Page 202 - The Lost Ways

Letting the Sun Guide You

The important thing to remember when using the sun for navigation is that it will always
rise in the general east and will set in the general west.

Throughout the day, the sun will make an arc to the south in the northern hemisphere
and to the north in the southern hemisphere, which will always be toward the equator.

Deriving direction from these general facts, we can then say that in the morning, the sun
will be in the general east; in the afternoon, it will always be in the general west.

If you determine that the sun is in the east, the north will be approximately a quarter turn
counterclockwise. If the sun is in the west, then north will be a quarter of a turn clockwise.
At around 12 noon, the sun will be due south in the northern hemisphere and due north
in the southern hemisphere.

There are a few notes to consider. Seasons can change the path of the sun. During the
summer, sunrise and sunset will be farther from the equator. In the winter, it will tend to
be closer to the equator. And finally, during spring and fall, the sun will rise and set in the
most accurate east and west.

Letting the Moon Guide You at Night

When you’re out during the night and the sun is nowhere to be seen, the moon can guide
you to a rough east–west direction. If the moon rises before the sun sets, the illuminated
side will be west. If the moon rises after midnight, the illuminated side will be east.

Moss and Other Vegetation

There’s something we can learn from our grandparents aside from using the heavenly
bodies. The old saying was that the moss grows on the north side of a tree, but this is only

partially accurate. Moss does grow on the north side of the tree, but it also grows on the
south and in every possible direction. To make our grandparents’ saying more accurate,
we should say that the equator is most likely on the same side of the tree where the moss
growth is more lush and vigorous.

Another way to determine direction using vegetation and moisture is by observing where
plants are damper. North-facing slopes receive less sun than south-facing slopes. The
plants will therefore be cooler and damper on the north side.

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