In the sweltering summer heat and during the school holiday, heading outdoors with a few friends for some physical activity is a favorite pastime for many young people. But while it may sound fun and easy, in reality, you might run into all kinds of problems. The simplest one: without familiar urban landmarks and lacking the help of a phone or compass, can you still figure out directions?
Online, there are plenty of tips and tricks. But do they really work? Today, let’s put them to the test and see which ones hold up.
Method 1: The Watch Method
It’s simple—just divide the current time on your watch by 2, find the corresponding position on the dial for that number, then point that number at the sun. The direction indicated by “12 o’clock” on the watch face will be north. The trick goes: “Halve the hour, face the sun, and twelve o’clock points north.”
Reporter’s experiment: When testing, the time was 14:45. According to the method, we divided it by 2 to get 7, then pointed the 7 o’clock position on the watch toward the sun, and observed where “12” was pointing.
Experiment result: The direction indicated by “12” had an approximate 30-degree deviation from the north indicated by a compass.
Notes:
(1) The watch should be held flat when determining direction.
(2) Avoid using this method around noon in regions between 20°30′ north and south latitude. Specifically, for every 15° east of the standard meridian, add 1 hour; for every 15° west, subtract 1 hour.
Method 2: The Stick and Shadow Method
As the saying goes, “stick up, shadow shows.” Place a straight stick (pole) vertically into the ground, and place a small stone at the tip of the shadow (point A). After about 10 minutes, when the shadow tip moves to point B, place another stone there. Draw a straight line connecting points A and B — this line indicates east-west, and the direction perpendicular to AB is north-south, with the side facing the sun being south and the opposite being north.
Reporter’s experiment: Find a patch of land with sparse vegetation, pick up a branch, and stick it vertically into the ground. Mark the top of the shadow with a stone as point A. After 10 to 60 minutes, mark the new shadow tip as point B. Connect A and B; AB indicates the east-west direction. Then draw a line perpendicular to AB to determine north and south.
Experiment result: There was only a very slight deviation compared to the compass.
Notes: The higher, thinner, and more perpendicular the stick is to the ground, and the longer the distance the shadow moves, the more accurate the direction measured will be. This is especially true around 12 noon.
Method 3: The Floating Needle Method
Rub a piece of wire or needle against your hair, place it on a leaf, and then set the leaf floating in water. When the leaf stops rotating, the pointing direction will be north-south.
Reporter’s experiment: The reporter filled a basin with water, first rubbed the wire against their hair, then placed the wire on a leaf and set it in the water. The leaf spun in the water.
Experiment result: After 1 minute, the leaf stopped moving, and the indicated direction nearly matched that of the compass.
Notes: Objects such as wire or needles, after repeated rubbing against hair, become slightly magnetic and are influenced by the Earth’s magnetic field, consistently pointing north-south. However, you can’t directly tell which is north or south. You’ll need to use the local terrain and tree density to further determine orientation.
Remember these, and you’ll get less lost in the wild
For many hikers, remote and unfamiliar outdoor environments are ideal destinations, but these are often the places with complex terrain and rapidly changing weather conditions, where it’s easy to lose direction and get into danger if you’re not careful. Here are some practical tips and methods for dealing with situations where orientation is unclear.
1. Whenever you leave a location during outdoor activities, you must inform a friend (or others) of your destination, and also agree on a method and time for keeping in contact. Before setting out, you must use a compass or similar tool to accurately determine and record the orientation of your starting point, so you can determine your location if you get lost. If you change your route along the way, promptly mark your path with objects to assist rescuers in identifying it. For example, you can use a stick with branches and leaves removed to indicate the route, carve arrows into tree trunks or rocks along the way to show direction, or gather several small stones to arrange arrow-like symbols at forks in the path.
2. Before going to unfamiliar areas, besides carrying small, bright flashlights and whistles for emergencies, it's best to bring a piece of red silk cloth. You can tear it into strips, write brief messages like your name and destination, and tie them to branches or rocks at turning points for others to find.
3. If you get lost in sparsely populated or rarely visited unfamiliar areas and cannot determine the correct path, never blindly try to find your own way out. Don’t let your “reckless revolutionary heroism” take over. Instead, stay put and wait for rescue. Keep a clear head, and use the terrain and any available materials to build a simple shelter (preferably in a sunny spot) to prepare for bad weather. Avoid strenuous activity during this process to prevent excessive sweating, guard against catching a cold, and conserve energy.
4. During the day, collect damp branches, leaves, and weeds to start a fire that produces a lot of smoke as a signal. At night, use a bright flashlight to flash in a regular pattern toward the sky and nearby mountaintops (or highly visible landmark objects like large rocks or lone trees), and intermittently knock on any objects you have that can make loud sounds to alert the outside world. You can also roll large rocks down the mountainside to create noise and movement to signal for help. At the same time, light a campfire to keep warm and to ward off mosquitoes and wild animals.
5. Search for water sources and ration the food you’ve brought. When necessary, collect wild plants you can identify, preferably cook them before eating, and don’t consume too much at once to avoid allergic reactions. Try to catch insects, fish, or hunt small animals for food (remaining meat can be smoked over pine branches — this method preserves it longer and prevents spoilage) to replenish energy. Given the extreme circumstances, when lives are at stake, forget about wildlife conservation.
VI. Ensure proper cold protection to avoid the risk of hypothermia. In the absence of warm clothing, you can gather and fold as many dense broadleaf tree branches and leaves as possible to cover as much of your body as you can (if you haven't brought a tent). Laying a layer of coniferous twigs over the broadleaf foliage will improve rain protection. Additionally, if conditions and the environment allow, dig a ground pit about the size of a sleeping bag in a sunny spot. It's best if you can lay some stone slabs (to help retain heat). Then place the collected branches, leaves, and weeds into the pit and burn them, afterwards clearing away the ashes. This pit can then be used for sleeping at night. Bringing an inexpensive emergency blanket (costing just a few dozen yuan) would be ideal.
VII. Acting rashly is the enemy of outdoor activities. Venturing alone in unfamiliar and remote outdoor environments without the group poses considerable risk—essentially suicidal behavior, which most people are well aware of. But if such a situation arises with you, could you handle it? Once you find yourself disoriented and unable to confirm your location, it’s crucial to stay calm, adjust your mindset, quickly observe and understand the terrain, landforms, vegetation, and other environmental conditions around you, and make the best use of these features to improve your chances of survival. Waiting for rescue is your wisest choice.