Which Way Are We Walking? Ibiza Edition
Which direction are we walking in the video below? Hint…There are clues in the sun, plants and water. Answer… Spoiler alert… The sun is mid-height,…
Tag: extreme
What Caused These Patterns in the Snow?
Study the photo above, taken in Finnish Lapland, and see if you can work out how these patterns in the snow formed. For the answer,…
What is a Stationary or Standing Wave?
A stationary or standing wave forms when water is pulled back against the flow by gravity. When water flows over an underwater ledge and then…
Texas Creosote Bush
My thanks to Dan Acosta for the following very interesting email and permission to share: Hi Tristan, I was in the Chihuahuan desert at Big…
Clouds on the Horizon
Cumulus clouds map a mountain ridge in Jordan. There are clouds on the horizon in more than one sense, sadly. We stopped by the road…
How to Use the UK Military’s Survival Compass to Tell the Time
A guest blog by John Hudson FRGS, the UK military’s Chief Survival Instructor. Direction finding in the military these days uses lots of technology, but…
The Temperature Rises Before Snow Arrives
The temperature often rises just before it snows, but why? When it is very cold in winter, we instinctively feel that snow is likely. It…
Little and Large Natural Navigation Clues
Sometimes natural navigation is more challenging than others. I’m often asked, “What is the most difficult place to navigate using nature?” I think people expect…
Ice Wall in Finland
I’ve just received another fascinating email from ‘Chris in Finland’: I took this photo a few days ago on Lake Näsijärvi, Tampere, Pirkanmaa, Finland. This…
Plants Change Near the Coast
The closer to the coast we get, the tougher it is for plants. Once you can smell the sea only maritime species thrive in the…
Animal Weather Signs in Montana
My thanks to Dean for this very interesting pair of emails from dry cow country, Montana, USA: Tristan, I’m getting to the last fifty pages…
Using Snow and Snow Shadows to Navigate
We can navigate using both snow and the absence of snow, zones known as ‘snow shadows’. There are two types of snow shadow, those caused…
“Gorse is out of bloom, when kissing’s out of fashion”
There was heavy snow in the early hours of Sunday morning. We didn’t need any more encouragement. The Gooley family set off for an explore…
Courses Update
My thanks to everyone who has joined the online course. The cornerstone of the course is the 12 ‘Chapters’ – twelve instructional videos: The Senses,…
A Lifeboat in the Desert
In these strange times, it felt appropriate to share some photos of a lifeboat I found abandoned in the desert outside a village in Sharjah,…
The sound of walking through a wood during a thunderstorm. That’s all.
Walking in a wood during a thunderstorm
How to Navigate Using Snow Strips
As is my habit at this time of year, I like to get out early after any overnight snow. The tracking opportunities are spoiling and…
Tuareg Jewellery Compass?
My thanks to Adele in Australia for this fascinating email. Hi Tristan,I just read your article on navigating the Sahara with Tuareg tribesmen – fascinating,…
Sounds during a temperature inversion
Normally, air gets cooler with altitude and this is what we expect to experience. We see snow at the tops of mountains, but none in…
Evolving Views
With bumps on the road, hopefully each year we grow more enlightened in our view of nature and our relationship with it. But there is…
The Snow Shadow Compass
There are two main types of snow compass: those formed by wind and those formed by sun. Here we will look at snow compasses created…