5 Minute blogs with tips on camping, the outdoors, and Scout Advancement.
1- Several years ago I was teaching Map & Compass to a group of adults and I stated that map distance was only accurate if the ground was perfectly flat. And therefore map distance was always less than ground or hiking distance. The question came from one of the students on “Well how far is … Read more
1- Here are 4 minor terrain features that will aid you in reading a topographic map. Draw, Re-entrant, Gully Spur Cliff, Bluff, Escarpment, Scarp or Scarp Face Mesa, Table or Tableland, Plateau, Butte 1.1 Draw is very similar to a valley, It has high ground on 3 sides and runs downhill on the 4th side. … Read more
1- There are four main topographic terrain features to be familiar with. Hill, Hilltop, Mountain top, Peak, Summit, Prominences, Knoll Ridge, Ridge Line, Ridge Top, Mountain Ridge Saddle, Defile Valley, Canyon, Gorge, Ravine, Gully 1.1 Hilltop has several names. It is where the land slopes downward in all directions from the immediate vicinity. 1.2 Ridge, … Read more
1- Map Scale seems to throw folks what the numbers mean and how to interpret the numbers. The scale is simply a ratio of the size of the map to the size of geography (in the case of a USGS Topographic Map). The scale on a 7.5-minute map is 1:24,000. That number means that 1 … Read more
1- If you rest and sleep well, that gives everyone a better outlook as well as feeling good. Your sleep system is the key. Camping Pillow: Brand new they run from 10 to 20$. Personally, I have spent many a good night with my jacket rolled up inside out at no $$$ out of pocket. … Read more
1- Camping for the first time? Let’s walk through some considerations together. A: Shelter, do you have a tent or are you staying at some other kind of shelter? What is your backup plan if the shelter is not available? B: Water, do you know how to treat or filter to make the water safe … Read more
1- “Declination” is a natural deviation that you/we have to correct for. So imagine that you have a perfectly round beach ball. Now sit on the “north” pole of the beach ball. The beach ball’s equator sticks out or bulges out of round. Add peaks and mountain ranges and valleys and ocean troughs and mid-ocean … Read more
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Aesop. Kindness: Friendly, generous, concern for others, affection, gentleness, care. Service: Act of helpful activity, help, aid. 1- To me “service” is “kindness” in action. Service and kindness are part of the Scout Oath and the Scout Law. I assert that being in service … Read more
1-This song is titled “The Happy Wanderer” by Florenz Friedrich Sigismund. First verse: I love to go a-wandering, Along the mountain track, And as I go, I love to sing, My knapsack on my back. 1B- Rudyard Kipling wrote the poem “The Way Through The Woods.” Here is the second verse. Yet, if you enter … Read more
Map Projections: 1- Think of projecting a picture on a wall. It does not matter what the original shape of the object was when the picture was taken. The picture on the wall is 2 dimensions. The projection is 2 dimensions. Our Earth is roughly a sphere. Any map in 2 dimensions distorts that 3 … Read more