2 November 2024, Epping
A day walk with a difference this November, with two hours of it in the dark. Not because we got lost, quite the reverse, but so we could learn/revise/practise night navigation. Master navigator David (Watkins) met the three of us - Kylie, Chris and Judith - at 2pm and put us through our paces in Epping Forest while it was still light. We practised, yes, pacing, as well as bearings (forward and back) and other navigational skills, enjoying the riot of autumnal colours around us when our eyes were not glued to a compass.
The fun started with nightfall. How do you walk on a bearing when it means blundering in the dark into an impenetrable thicket of brambles?* Fortunately our torches meant we could spot each other through the undergrowth when we had to split up to find the route. We ended the night with a remarkable demonstration of how well navigation techniques work in the dark; our task was to find a tiny pool (not much bigger than a large puddle) hidden among trees a fair distance away and, lo and behold, we succeeded.
Many thanks to David a very instructive evening - just hope we never have to use the night navigational skills he taught us!
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