On clear days with lots of reference points and a map it is fairly straight forward to wander around and then use the map to orient yourself as needed. If the reference points are few and or the weather suddenly limits the view it is important to know where you are. Lost is lost, and a compass and map will not find you. Know where you are before you loose reference points or targets.

Lets assume you have set up camp on a high alpine meadow, and before going to bed you were able to mark the site on a map. Next morning the cloud ceiling has dropped and you barely see the end of the tent. Somewhere in the mist is a pass that will lead you back down to the valley, but where? Ahh! the map; both the camp and pass are on the map. Lets see, set the back edge of the compass on the camp and the front edge to the center of the pass. Now align the orienting needle with the north/south grid lines on the map. The bearing is 219. Now its time to remember that formula from the great wilderness navigation course you took last year. Map bearing -Magnetic Declination = Compass Bearing. The map says that the magnetic declination is 20. So 219 - 20 = 199. Take down camp, set the compass at 199 degrees and confidently lead the group to the pass. Well done!

Now if you do get lost with a map and compass all is not lost. You can still find your way out with a little luck. First how lost are you? Did you see a reference point in the last few minutes, hours, or days? How far could you have traveled in this time? Estimate the distance that you may have traveled from the last reference point and mark this as a circle from that point on the map. It is reasonable to assume that you are somewhere in this circle. Read the contours within the circle and eliminate the places that you can’t be (glaciers, lakes, cliffs, etc.). Now look at the possible areas that you can be. Are there any large terrain features indicated on the map that you can travel to from all your possible locations ( such as large lakes, roads, well defined trails, railroad tracks, power lines, rivers, etc.). Choose the most reasonable terrain feature, take a general bearing with the compass and begin moving towards it.

Lets say you picked a river, sooner or later you will reach it. Now you know that you are somewhere along this river. Now look around to see if there are any reference points, if there are, you are no longer lost. If there are no other reference points, look at the map and look for stream confluences, large bends, cliff banks, any unique features along the river. Now decide whether it is better to go upstream or downstream to find a reference point. This may be a guess, but try to stack the odds in your favor as best you can. Eventually, you will find a second reference point and know where you are.

When hopelessly lost, stop stay where you are, secure shelter, stay warm, make your site as visible as possible for the searchers, and never admit to taking a navigation course.