 2), the authors briefly mentioned very specific rates of changes of compass declination and noted that this would be returned to in Chapter 3. To me, this small piece of information about declination rates of changes was not necessary in Chapter 2 and was not easy to understand. There are only a couple examples of this book not moving as linearly as I expected, but this does not deter from the beautiful simplicity and straightforwardness of it.
Reading through this book seemed less like reading through a textbook and more like reading through a semi-professional magazine or an easy-to-follow manual. Set in second-person narration, the authors employed a rather informal tone with the reader. The best thing I can compare this book’s tone to is how laid-back professors engage with their students in the classroom. They provide useful knowledge but delivered in a casual way. They also sprinkle in words of encouragement and a sense of belief in you. Like, “No, it’s okay if you mess up and get lost. We all make mistakes. Just follow the contents of this book and use your judgment and you will be found, you can do it!” type of deal. Because of this straightforward, informal tone, I found that it was easy to get through this book since it was not approached in a serious or heavy way. The information presented was also fairly concise with a couple of exceptions.
Almost every piece of knowledge in The Essential Wilderness Navigator was necessary and condensed. Some chapters were more detailed than others (i.e., Chapter 3-Compasses). This was because the authors felt it necessary to describe how compasses work and included a one page section about how to create your own. While I believe it is important to have background information about tools you use, some of the details were irrelevant. The section about how to make your own compass was something I almost skipped reading. Another example of this would be in Chapter 6-Looking to Nature for Clues. Seidman and Cleveland discussed how tracking the sun’s movements can help someone orient themselves and find their directions. One of these subsections, the authors discussed how the reader could take “bearings from sunrise and sunset” (pg. 131). This method involves an external “sun chart” and many rather perplexing steps that require you to know your latitude and the sun’s amplitude. I think that if someone were completely lost with no other resources or people, using this method would be unrealistic. Although (slightly) interesting, this method was not necessary and only brought confusion.
Of course, a manual wouldn’t be a manual without interactive exercises and steps. In fact, the authors themselves describe their how-to material as “specialized techniques, presented in cookbook style” (pg. 11). This statement is accurate from my initial study of this book. The authors explore basic methods of navigation such as how to orient your map to your landscape, finding bearings with a compass, locating observed objects on a map, measuring distances in real life and on the map, and many more. For each of these techniques, Seidman and Cleveland include succinct numbered step-by-step instructions with illustrations. The simply drawn illustrations were a deliberate and necessary choice. It made visualizing the techniques much easier. For the Maps chapter, the authors included cropped pictures of real USGS grade maps (in color, too) as examples. I suppose it is a given for a book about navigation and paying attention to your surroundings to have pictures and visualizations, but it was still nice to experience.
The main concern with this book is that although skills such as developing a sense of direction or reading a map are timeless, learning about how to use 20th century technology is less useful. Given, this book was published in 1995 and revised in 2001 (2nd edition). The second to final chapter about Electronic Navigation is outdated and could not really be applied to today’s circumstances. Today’s GPS systems are built into cars, phones, and watches and less so as a standalone product. The authors discussed “E-Maps: Topos and Charts on CD-ROM” (pg. 151). If I were reviewing this piece in the early 2000s, I would not have this same criticism. But in this day and age, this chapter felt unnecessary and outdated.
When I think back to the goals that this book was attempting to accomplish (develop a sense of direction, read maps and compasses, plan routes over any terrain, and learn nature’s clues), I cannot see the authors’ efforts as anything but successful. No, I do not think after a light reading that I will be able to be tossed alone into the Everglades and expected to make my way out. However, as a complete beginner to navigation and someone who does get lost in Walmart parking lots, Seidman and Cleveland helped me at least develop a sense of direction and rudimentary knowledge of maps and compasses. I feel confident that I could find geographic (“true”) north in five attempts now. I also probably wouldn’t lose my car in large parking lots now. I would recommend The Essential Wilderness Navigator to anyone looking to hone their navigational and spatial skills, but especially to beginners. Seidman and Cleveland broke up complex and abstruse concepts into digestible pieces with interactive exercises for the reader to support their new knowledge. That is not to say that one or two or five readings of this guide would solidify the reader’s skills. Applying Seidman and Cleveland’s knowledge takes mental and physical effort and lots of practice. Luckily, they provided just enough mental tools for us to build our own skills.
Looking at the table of contents gives the reader a clear idea of what information to expect whilst reading. This book is divided into nine chapters (A Sense of Direction, Maps, Compasses, Navigation, Navigation in Use, Looking to Nature for Clues, Extreme Environments, Electronic Navigation, Appendix) with each chapter having a medley of subsections. The table of contents lay out the chapters and subsections clearly for the reader to quickly reference at any time.
The authors intended for the concepts in this book to be scaffolded and progressive. The accumulation of knowledge from the previous chapters should act as a stepping stone for information in the next chapter. Starting with the most basic skill needed for navigation, the authors discussed how the reader should acquire a sense of direction. From there, the reader would build upon their rudimentary sense of direction with the use of maps. Once readers have a basic understanding of maps, then they can learn about compasses and how to use them with maps. And so on and so forth (refer to the list of chapters above). In my opinion, this was a very useful approach for this topic. Navigation is best learned in practice, but reading about how to develop these skills does have its significance. It gave me a good idea of what to expect for when I practice these skills with actual maps and tools. There were some parts of the book that did not move in this progressive way, which was slightly jarring and made it slightly confusing to interpret some of the new knowledge. For example, on pg. 52 (Chapter 2), the authors briefly mentioned very specific rates of changes of compass declination and noted that this would be returned to in Chapter 3. To me, this small piece of information about declination rates of changes was not necessary in Chapter 2 and was not easy to understand. There are only a couple examples of this book not moving as linearly as I expected, but this does not deter from the beautiful simplicity and straightforwardness of it.
Reading through this book seemed less like reading through a textbook and more like reading through a semi-professional magazine or an easy-to-follow manual. Set in second-person narration, the authors employed a rather informal tone with the reader. The best thing I can compare this book’s tone to is how laid-back professors engage with their students in the classroom. They provide useful knowledge but delivered in a casual way. They also sprinkle in words of encouragement and a sense of belief in you. Like, “No, it’s okay if you mess up and get lost. We all make mistakes. Just follow the contents of this book and use your judgment and you will be found, you can do it!” type of deal. Because of this straightforward, informal tone, I found that it was easy to get through this book since it was not approached in a serious or heavy way. The information presented was also fairly concise with a couple of exceptions.
Almost every piece of knowledge in The Essential Wilderness Navigator was necessary and condensed. Some chapters were more detailed than others (i.e., Chapter 3-Compasses). This was because the authors felt it necessary to describe how compasses work and included a one page section about how to create your own. While I believe it is important to have background information about tools you use, some of the details were irrelevant. The section about how to make your own compass was something I almost skipped reading. Another example of this would be in Chapter 6-Looking to Nature for Clues. Seidman and Cleveland discussed how tracking the sun’s movements can help someone orient themselves and find their directions. One of these subsections, the authors discussed how the reader could take “bearings from sunrise and sunset” (pg. 131). This method involves an external “sun chart” and many rather perplexing steps that require you to know your latitude and the sun’s amplitude. I think that if someone were completely lost with no other resources or people, using this method would be unrealistic. Although (slightly) interesting, this method was not necessary and only brought confusion.
Of course, a manual wouldn’t be a manual without interactive exercises and steps. In fact, the authors themselves describe their how-to material as “specialized techniques, presented in cookbook style” (pg. 11). This statement is accurate from my initial study of this book. The authors explore basic methods of navigation such as how to orient your map to your landscape, finding bearings with a compass, locating observed objects on a map, measuring distances in real life and on the map, and many more. For each of these techniques, Seidman and Cleveland include succinct numbered step-by-step instructions with illustrations. The simply drawn illustrations were a deliberate and necessary choice. It made visualizing the techniques much easier. For the Maps chapter, the authors included cropped pictures of real USGS grade maps (in color, too) as examples. I suppose it is a given for a book about navigation and paying attention to your surroundings to have pictures and visualizations, but it was still nice to experience.
The main concern with this book is that although skills such as developing a sense of direction or reading a map are timeless, learning about how to use 20th century technology is less useful. Given, this book was published in 1995 and revised in 2001 (2nd edition). The second to final chapter about Electronic Navigation is outdated and could not really be applied to today’s circumstances. Today’s GPS systems are built into cars, phones, and watches and less so as a standalone product. The authors discussed “E-Maps: Topos and Charts on CD-ROM” (pg. 151). If I were reviewing this piece in the early 2000s, I would not have this same criticism. But in this day and age, this chapter felt unnecessary and outdated.
When I think back to the goals that this book was attempting to accomplish (develop a sense of direction, read maps and compasses, plan routes over any terrain, and learn nature’s clues), I cannot see the authors’ efforts as anything but successful. No, I do not think after a light reading that I will be able to be tossed alone into the Everglades and expected to make my way out. However, as a complete beginner to navigation and someone who does get lost in Walmart parking lots, Seidman and Cleveland helped me at least develop a sense of direction and rudimentary knowledge of maps and compasses. I feel confident that I could find geographic (“true”) north in five attempts now. I also probably wouldn’t lose my car in large parking lots now. I would recommend The Essential Wilderness Navigator to anyone looking to hone their navigational and spatial skills, but especially to beginners. Seidman and Cleveland broke up complex and abstruse concepts into digestible pieces with interactive exercises for the reader to support their new knowledge. That is not to say that one or two or five readings of this guide would solidify the reader’s skills. Applying Seidman and Cleveland’s knowledge takes mental and physical effort and lots of practice. Luckily, they provided just enough mental tools for us to build our own skills.
May 20, 2018
Paired with basic illustrated map and compass. Smooths out the confusion in some sections.
September 26, 2021
Way more information than I need now, but a great resource to learn the basic and complex skills related to navigation.
Read
December 19, 20231st edition 1995 - obviously a bit outdated with GPS technology.
Use the book in some local forest preserves with a compass and some trail maps.
Reading the book at home is okay, but its value is applying it in the field.
Once you get comfortable with the techniques there would be no need to take it into the wild.
Use the book in some local forest preserves with a compass and some trail maps.
Reading the book at home is okay, but its value is applying it in the field.
Once you get comfortable with the techniques there would be no need to take it into the wild.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews