Wilderness Navigation Skill Builder

Our skill builder classes designed to teach, in one evening (or day) of lecture and one day of field practice, some of the essential skills needed to take your climbing to the next level.  (If you’d like to assist in teaching any of these classes, call us at the Mazama Mountaineering Center and we’ll set you up.)

Mazamas Wilderness Navigation Skill Builder Application Form

Wilderness Navigation

• Are your navigation skills limited to finding your way back to your sleeping bag after a midnight nature call?
• Is your GPS more of a paperweight than a useful tool?
• Do the phrases “UTM coordinate system” and “compass declination” glaze your eyes and fog your brain?

The Wilderness Navigation skill builder class, sponsored by the Expedition committee, has you covered.  This class provides an overview of basic map and compass skills and will help you navigate in the wilderness with your GPS.

The course is taught three times a year in the spring, winter and autumn.  It includes two classroom lectures and a field session.  The first lecture covers basic map and compass navigation, with both lecture and hands-on exercises.  The second lecture introduces GPS navigation.  The field session is held at Hamilton Island in the Columbia River Gorge, and offers hands on practice using your map, compass and GPS.

If our classes are full and you want to learn these skills, we suggest a class at a local REI store.  They teach introductory GPS and map and compass classes on a regular basis.  See the REI website, find a local store and click store events for details.

Fall Session - 2011  NOTE:  FALL SESSION IS FULL, please apply for the winter 2012 class
Lecture 1: Tuesday November 8, 2011, 7:00 - 9:30 pm, Mazama Mountaineering Center (SE 43rd Ave and Stark, Portland)
Lecture 2: Thursday November 10, 2011, 7:00 - 9:00 pm, Mazama Mountaineering Center
Field session: Saturday November 12, 2011, 8:00 am to 3:00ish, Hamilton Island

Winter Session - 2012
Lecture 1: Tuesday Feb 14, 2012, 7:00 - 9:30 pm, Mazama Mountaineering Center (SE 43rd Ave and Stark, Portland)
Lecture 2: Thursday Feb 16, 2012, 7:00 - 9:00 pm, Mazama Mountaineering Center
Field session: Saturday Feb 18, 2012, 8:00 am to 3:00ish, Hamilton Island

Spring Session - 2012
Lecture 1: Tuesday, May 8, 2012, 7:00 - 9:30 pm, Mazama Mountaineering Center (SE 43rd Ave and Stark, Portland)
Lecture 2: Thursday, May 10, 2012, 7:00 - 9:00 pm, Mazama Mountaineering Center
Field session: Saturday, May 12, 2012, 8:00 am to 3:00ish, Hamilton Island

Cost: $50 members, $75 non-members

Registration: Fill out the Wilderness Nav. Skill Builder Application Form at the top of this page to reserve your spot.

Cancellation Policy:
60 days prior – Full refund minus 10%
30-60 days prior – Full refund minus 25%
Less than 30 days prior – No refund*
*If you cancel within 30 days of the event and we can fill your spot from the waiting list, we will refund the event fee minus 50%.  If no alternate is available and you cancel within 30 days of the event, the event fee is non-refundable.

Lecture details
Lectures start promptly.

A word on compasses:  A compass is needed for the lecture and field session.  We highly recommend a compass that has adjustable declination.  Locally, REI sells three compasses that have this and other desirable features. Click here to see why we like these three compasses, and see some that are not suitable for the class.

The first lecture (2.5 hours) on map and compass skills will cover:

• Discuss the “Tools of the Trade” (map, compass, altimeter, GPS)
• Understand map scale, symbols, contours, and the UTM coordinate system
• Hands on practice!  We’ll learn to read contours, measure distance with the scale bar, take bearings, follow bearings, plot a field bearing on a map, and find the bearing between two map points
• Learn how not to get lost, and what to do if you are
• Route planning at home - Tips and resources
• Some fun ways to practice navigation

The second lecture (2 hours) on GPS use will cover:

• Theory of operation
• History
• GPS setup (datum, coordinate systems and maps)
• Signal acquisition
• Get a reading (coordinates, altitude, compass)
• Storing data (waypoints, tracks)
• Retrieving data on unit
• Downloading and uploading via a PC
• Creating data from other sources for GPS

Field session details
The field session will take place at Hamilton Island near Bonneville Dam in the Columbia River Gorge.  Typically we will arrange a carpool to this location.  Here is a Google map link from Cascade Locks to Hamilton Island.
Directions to Hamilton island from Portland:  I-84 east to Cascade Locks, cross over Bridge of the Gods, turn left (west ) on WA Hwy 14.  Go about 3.2 miles and turn left on Dam Access Road.  Go about 1.6 mile to the road’s end. 

Recommended reading and practice (hint hint)
Wilderness Navigation by Bob and Mike Burns, 2004, 2nd edition, The Mountaineers Books
Freedom of the Hills, Navigation chapter
If you want to improve your map and compass navigation for free, anytime, the Mazamas have a permanent training course on Mt. Tabor where you can practice.  See the Navigation Training page for complete details.

We’ve selected some YouTube videos that teach the basics of compass use.  Most are under 2 minutes long.  Students are strongly encouraged to review these before class.  Go here to see these videos

About the Instructors
The Map and Compass lecture will be taught by John Godino.  John, a Mazama climb leader, holds a Masters degree in Geography with an emphasis in Cartography.  He is also active in the sport of competitive Orienteering with the local Columbia River Orienteering Club.
Josh Lockerby will teach the GPS lecture and field session.  Josh, a longtime climb leader a self-described map geek, has owned a GPS from when they were first commercially available, and gets lost only occasionally.  Josh has created maps for many popular hiking and climbing routes/areas in the NW, available for free download here under Resources: Maps for Climbing and Hiking

Feel free to contact the Mazamas if you have any more questions about this class.