How the book “Survival Navigation for the Critical Thinker” came to be.

I have always had a curious mind and love to learn. About six years ago I became curious about land navigation. While reading a book on navigation, I ran across a way of finding direction called “the stick shadow method”. After reading the simple steps of that method, I questioned if it was accurate. I have observed the sun and its shadows since I was young. I knew the shadows were longer in the morning and evening, and shorter at mid-day. I also knew the sun rose north of east in the summer and south of east in the winter. So, I just wasn’t sure that the stick shadow method was a reliable way to find direction.

I have a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and know my way around Excel spreadsheet fairly well. So, I decided to either prove or disprove the accuracy and validity of the stick shadow method. After dozens if not hundreds of hours of creating the spreadsheet, I finally determined that the stick shadow method, as it is usually taught, can be extremely inaccurate. The inaccuracy depends on the time of year and the persons latitude. After studying my spreadsheet plot of Time vs. Shadow Length, I understood the correct way to do the stick shadow method to get accurate results every time.

I went on to learn how to determine one's latitude and longitude. I learned about how to determine direction using the moon and then about how to tell time with the moon. All the things I was learning, while keeping personal notes about navigation, and not once did I think about writing a book on the subject. However, everything changed when I read the news article about Gerry Largay who became lost and subsequently died while hiking the Appalachian Trail. It was then that I made the decision to convert my notes to a book. I feel like anyone that is an outdoors enthusiast needs to acquire the knowledge and understanding of navigation that I teach in my book. If Gerry had this knowledge, she would potentially still be alive today.