Map skills:
Map Skills
WARNING: These lessons are not a substitute for experience. Inexperienced hikers should always hike under the guidance of a trained or experienced hiker.
Outline of menu contents
- Which map should I buy? - What are the best maps for off-trail hiking in Hong Kong
- How do I read my map? - The legend and how to set map to ground
- How do I accurately record locations? - Four & six-figure UTM grid references on different scales of map.
- How do I work out distances and times? - Map scales, measuring routes & Naismith's rule
- How do I work out how high and steep the terrain is? - Contour lines, altitude and visualizing landscape features
- What are the effects of slope steepness? - Using scales and contour lines to predict the length and nature of slopes
If you are new to hiking, you should begin with learning how to use your map and compass. Complete the lessons in this section and do the exercises suggested.
If you are an experienced hiker but want to brush up on your skills, you might want to just jump to the exercises in each lesson to test your skills.
Since we're just getting started there are probably a few errors lurking about.
If you notice any, we'd appreciate it if you pointed them out to us. Thanks!
References & recommended reading for this section
- Mountaincraft and Leadership by Eric Langmuir 3rd Ed. Edinburgh: SportScotland 2000 pages 1 to 61
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