Coloradans be like “just look at the mountains smh”
East? I thought you said weast.
East is sunrise. West is sunset. The sun will also always be slightly south and even more so in the winter (unless you’re in the southern hemisphere then it’s slightly north).
If your local area has some kind of landmark like a big tower, or a big lake, learn where that is relative to you and use it as a reference point. For me, I live near a big lake and it’s always south of me. It might be easier for you to ask yourself “which way is the lake?” instead of “which way is south?” or whatever your landmark and direction happen to be.
Go west. Life is peaceful there. Go west. Lots of open air.
Worst case scenario, download a compass app for your phone, but watch out for scams that will require heavy network traffic
iPhone/appleWatch may have one already, but I don’t know about android
iOS has a built in compass app.
So does Android. This phone is old and it’s on the edge menu (Samsung).
I feel like while your phone has battery, there are easier ways to navigate than a compass.
No data, no map.
GPS can give your coordinates, but that’s pointless unless you walk a bit and translate the direction.
Compass uses most of its power for the screen.
Do you have a minute to talk about Openstreetmap? You can download the map before you head out, then navigate without data connection.
This requires foresight. Most people don’t plan on getting lost.
I just use the app for navigation so I always download the map for the area I travel to before I go.
I used to do the same when i was too poor to afford data on my phone or when i go through areas with poor service.
google also allows offline caching, but also needs to be set up ahead of time. AFAIK once you set a region to download, it will update that cache regularly.
I would expect this is a feature that most map apps would offer
Following the gps map- is great when you’re trying to get somewhere, but if the goal is walking, I usually want to leave the tech in my pocket. Compass is a nice compromise to help navigate while still taking a break from behind slave to the machine
Quick shoutout for Trail Sense for Android. Designed to function offline, lots of cool navigation/basic tools I haven’t used outside of the GPS and compass, reasonable permissions, etc. One of those “You don’t know how useful it is until you don’t have connectivity” things.
Excellent! I tried a couple trail apps for iPhone without any luck - they didn’t have local trails or cost too much for how occasionally I’d use it. Lately I have been doing short local hikes on well marked trails, so it’s not really a need
It’s easy, the sun rises in the… oh wait no it sets in the… erm… so what time is it?
Noon 😏
Just think of the beauty and the beast song. I’m not even joking thats how I do it
If it’s before noon: Go away from the sun.
If it’s after noon: Go toward the sun.
If it’s night… Wait for morning, and go away from the sun.
The moon would like a word
There’s no idiom for which way the moon rises and sets 🤷🏻♂️.
Well it tends to rise and set in the same direction as the sun because the earth spinning is what causes them to rise and set.
If it’s night and you can see both the Southern Cross and the Pointers it’s pretty trivial to determine south; if you’re in the northern hemisphere you get it even easier with Polaris to mark north.
Instructions unclear, I’m at the north pole
If you’re at the pole, just walk due south.
My initial thought when reading your comment was a response about differentiation of both hemispheres, but the way you wrote it was actually quite clever, so kudos for that! :D
*Advice not applicable if you are north or south of a given latitude.
stuck somewhere where the sun doesn’t set for like a month
Do… Do I wait?
Haha, yes there’s that extreme. However that effect is a gradient. You start to notice it north of the 60th parallel (Canada where the bulk of the population lives) but it’s only slight. In winter the sun is just slightly south of the middle of the sky.
Here in Campbell River BC we are at the 50th parallel, and on Saturday at Noon (we are out of DST now so we are talking true noon) the sun was to the direct south, 45 degrees to the horizon. It rises and sets… but to the SE, S and SW.
The brainrot is strong in that one.
What are you on about? Try making sense next time.
This is the best part about growing up in Colorado. The mountains are west. It’s like having a cheat mode compass enabled all the time.
Same but reversed in the SLC area, mountains mean East. Having lived on both sides, West is definitely better
Or… the sun is south at noon. Where is the sun at noon? That’s south.
You should probably mention which regions this advice is limited to, to avoid confusing people from outside those regions who see your advice and misapply it.
Lol this guy over here using the stars to navigate.
One time I called 911 because I was following a drunk driver that had collided with multiple vehicles and kept driving. The operator asked me what direction so I looked at my maps app and it said I was going west so I told them west and they said “Sir that street doesn’t run west.” I was speechless after that.
So you might’ve been going west, but not westbound. Roads curve often in the USA (i’m guessing you are from the USA because 911)
What, doesn’t everyone have a haptic compass belt?
No but I do have something haptic in the back.
That one’s for chess moves.
Should’ve just put one motor on each nipple and to direct you if north is left or right.
Looking North, West and East spell “we”.
Sorted.
Never Enter Stinky Washrooms
But you have to memorize if that’s CW or CCW. I’d forget.
It’s the saying i learned as a kid. I’d picture a compass and repeat the words.
Im think it was designed with a clock in mind. That’s why it starts with north at the 12:00 position and goes clockwise. I learned it as ‘Never Eat Soggy Waffles’ but I’m sure there are a bunch of these.
Just always walk twords the sun
Opposite to the east.
