Be Expert with Map and Compass: The Complete Orienteering Handbook

by Björn Kjellström and Mary Louise Kelly

Book Overview

"Required reading for the beginner in map and compass work, as well as for those interested in serious Orienteering. In simple, clear, concise terms the basics of map and compass work are described and illustrated." -- George T. Hamilton, Appalachia This new, enlarged edition of Be Expert with Map & Compass includes everything the beginner needs to know about the increasingly popular sport of Orienteering: understanding map symbols; traveling by map alone, by compass alone, or by map and compass together; finding bearings; sketching maps; and traveling in the wilderness. Other updated sections cover competitive Orienteering, how to join an Orienteering event or organize your own, and useful hints for competitive and wilderness Orienteering. In addition to the revisions throughout, the author has interspersed the text with reminiscences of his more than fifty years of experience with map and compass. Drawing crowds of 25,000 participants at international events, the sport of Orienteering is more popular than ever. The Orienteering world championships were held in the United States for the first time in 1993. For Orienteers and scouts, avid outdoorspeople, and anyone who wants to feel more comfortable in the wilderness, this updated guide is an indispensable reference.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0020292651
• ISBN13: 9780020292654
• Release Date: June 1994
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 242 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.6" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Thoughts from a beginner

I signed up to compete in an all day adventure race with orienteering being the main focus. I had never done orienteering before in my life and had no idea what was involved. Upon advice from other racers I purchased BEWMAC (as those in the "know" call it) and I read this book to my team-mate over the course of a 5 hour drive from Pittsburgh to Detroit. Literally this was my first exposure to orienteering. We were able to successfully navigate through an all day orienteering adventure race using this book. I thought it was easy to understand, came with a sample book and all of the skills were reinforced with simple quizzes at the end of each chapter. I have no doubt that there are more in debt studies, but from a beginners standpoint you can't go wrong. Just get it already.

How To Find Your Way, On Your Own Terms

I read this book preparatory to joining a local orienteering club, to refresh skills gleaned from the Army long ago. It is an excellent small text, simply presented, with a fine sample map for use with some examples and problems. While there are descriptions of orienteering competition, one good thing about this activity is that you can pursue it on your own terms (so long as you don't interfere with others) and be as competitive or un-competitive as you wish.

"THE ORIENTEERING BOOK"

I have several books on land navigation. And I consider this book to be "The Orienteering Book". It is written by one of the pioneers who developed the "Silva" compass, who is also a former world champion in orienteering. The basic techniques are well discussed and the advance techniques are well presented with a lot of exercises. I read the book from cover to cover and did not find anything that is useless and un-important. I will surely buy the next edition of this book if there would be one.

Very easy to use and understand orienteering book

Completely foreign to this subject I was searching for a book to use to teach our homeschool group about orienteering and map reading. The book has an excellent method of learning about mapping and using the compass with hands on projects for a group. The kids had a grand time with the classes and the parents learned a lot, too. Loved all the references that were included to order maps and supplies.

How do you use a compass?

A good guide on how to use a compass to navigate in the backcountry. It also goes into details of the sport of orienteering. Many practice examples, and orienteering exercises included. If you plan on using a GPS with a compass, and aren't interested in orienteering, get 'GPS Land Navigation; A Complete Guidebook for Backcountry Users of the NAVSTAR Satellite System,' it tells everything you need to know to use a compass, plus how to use it with a GPS.