Natural navigation is the science of orienting yourself by observing the position of the sun and stars and natural landmarks, such as a supposedly standard tree or an undiscerning puddle, and interpreting these to help you find your way. You can even, with the right knowledge, use the direction of the wind to navigate yourself.
In this series, we will be sharing knowledge of this ancient artform, and studying how various cultures have successfully utilized natural navigation throughout history. We will be sharing interesting facts, skills, and anecdotes to help you better understand how to find your way in the wild, without having to rely on technology.
Natural navigation is not only a potentially life-saving skill, it is also a great way to connect with your surroundings. Rediscovering our innate bond with the natural world is one of the cornerstones of survivalism.
Tropes for trekking
The word “trope”, meaning a recurring theme or motif, or a figurative or metaphorical expression, comes from the Greek “tropos”- meaning “turn”. This is why a “rhetorical trope” is a “turn of phrase”. It is also the reason that we have the Tropics.
As readers may or may not know, the tropics are more than just a sunny holiday destination. Countries that we refer to as “Tropical”, such as the Maldives, Fiji, Barbados, and Ecuador - to name but a few - are so called because they fall between the two Tropics: the northern Tropic of Cancer, and the southern Tropic of Capricorn.
Exactly in the middle of these two tropics runs the equator, 25,000 miles around the Earth. The Tropic of Cancer is 23.5 degrees north of the equator, and the Tropic of Capricorn is 23.5 degrees south. In mid-spring and mid-autumn, on the equinoxes, the sun passes directly over this imaginary line. The spring equinox falls on 20 March, and the autumn equinox on the 22 or 23 September each year.
Extending 23.5 degrees away from the North and South Poles, where the Earth’s axis rotation meets the land, are the Arctic and Antarctic circles. These two caps see prolonged periods of light and dark, including the midnight sun and polar night, around and during the summer and winter solstices. These solstices occur on the 20 June and the 21 December respectively.
Finding north
The reason why this information is so important is because understanding it will help you to use the position of the sun to find due north.
Each day, the sun rises eastwards and sets westwards. However, it only rises due east and sets due west either on the spring or autumn equinox or if you are somewhere along the equator. If you are in the northern hemisphere, the sun will be due south at midday. If you are in the southern hemisphere, it will be due north at midday.
To find due north at any time of the day, line up your watch's hour hand with the sun. Now find the halfway mark between the hour hand and 12 o'clock. This marks the north-south line (or the south-north line, if you’re in the southern hemisphere). True north is the opposite direction on this line to the direction of the sun.
Therefore, heading southwards is essentially heading towards the sun at midday, when it is at its highest point. The word “south” derives from the Proto-Indo-European word for “sun”. This can be seen even more obviously in other languages from the northern hemisphere; e.g. the Portuguese word for “south” is “sul”. This fact means that even without a watch, you can find the north-south line by simply observing the shadows cast throughout the day.
Conclusion
This is one of the most fundamental means of getting a sense of direction without having to rely on anything but your knowledge and your surroundings. As this series goes on, we will explore the many other navigation signs that nature provides. We hope you’ll join us on our journey.
Sources:
- Gooley, T. (2020). The Natural Navigator.
- Forsyth, M. (2011). The Etymologicon.
