Inside Out

March isn’t the ideal time of year to be jumping in the rivers of North Wales. With snow on the hills still and persistent light drizzle, the water temperature is 4-6°C and the air only fractionally above that.

However, Dave from Boulder Adventures called and said he had a new gorge to explore and would I like to tag along. Jumping, swimming, climbing and sliding, all mixed up with a little adventure, of course I would!

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• In a wet suit ready to go and jump in a gorge. #
• Another day, another river to jump in. #
• Well the river was cold but it was a lot of fun and good to refresh ww swimming skills #

• In a wet suit ready to go and jump in a gorge. #
• Another day, another river to jump in. #
• Well the river was cold but it was a lot of fun and good to refresh ww swimming skills #

• Free Will? http://bit.ly/dqybsf #
• The Totem offices have become something of a commune today, friends from 4 different companies 'remote working'. Good excuse to share ideas #

Teaching map work is never easy and compass bearings seem to be one of the hardest topics for learners to grasp. Given an OS map to work from, there is often too much detail and to many lines that confuse them when they are first taking grid bearings.

I have used a task called Mapland a few times with significant success. By removing much of the confusing information and including only what the learner needs to take their bearing, they can concentrate on getting the technique right before transferring that skill to proper topographical maps.

The PDF for the task is linked below. There are four questions on the sheet which learners can attempt. No mention is made of magnetic deviation (GMA) as this will vary depending on where the learners are, feel free to include it if you think it will be useful.

Also, no answers are given. If you are teaching this it shouldn’t take you more than 5 minutes to work them out!

Mapland Navigation Task [PDF]

It’s licensed under the Creative Commons system so feel free to share it around. Happy Navigation!

• Reading someone else's route cards is like wearing someone else's shoes, you can do it, but it feels 'wrong'. #
• Tonight's a good night to spot the International Space Station over England. Have a look upwards from about 6:40 p.m. #
• It's a funny time of year, still feels like I'm waiting for the year to start and yet I'm really busy. #
• Anyone else out there on Skype? Let me know your username. We are totempd, Sam is immasuk #

• Reading someone else's route cards is like wearing someone else's shoes, you can do it, but it feels 'wrong'. #
• Tonight's a good night to spot the International Space Station over England. Have a look upwards from about 6:40 p.m. #
• It's a funny time of year, still feels like I'm waiting for the year to start and yet I'm really busy. #
• Anyone else out there on Skype? Let me know your username. We are totempd, Sam is immasuk #

• Happy March everybody! Had a good couple of months? #
• The sun has real warmth in it today, great for some upcoming adventures… #
• RT: @sulkyblue: March is the new January #
• RT: @Adam_Baggs: When was the last time you looked up at the stars and invented your own constellations? Go on, free your imagination! #
• At the Blackett Observatory looking at the stars and a planet or two. #
• What song never fails to lift your spirits and makes you want to go and do stuff? For me http://bit.ly/bjp1Iy #
• The Little House of Coffee in Devizes is fast becoming my favourite place for meetings #

In 1965 Paul Petzolt, founder of the National Outdoor Leadership School in Wyoming used the phrase “Expedition Behaviour” for the first time.

For him it represented a series of principles which guide the decisions and behaviours of an expedition’s members in order to achieve the maximum across the team with the minimum of stress. By 1974 he’d refined the idea enough to write 17 pages on it in his seminal “Wilderness Handbook” and it continues to be at the core of NOLS courses today.

Expedition Behaviour means being prepared, on time, organized, flexible and humble; seeing the humor in everything; exercising a tolerance for adversity, uncertainty and discomfort; and putting the needs of the group and others on the same level or above one’s own needs. Some people do it instinctively, others take a while but eventually, given the reality that wilderness places in front of us, almost everybody gets it.

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