Customer Reviews

Wilderness Navigation Handbook

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This richly illustrated book is a superlative reference on navigation. The writing and organization is precise, logical, and clear, with no fluff or clutter. There is an amazing amount of information in its 200 pages, including the use of a sextant in celestial navigation. Some authors would take twice as long to present this information and end up with a book only half as good.

Readers in search of a first look at navigation with map and compass may be overwhelmed by the detail the book offers, but the chapters need not be read sequentially or given equal attention. For example, you could read chapters 1 and 2 on maps and the compass, then skip or skim through chapters 3 through 5 on the altimeter, GPS, and celestial navigation, then read chapter 6 on natural navigation, skip or skim chapter 7 on emergency communication, then read the final two chapters 8 and 9 on practical navigation and scenarios. After that, you could pick up on the chapters you didn't study on your first pass through the book. The book is organized logically, but your practical need or natural curiosity may motivate you to read it out of sequence. You may even want to read it as a second or third book on navigation. It is the third book for me (see my earlier reviews). As my reading on this topic now stands, I'd suggest the short book Route Finding: Navigating with Map and Compass by Gregory Crouch, as an excellent first look at navigation, then from that overview proceed to this one by Fred Touche. They compliment one other in style and presentation very well.

If you have room to pack just one book on navigation concepts, WILDERNESS NAVIGATION HANDBOOK should be the item of choice: it covers all the basics of using maps, charts, natural and man- made navigational tools to navigate in all terrains, from desert and glacier to jungle and oceans. Chapters are organized by type of navigation system and discuss basic principles of navigation systems, contrasting pros and cons of each.

I'm enjoying this book very much. I don't go to the Arctic Circle or the Amazon but I do spend a lot of time in the woods here in the Midwest and I like the practical way the author describes land marks, vegetation and other things to look for. He's practical in his explanations even though, at times, he's talking about complex calculations. For people who do well learning with pictures/drawings, those are in here and very helpful. As long as there's fuel in your tank, you're not lost.