Knowing your direction and the time of day is always an important factor while in the outdoors. Without knowing the direction you are heading can keep you walking in circles or getting lost. Knowing the time will help you judge your task effectively throughout the day.
Finding North
You will need:
1. A stick about 3-4 feet in length.
2. Two rocks, sticks, or any object to mark shadow locations.
3. A level open area where a shadow can be seen from the stick without any obstructions.
step 1: place the stick into the ground so that it stands up straight and will not fall over.
step 2: place one of the stones, or any marking device at the end of the shadow produced by the stick. ( point A)
step 3: wait several minutes until the shadow moves a couple of inches from the first marking.(point B)
step 4: draw a line from point A and about two feet beyond point B.
step 5: stand with your left foot on point A and your right foot on point B.
In the northern hemisphere you will be facing north. From this position east is to your right, west is to your left and south is behind you.
Note: In the southern hemisphere you will be facing south.
step 6: look straight ahead and choose a navigation point( mountain, tree, building rock, etc..) then continue to that point and repeat process.
Telling Time
So how can you tell the time of day from this method? Easy!
step 1: from where you are standing draw a straight line from north to south intersecting the east and west line.
step 2: place the shadow stick in the intersection of the two lines.
That is it!
The clock produced by this method is not the standard 24 hour clock. It divides the day into 12 hours. The west point is 0600hrs (6:00am) and the east point is 1800hrs(6:00pm). The north/south line is the 1200hrs (12:00pm) noon line.
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