Hands on bush navigation course. Students will learn how to use the universal transverse mercator grid system as well as the military grid system. They will also learn how to read and use grid coordinates to give their position on a map or locate a position given to them on a map. They will also learn all the details, colors, symbols etc. found on a map. Students will then be introduced to the use of a compass including how to set or correct for magnetic declination, how to set or create bearings and back bearings. How to use a map and compass in combination  to route plan and navigate to their destination. All students will navigate through a set of coordinates given to them to an "in Bush" destination using a map and compass while in the company of an instructor to experience navigation in the "real" to dispel myths, expose problems and present  solutions to bolster the overall confidence of the student. By the end of the day students from previous classes felt empowered and confident that they could navigate to destinations they previously would never have attempted as long as they had a map of the area and a compass .
Instructor: Mike Paquette - 13yrs as a search and rescue coordinator responsible for training police and civilian search and rescue personnel in land navigation . Also lifelong bush person who has personally used a map and compass to navigate to remote bush locations for 40+ years .