The Navigation Expert Anonymous

I’m hiking in the woods with a friend and suddenly, he stops and asks me “which way is north?”

“That way,” I say as I point correctly towards north.

Very often, I can pinpoint my exact location on a map and have a sense of direction with limited knowledge. As long as I take a cursory glance at a map before a sojourn, I can probably tell the direction I’m heading. This special talent helps me a long way when I’m hiking with Boy Scouts; we have a tendency to go on the wrong path, so my insight is usually helpful to get back on track. I can’t describe how I got this special power, but I know that I lose my orientation when I’m underground.

My love for maps probably has something to do with this ability. I’ve been fascinated by maps since I was young, designing my own imaginary cities and planning family road trips. In my AP human geography class, I learned about the various technical aspects of maps, and how different maps try to convey separate information. Reading maps have become second nature to me, and I barely have to glance at it when hiking to know the way. But even though I might not use a map often, I still bring a map on hikes to be prepared.