MAP & COMPASS 2-DAY WORKSHOP

Thursday eve’s practice will prepare you for Saturday’s off-trail adventure. Small groups will wander the woods, then use skills to return.

Do you like to get out and explore, but worry about your skills to find your way back? Join the Narragansett Chapter of the AMC and the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association for a two-part course to read and understand maps and use a compass correctly.

Class will be on Thursday April 30, 2026 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM at Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association Campus, Hope Valley, RI. For Thursday class, dress for the weather, part of the class will be held outdoors, as conditions permit. Topics include reading map symbols and contour lines, matching the terrain to the map, taking and using bearings, orienting map and compass, declination, determining your location and planning your route.

Field Practice will be on Saturday May 2, 9:00 AM - 3 PM at Arcadia Management Area in Exeter, RI. Information about Saturday’s field practice will be provided in the class notes. The morning session will allow participants to practice their new skills. After lunch they will plan and then execute a bushwhack route through the woods.

Instructors include experienced AMC Narragansett Chapter Northern Hikes Leaders. Participants should bring a base-plate style compass with an adjustable declination feature and plan to attend both dates.

Topics: Map symbols, reading & matching topography, orienting the map & compass, using bearings, basic route planning & route finding in the field. GPS navigation devices will not be covered.

We will cover these essential skills:

Reading a Topographic Map

Understanding contour lines

How a compass works

Measuring a field bearing to a landmark

Following a bearing in the field

Understanding declination

Orienting your map using a compass

Reading a bearing from your map

Plotting a bearing onto your map

Find your position using triangulation (time permitting)

Selecting a compass for your needs

Off trail travel using map and compass

About the Lead Instructor:

Ed Poyer has led hundreds of AMC hikes, including all 48 NH four thousand footers in winter. Ed has been an instructor for the AMC Mountain Leadership School since 1994, and was School Director for the 2010 through 2019 schools. Ed instructs for the ADK Winter Mountaineering School and is a Wilderness First Responder. He has section hiked the John Muir Trail and backpacked in the west. Ed was Narragansett chapter's Leadership Development Chair and was Northern Hikes sub-chair for over 25 years.

Register Prior to April 27th.

Cost: $35.19 fee, payable here on Eventbrite