Wilderness Navigation Workshop
Noblesville City Hall, Rm A 214 , Noblesville IN
April 17, 24, 28, 2018
(Field Rain Date April 29, 2018)
Trip Leaders: Steve Kinch and Bob Hart
Contact Email: ciwcinfo@gmail.com
Type of Trip: Professionally Presented Workshop and Field Event (Jeff Ward)
Cost: $60
Classroom Location: April 17th and 24th, 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm at Noblesville City Hall - Room A 214, 16 South 10th Street, Noblesville, IN. 46060
Field Day Location: April 28th - West side of Eagle Creek Park
Cancellation Date and full payment: March 2, 2018
Adults Only
Maximum number: 14
Minimum number: 10
Wilderness Level: 2
Difficulty: Technical Content for classroom work with easy to moderate hiking during the field portion.
This will be a comprehensive and professionally presented workshop on land navigation. Jeff Ward is a CIWC member and professional navigator. He is offering this 3-part course to CIWC leaders who wish to advance their navigation skills and increase their confidence in the back country. There are no prerequisites other than a strong desire to learn and to apply what you learn. But you must commit to the entire 3-part course. First priority for registration will be given to CIWC Trip Leaders (current and aspiring). If the maximum limit does fill by January 20, 2018 the registration will be open to other CIWC Members. A waitlist will be established.
This 3-part series begins with two 3-hour classroom sessions and concludes with an all-day field practicum in a forested area applying the theory and principles of land navigation. If the weather is dangerous or not conductive to learning on the field date, that portion will be postponed to April 29, 2018.
The first session of the course begins with the topographic map and its use with the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinate system. Following is the integration of directionality, using the compass, along with distance measurements. These elements thereby provide for determination of the Line of Position (LOP), the principle, fundamental to all position fixing. The second session incorporates use of celestial bodies to provide direction, to be used either independently or in conjunction with the compass. Lastly awareness navigation principles are provided to complement other navigation methods. In class and field exercises are used throughout to emphasis navigation concepts.
The field practicum consists of two parts: The first portion is from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (with an hour lunch break at 1:00 pm) and will cover the map and compass navigation, as well as sun navigation and awareness navigation. The last hour and a half of this section will test an individual’s ability to apply his/ her knowledge by navigating a wilderness course. Then we take an extended dinner break and resume the second portion of the field practicum after sunset that evening. The location of the field portion will be on the west side of Eagle Creek Park, on the west side of Indianapolis.
Materials provided will be: a USGS 7.5 Quad topo map, a Map Tools map reader, and a David Chandler Planisphere. The student needs to provide note taking materials and an inexpensive baseplate compass by such manufacturers as Silva, Suunto, or Brunton. Meals expense on the field day will be the participant’s responsibility.
