(Direction of Travel)
So if you don’t have a compass, how do you figure out the direction of travel during the daytime? Here are 3 different methods for you to try:
Shadowless Stick Method: Place a stick on the ground and then move or adjust it until the shadow disappears; soon, it will reappear with the shadow running roughly East/West.
Shadow Stick Method: Place a stick in the ground and mark the tip of the shadow it casts with a small stick or stake in the ground. Then wait 10 minutes and repeat; after 30 minutes or longer, you’ll have a row of small sticks marking the East/West line (North/South is perpendicular to this line).
Watch Method:
- Take a fine stick and place it in the center of the watch hands (not a digital watch).
- Hold the watch level.
- Rotate the watch until the stick’s shadow is parallel with or falling over the hour hand, ½ way between the hour hand and 12 o’clock is North/South.
- (Digital watch version: Draw a basic watch pattern on paper, etc., and repeat the steps above based on the correct time).