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fandomhigh2016-07-27 12:34 am
vdistinctive) wrote in fandomhigh2016-07-27 12:34 am
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Outdoorsmanship 101, Wednesday, period 1
Eliot rubbed the bridge of his nose when it came time for class to start. "So, we're going to be covering methods of navigation in the wilderness here in a minute, but first, it's come to my attention that I may have -- missed -- something important you all need to know about the woods." He'd done that thing where he'd assumed it was common knowledge and forgotten that his students came from all over time and space and also possibly didn't have a drop of sense in their entire skulls. "So y'all know that there are plants that can give you issues if you eat them. There's also them that'll give you issues just to touch 'em. Here's a list with some pictures for you. You don't want a horrible rash, you want to steer clear of any of these."
That taken care of, Eliot led the students on their usual hike into the woods.
"Now there's any number of ways to figure out where you're goin' when you're outdoors. Main thing to do is to pay attention to your surroundings. On Earth, at least, the sun goes up in the east and down in the west, so if you can see the sun and know about what time it is, you can at least nail down your cardinal directions." He paused and sighed, pointing around them as he spoke. "Which if you ain't clear on those, are north, south, east, and west. There's a whole thing you might hear about moss growin' on the north side of a tree. There's some truth to that, since moss likes shady spaces. In the northern hemisphere the north side tends to get less sun. In the southern hemisphere, you'll find it on the south side of trees. In real crowded forests, it'll grow all over, since the canopy'll keep the sun from shining most spots anyway, so it ain't the most reliable technique. On a clear night, far enough from civilization to make out more'n about five stars at a time, you can use the North Star, assumin' you've had practice identifying it, and you don't end up tryin' to follow a satellite or a plane. You get real stuck and think you might be going around in circles, then you want to aim yourself downhill. That's where you'll usually find yourself a creek or a river, or some other kind of flowin' water you can follow. Not only will it keep you from doublin' back on yourself, you follow it long enough you'll likely start to find some signs of civilization. Can get you right back out of a tough spot if you're patient and careful.
"'Course, best part about bein' sentient and havin' thumbs is, you get to use tools. You got a phone with any reception, and these days you can usually call yourself up a GPS map. That's 'global positioning satellite', and it's one of the great inventions of the modern age. Of course, even now you don't always got to get far out into the woods before you lose signal, so it's useful to learn the old analogs, too. That means you're gonna want to know how to use a compass." Eliot gave a basic demonstration of the compass and how it worked, including the degrees marks around the casing. "You can use this to figure out your cardinal directions, like I was talkin' about before, and you can use it with a map to figure out exactly where you are and where you want to go. So today you're all gonna grab yourselves one of these compasses and one of these orienteering maps, and you're gonna find yourself some landmarks out here in the preserve. When you've found 'em all and picked up one of the markers I've left by 'em, you're gonna make your way back to where we meet up for class every day. Get 'em all and make it back by the end of class, or I'll have to have my boyfriend turn on the trackers we got on each of ya, and then he'll get smug and I'll get grumpy. So hop to it."
That taken care of, Eliot led the students on their usual hike into the woods.
"Now there's any number of ways to figure out where you're goin' when you're outdoors. Main thing to do is to pay attention to your surroundings. On Earth, at least, the sun goes up in the east and down in the west, so if you can see the sun and know about what time it is, you can at least nail down your cardinal directions." He paused and sighed, pointing around them as he spoke. "Which if you ain't clear on those, are north, south, east, and west. There's a whole thing you might hear about moss growin' on the north side of a tree. There's some truth to that, since moss likes shady spaces. In the northern hemisphere the north side tends to get less sun. In the southern hemisphere, you'll find it on the south side of trees. In real crowded forests, it'll grow all over, since the canopy'll keep the sun from shining most spots anyway, so it ain't the most reliable technique. On a clear night, far enough from civilization to make out more'n about five stars at a time, you can use the North Star, assumin' you've had practice identifying it, and you don't end up tryin' to follow a satellite or a plane. You get real stuck and think you might be going around in circles, then you want to aim yourself downhill. That's where you'll usually find yourself a creek or a river, or some other kind of flowin' water you can follow. Not only will it keep you from doublin' back on yourself, you follow it long enough you'll likely start to find some signs of civilization. Can get you right back out of a tough spot if you're patient and careful.
"'Course, best part about bein' sentient and havin' thumbs is, you get to use tools. You got a phone with any reception, and these days you can usually call yourself up a GPS map. That's 'global positioning satellite', and it's one of the great inventions of the modern age. Of course, even now you don't always got to get far out into the woods before you lose signal, so it's useful to learn the old analogs, too. That means you're gonna want to know how to use a compass." Eliot gave a basic demonstration of the compass and how it worked, including the degrees marks around the casing. "You can use this to figure out your cardinal directions, like I was talkin' about before, and you can use it with a map to figure out exactly where you are and where you want to go. So today you're all gonna grab yourselves one of these compasses and one of these orienteering maps, and you're gonna find yourself some landmarks out here in the preserve. When you've found 'em all and picked up one of the markers I've left by 'em, you're gonna make your way back to where we meet up for class every day. Get 'em all and make it back by the end of class, or I'll have to have my boyfriend turn on the trackers we got on each of ya, and then he'll get smug and I'll get grumpy. So hop to it."
Re: Orienteering!