Rogaine 101: How to use a compass.

This is a three-part blog series all about Rogaining. In the first part, we went over what a Rogaine is and everything around Rogaine Maps. In this second part, we'll talk about compasses and navigation and in part three we'll talk about route choice, calculating distance and getting lost. 

Now that we have a handle on what we're looking at when we get a rogaine map, let's talk about how we can use a compass to navigate the course. Take into account here, that some people won't need to take a compass on a Rogaine, especially if they have prior knowledge of a location or are navigation wizards! For unfamiliar locations or if you're new to this whole rogaine thing, a compass is a handy tool to help you navigate around the checkpoints. 

Here is what you're looking at when you see a compass: 

Base Plate with Scale Measure: This is the hard, flat surface of the compass that the dial sits on and is placed on the palm of your hand when using a compass. There is also a ruler or 'scale measure' etched to either side of this compass to help measure distances on your map.

Compass Housing a Degree Dial: The housing is the main part of the compass that houses the magnetic needle. It is a plastic container filled with liquid that the needle floats in and has a degree dial around the edge. This has degrees 0 to 360 etched on the outer edges to tell you what direction you're heading in, using degrees. 

The Direction of Travel Arrow: This arrow is located on the front of the base plate. It points to the way you will be travelling after a bearing is set. Orienteering Arrow - This arrow is located on the floor of the compass housing beneath the magnetic needle. It rotates as the dial is turned. This arrow is used when we align a compass to a map. 

Magnetic Needle: A magnetized piece of metal floating in the compass housing. The red end of the arrow points north and the white end points south - unless there is a magnetic disturbance of some kind. This will point to 'Magnetic North,' not 'True North,' and we will get to what that means soon! 

Orienting Lines: A series of parallel lines located on the floor of the compass housing and degree dial. These lines move when the degree dial is turned and are used when aligning a compass to a map. 

Different compasses may vary in looks, but they should be similar to this list. You can also get 'Thumb Compasses' which have a little elastic that you put over your thumb and you can see the map through it. This makes it faster for sports like rogaining and orienteering when you have to find your direction (or take a bearing). They are very paired down in what they have on the compass, so might not be a good starting point or could be an epic trial by navigation and compass reading fire! 

As I mentioned before, you may already know where you're going, or you can easily figure out where you are in relation to north by looking at the features of your map, but if you don't or if you can't or if you want to be 100% accurate, that's our first point of call. We'll do this by orienting our map at the start of the rogaine. 

Now I could write this down step-by-step, but here is a very brief, to-the-point video about how to orient your map using your compass - orienting your map means that you are aligning your map to the terrain around you using your compass to tell you which way north is so the map north and compass north match-up:

So now our map is pointing the right way, which means we're pointing the right way, but how do we figure out how to get to our first checkpoint (it might not be north!) and go from checkpoint to checkpoint?

It's called taking a bearing. 

Here is another video, and if you ignore how corny it is, there is some great, to-the-point info in there: 

This will probably take you a while the first time, or the first few times, but once you get the hang of it, it will be second nature. 

Something mentioned above and, in those videos, is Magnetic North and Declination, terms that you should be aware of if you're getting into the world of map reading and compasses, not to mention the difference between magnetic and true north. 

True North: This is where north actually is, geographically speaking. This never changes because it's a fixed point. 

Magnetic North: This is where your compass needle will point saying north is, this is in alignment with the earth's magnetic field. This doesn't stay the same and changes based on what the earth's magnetic core is doing (mental, huh!?)

Magnetic Declination: This is the angle between true north and magnetic north (at Further Faster our Magnetic Declination is +24° 36' East). If it's to the east of north, it's positive and to the west it's negative (ours is in a positive Declination)

NOTE: You probably won't have to worry about Magnetic Declination at all (see below!)

Magnetic Declination changes from year to year and is different around the world. Some maps already account for magnetic declination (and usually say on them, the Canterbury Rogaine Series maps account for this), but if they don't and you don't know the angle you need to adjust your compass (we always want north to point at 'true north,' not 'magnetic north.'), there is a great calculator here at NOAA: NCEI Geomagnetic Calculators.

And that's 2/3 blogs done! 

If you missed part one check it out here:

And keep your eyes peeled for the final blog, the nitty gritty of route choice and getting lost! 

All Images by Hayden McCoy @haydenmccoyphotography

Our top 5 things to know about your compass:

1. You should KNOW your compass. Spend some time figuring out what all the different parts are called and what they're used for. 
2. Know how to orient a map (aligning your map to the terrain around you), using your compass.
3. Know how to take a bearing (how to get from point a to point b), using your compass. 
4. Has magnetic declination been considered in the map you're using? And if not, do you know what the declination of where you are is? 
5. Practise, Practise, Practise! Get a map of your local park and see if you can navigate your way around, watch videos, go to rogaines with people you know, and just practise as much as you can!