Lost and don’t have a compass?
No worries, just turn to nature. Nature has amazing natural ways to help you find your way. First thing to do when you go out anywhere is to tell someone where you are going so IF you get lost the search team will know where to begin. The second most important thing to remember is knowing what direction you have been traveling or are heading. This can be done through celestial navigation or astronavigation. Identifying true north is crucial and the North Star or Polaris will show you the way.
The key to locating the North Star is to find the Big Dipper, a constellation of stars known as Ursa Major (AKA the Great Bear) and the Little Dipper (Ursa Minor). Once you have found those two constellations, draw an imaginary line straight through the two stars of the dipper edge toward the Little Dipper. The line will point very close to the handle of the Little Dipper.The brightest star in the Little Dipper is at the end of its handle and This is the North Star!!!
Look to the Sky: Lost during the day? No problem! You can also find your way through the position of the sun. Remember this: the sun rises in the east and sets in the west! Look to the Trees Nature can also give you a few clues as to which direction you are heading.
Look at the trees, the ones with more lichen, moss and less full leaves enjoy less sunlight therefore North but beware…in a forest where little sunlight gets through the canopy the moss will grow anywhere!
Look to the Ants! Notice Ant nest mounds in relation to the position of the sun. They will always be facing South, the direction where there is the most exposure to sun because the position of the sun accelerates the incubation period for ants.
How to find the north star:
