Wilderness Navigation Course - Winter

Would you like to learn how to avoid getting lost? Are you planning to go off trail where good navigation skills are needed? If so then this in-depth navigation course is for you. It's offered multiple times a year between February and November, and it's available to Mountaineers members and non-members.

Recently renamed "Wilderness Navigation" instead of "Basic Navigation", this course is a graduation requirement for other Mountaineers courses including Basic Alpine Climbing, Alpine Scrambling, Backcountry Snowshoeing, and other courses. People who complete this course will receive a Navigation card valid for 3 years.

NOTE: This is not a beginners course.  The field trip includes about 6.4 miles of hiking along with 1,800' of elevation gain, on and off-trail. For those less interested in the rigors of back country and off trail navigation, two other courses may better suit you, the Introduction to Map and Compass offered by the Seattle Branch, and Staying Found, offered by the Foothills Branch. However, those other two courses don't meet the graduation requirements for Climbing, Scrambling, Snowshoeing, etc. This one does.

Sign Up Procedure:
Important note: To fully register and graduate from this course you need to sign up for these 3 separate components...
1) Register for this Basic Navigation Course and pay the course fee.
2) Sign up for an available workshop below. This is a 2.5 hour Workshop on a weekday evening at the Seattle Mountaineers Program Center. You'll be sitting at a table using your compass and maps to solve a complex series of navigation story problems.
3) Sign up for an available field trip below (need to attend after the Workshop). This is a full day Field Trip on a Saturday or Sunday in the mountains near Index, WA. You'll be off trail in the woods using your compass to taking bearings and follow bearings. Carpooling is strongly encouraged because we'll be parking on private land with very limited space, so please specify your carpool preferences when signing up (or edit them later). Then click the link in your Profile to view other students' carpool preferences so that you can organize your own carpooling arrangements.

Reading and Work Assignment (before attending the Workshop):
Prior to attending the Workshop you need to do two things,

1) Read chapters 1-5 of the Burns & Burns book Wilderness Navigation. Mountaineers members get an additional 20% discount when ordering it online from Mountaineers Books as well as purchasing it in person at the Mountaineers Bookstore located in the Seattle Mountaineers Program Center. Please support the Mountaineers by purchasing it directly from the Mountaineers.
2) Complete a homework assignment before the workshop using the required book, required compass and required maps.  This better prepares you for the evening workshop.  Bring this to the workshop and turn it in to the instructor at your table. 

If you still want more to read after reading "Wilderness Navigation", see chapter 5 on Navigation in "Freedom of the Hills."

Website:
For more info about this course and the type of compass and maps you need to purchase, please see the Required Equipment page or visit the Seattle Navigation Committee home page.