Sienna Fry – Backcountry Navigation

Sienna Fry – Backcountry Navigation

What You’ll Learn:

You’ll learn how to be self-sufficient in the backcountry, so you never get lost on an adventure. BACKPACKER and the Colorado Outward Bound School have developed this course to teach you: How to read a map and use your compass, how to triangulate your position, how to navigate in different types of terrain, and how to enhance trip planning and routefinding with digital devices like GPS units.v

Intro: Why People Get Lost

Section 1: Reading Maps

• Types of Maps
• Map Features
• Distance
• Contour lines
• Matching map to landscape
• Orienting a map
• Latitude/longitude and UTM

Section 2: Using a Compass

• Parts of a compass
• Taking a bearing on a map
• Taking a bearing on a landmark
• Triangulation
• Declination

Section 3: Route Planning

• Calculating distance and travel times
• Elevation gain/loss
• Group dynamics
• Identifying landmarks and bailouts
• Map revisions
• Special terrain challenges
• Real world examples

Section 4: Digital Devices

• Understanding GPS
• Choosing a unit/software
• Smartphone apps
• Marking waypoints
• Managing tracks
• Emergency devices
• Digital maps

Section 5: On- and Off-Trail Travel

• Staying found
• Identifying trail signs
• What to do if you lose the trail
• Using natural features as guides
• Navigating from landmark to landmark
• Navigating around obstacles
• Choosing the right terrain

Section 6: Special Navigation Challenges

• Low visibility
• Winter
• Desert

Section 7: Getting Unlost

• What to do if you’re lost
• Finding north
• Backtracking
• Helping rescuers

Backcountry Navigation

Even in today’s high-tech world, your smartphone will only get you so far. Learn how to never get lost via BACKPACKER’s Backcountry Navigation online course. In this 7-part course, you’ll learn how to use a map and compass, how to plan a route, how to use GPS and digital maps, and how to confidently travel into the wilderness knowing you have the tools to get back home safely. People can get lost anywhere, which is why navigation skills are critical whether you’re on or off trail.

How this Course Works?

We’ve designed this course to be taken at your own pace. You’ll be able to take (and retake) each section for as long as you want. Once you purchase the course, the lessons are yours forever.

YOUR INSTRUCTOR:

Sienna Fry was raised on the northern California coast and grew up hiking and backpacking in the redwood forest. She earned a B.A. in Physical and Environmental Geography with a certificate in GIS/Cartography (aka: maps) from California State University, Chico. “I love maps because of their ability to transport you to another time and place, whether you’re planning a new adventure or reliving an old one,” she says. During college, Sienna fell in love with rock climbing, skiing, and outdoor education and began working for the Colorado Outward Bound School as an intern. She’s continued to instruct for the Colorado Outward Bound School for seven years and now calls Denver home.

“My favorite thing about navigation is that it’s a skill you can never exactly perfect, but always seek to improve,” Sienna says. “Every experience brings new challenges, so there’s always more to learn. I’m also a big history nerd, and I love that navigation is one area where the classic, older methods are still reliable in today’s world.” When she’s not in Denver, Sienna’s exploring the high peaks of the Rocky Mountains or the slickrock canyons of southern Utah.