Knowledge and a few simple tools — an orienting compass, a map, and a GPS unit — let you know your position at all times.

Someone is supposed to have asked Daniel Boone whether he’d ever been lost. The reply: “No, I ain’t ever been lost; but I’ve been awful confused, sometimes for days at a time.” Being “confused,” even for days at a time, was probably not particularly intimidating to one of the greatest frontiersmen of all time, but for most of us, the prospect of being lost chills the spine.

At first glance, you might think you’re free from worrying about getting lost while trail riding. You know the way or ride with someone who does. The trails are well-marked.

But consider this possibility: You tell your riding buddies you can’t ride with them, because you have an afternoon appointment. But they convince you to ride with them anyway; it’s an easy trail, they say, with a nice spot for lunch near a creek. After lunch, they explain, you can return to the trailhead on your fast-walking horse and get to your appointment in plenty of time.

So you join the group heading happily up a trail through the timber. And you make your first mistake: relying totally on others to guide you. You have no idea which direction you’re going— your second mistake. As you enjoy the camaraderie and the conversations, you lose touch with your surroundings. You fail to notice that another trail angles into the one you’re on — your third mistake.

After lunch, you say your goodbyes and mount up. The two miles back to the trailhead will be a lark, you figure. But halfway back, you encounter something strange — a fork in the trail. You don’t remember it, but there it is: “Two roads diverging in a yellow wood,” as Robert Frost wrote.

Both trails bear numerous horse tracks in both directions. No help there. You deliberate, ride a little way down one trail, then decide you’re wrong, and return to try the other one. Both forks run through dense stands of pine and aspen, and there are no visible landmarks.

Your horse seems equally eager for either route. You’ve been told that horses have an uncanny ability to find their way home, but not to count on that because they may not consider the trailhead to be “home.” You’ve heard, too, that a horse’s idea of the best way home may be to travel in a straight line over terrain you’d rather not ride.

Your stomach tightens. You consider riding back up the trail toward your friends, but you know you’d probably never catch them. At this point, you may not be lost, but you certainly fit Boone’s description of “confused.”

Being lost, even relatively close to civilization, is serious, and in some popular wilderness areas, it can become deadly. Know where you are at all times. To do so, start with the right mind-set; here’s how: 

Take responsibility. Don’t leave all responsibility for finding your way to your leader and/or other members of your riding group. Know your general direction of travel — north, south, east, west.

Learn landmarks. Learn the names of prominent landmarks in the area, such as rivers and mountain peaks. Ask yourself whether you could give instructions to a helicopter pilot on reaching your location.

Be aware. Look around you, and take notice of your surroundings. Look back over your shoulder frequently, and check landmarks, so that you have a mental picture of a return route over the same trail.

Now, here’s an overview of three navigational tools — topographical map, compass, and global positioning system (GPS) unit — to help you stay on track.

Topo Map & Compass
The basic tools of land navigation are the topographical map and compass. Used in concert, these two tools can take you virtually anywhere. Here’s a rundown of each one, as well as tips to stay oriented on the trail.

Topographical map. A topo map is a detailed “book” of the terrain. It tells you not only direction between points, but also the lay of the land, steepness of slopes, prominent landmarks, and degree of forestation. Trails and roads are also marked on maps, but note the date the map was made — roads and trails may’ve appeared (or disappeared) since then.

A topo map features contour lines, which connect all points of the same ele-vation above sea level, or the same depth below sea level. The map’s legend will tell you the contour interval, that is, how much elevation change exists between each adjacent contour line. A 40-foot contour interval means there’s 40 feet of elevation rise (or fall) between each contour line. If the lines are extremely close together, the terrain is steep; if they’re far apart, the terrain is gentle.

A plain circle indicates a hilltop. A circular contour line with slashes drawn through it indicates a basin or sunken area.

Even if timber is thin or nonexistent, you can’t necessarily ride straight from point A to point B off trail. A topo map’s contour features suggest whether passage is possible.

Top  is an oriented map. The compass housing is lined up with the grid lines on the map, and the map has been turned until the magnetic north arrow on the compass dial points in the same direction as magnetic north on the map legend. The north diagram on a map legend shows true north as a star, grid north with the letters GN, and magnetic north with a flag (or arrow). The difference between magnetic north and the other two is called declination.

Compass. Compasses point to the magnetic north, which is slightly different than either true north (a straight line to the North Pole) or grid north (represented by the vertical lines on your map). Don’t worry about the difference between true north and grid north; that difference is slight. Do, however, notice the difference (called declination) between true north and magnetic north, which can be substantial and which is shown by a diagram on the map legend. True north is represented by a star, grid north by the letters “GN,” and magnetic north by a flag or arrow.

The handiest compass type was made popular by Scandinavians, who started the sport of orienteering, which combines cross-country running with land navigation. (A mounted version of the sport is called Competitive Mounted Orienteering. For more information, contact the National Association of Competitive Mounted Orienteering .

The orienteering compass is made from lightweight transparent plastic designed to lie atop a map. This allows you to orient your map, or coordinate your map and compass. This is quite easy to do, and well worth the minute or two it’ll take you before departing the trailhead. 

First, get a few feet away from any mass of steel or iron. Compasses can be thrown off by vehicles, power lines, gun barrels, and even some wristwatches. Lay your map on the ground, then place your compass on top of it, near the diagram of the different versions of north.

The compass will likely have a north arrow on its housing (the stationary part), as well as lines drawn parallel to the north arrow. Line these up with the vertical (grid) lines on the map.

Allow the compass needle to settle down. Then turn the map until the compass needle on the rotating dial points in the same direction as the magnetic north arrow on the map’s legend. That’s all there is to it!

Now the map is lying in proper orientation with the earth on which it lies. Assuming you know your position on the map (e.g., Spring Creek Trailhead) you should be able to look east and find the landmarks that the map shows lying east of the trailhead.

On the trail. You’re now off to a good start. Every so often, pull out the map, and find your location. Note the creeks you’ve crossed and the landmarks you’ve passed. Suddenly, this new terrain is friendly and familiar. You look forward to reaching points you’ve noted on the map. The mystery is gone.

Also, hang the compass around your neck (most are as light as a necklace), and occasionally check the bearing (called an azimuth) you’re headed toward. Note that a compass is marked off in degrees. Zero and 360 are magnetic north; 90 is east; 180 is south; and 270 is west. Periodically glance at your compass to stay aware of the polar direction in which you’re traveling.

To help find your way home, calculate your reverse bearing — that is, your bearing going the opposite direction. To do so, subtract 180 from azimuths greater than that number, or add 180 to azimuths less than that number.

For instance, if you’ve been traveling on an azimuth of 200 degrees, subtract 180: Your reverse bearing is 20 degrees. If you’ve been traveling at an azimuth of 30 degrees, add 180: Your reverse bearing is 210.

Trust your compass. Humans will walk in a gradual circle if lost in heavy timber without a view of sun, sky, or landmarks (such as a creek). People with compasses who’ve become lost invariably confess that at a certain point they just didn’t believe the compass could be telling them the truth, so they refused to walk on the bearing it indicated.

NAVIGATIONAL RESOURCES Compasses Recommended brands: Silva; Suunto The Compass Store (770) 614-1233; www.thecompassstore.com REI (800) 426-4840; www.rei.com Sunnto www.suuntousa.com GPS Units Cabela’s (800) 237-4444; www.cabelas.com            Topographical maps MyTopo.com (877) 587-9004; (406) 446-1007 www.mytopo.com Note: This company will make up topo maps of any area, combining several to zero in on the area in which you plan to ride. You can create and order water-proof maps online.

GPS Unit

GPS units have revolutionized backcountry travel. Owning one doesn’t mean you should throw away your map and compass — quite the contrary — but one of these tiny units, no larger than a cell phone, can do amazing things.

Here’s how a GPS works: Satellites launched by the United States military rotate in fixed positions in relation to the earth. Your GPS unit picks up signals from these satellites and, by analyzing where these signals cross, determines your position.

When your unit locks on three satellite signals, its accuracy is good. When it finds more than three signals, its accuracy is uncanny. (Note: The military has removed the built-in error once imposed for security purposes.)

A GPS unit costing a little more than $100 can: 1) tell your exact location either in latitude/longitude or in the Universal Transverse Mercator grid, the coordinate system used on U.S. Geological Survey map;. 2) point to north (as long as you’re moving); 3) act as an odometer, telling distance traveled, speed, average speed, etc.; 4) point the direction to waypoints you’ve entered earlier; 5) show the route pattern you’ve traveled; 6) tell you time of day, the elevation, and the times of sunrise and sunset.

Spend a little more, and you can get a built-in magnetic compass, as well as map programs that allow you to view map segments on the unit’s screen. When you get home, you can interface a GPS with your computer to view your exact route of travel superimposed on a map. Or, you can enter waypoints in advance of your ride and let the GPS guide you to them.

A GPS unit is best used as a supplement to the map and compass, not as a replacement for them. A good topo map is still necessary to see the big picture and to enter the information your GPS gives you. And don’t discard your compass, because a GPS unit does have limitations. The biggest limitation is battery dependence, so always carry spares.

Also, your GPS unit must be able to have direct lines of sight to the necessary number of satellites to pinpoint your location. Obstructing this line of sight on trail might be a deep canyon, extremely heavy tree cover, or a blinding snowstorm.

These limitations noted, a GPS unit is a bonanza for the backcountry horse-person. Enter any trailhead as a waypoint before you mount up, then clear the odometer and put the unit in your shirt pocket. At a glance, you can tell how far you’ve traveled and at what average speed. Touch another button and an arrow appears, pointing back toward the trailhead. Should you come to an interesting landmark you haven’t noted on the map, enter it as a waypoint. At home, you can pull out the map and, using GPS coordinates, figure out just where the landmark was located.

The GPS' capabilities do come with a certain price in time and effort. Although the units are extremely user-friendly, some learning is involved. However, mastering yours will be no more difficult than learning a new word-processing or photo-editing program. You'll find it whets your appetite for this whole business of land navigation. You'll never be content again leaving knowledge of your position on the map to another.

Natural Features. Even without a compass, you're not helpless if you know some of the tools our pioneer forefathers used to find their way. More moss grows on the north sides of trees than on the south. The sun of course, comes up in the east and sets in the west. If you can see stars at night, you can readily spot the North Star by finding the Big Dipper. Look at the two stars that form the lip of the dipper. Those two point to Polaris, the North Star, which appears about five times as far from the lip as the distance between the two stars in the lip of the dipper.