Compassing 101

Follow a Bearing

The vast majority of letterboxing clues that require a compass tell you to follow a compass degree, or bearing. Let's use an example. Pretend we're following a clue that tells us to stand at a certain sign, and from that sign to take 25 steps at 225 degrees.

The clue writer wants us to follow a bearing of 225 degrees. Pull out your compass now and follow along—you can still do this exercise even if the letterbox is imaginary!

To find 225 degrees, turn the dial on your compass until the degree you want, 225 in this case, matches up with the index pointer. Then hold the compass flat in your hand so the direction-of-travel arrow points directly away from you. Finally, turn your entire body until the north end of the needle rests squarely in the orienting arrow.

Congratulations! You are now facing 225 degrees. Try it a few more times to make sure you've got the hang of it. Take a bearing of 120 degrees. What direction is due north? Once you've mastered this skill, nearly every letterbox that uses compass degrees will now be within your reach!

Find a Bearing

To find a bearing, point the direction-of-travel arrow to a landmark and turn the housing until the needle lies over the orienting arrow, in this case 245°

Now that you can follow other people's directions, it's time to make your own! You've hidden the perfect letterbox, and now you need to write a clue to get people to it. Before you get carried away, keep in mind that not everyone knows how to use a compass, and even those that do frequently forget to bring it. So in many cases, a clue could be much better if it's written in such a way as to avoid compass directions. There are no hard or fast rules about when to use compass directions in a clue, but do consider the audience your box is intended for and whether compass directions are the best way to lead them to your box.

Let's use another example to practice with. Look around you and pick an object. We're going to figure out what the bearing is from you to that object. For purposes of this example, we'll pretend you chose a banana, but choose anything you want and replace the word 'banana' with whatever object you selected.

Stand up and face the banana in question. Hold the compass flat in your hand with the direction-of-travel arrow pointing out towards the banana. Now turn the housing until the north end of the needle rests squarely in the orienting arrow. Next, read the bearing from the index pointer.

You did it! That number is the bearing for your banana! Practice finding more bearings with other objects, near and far, and when you feel comfortable with finding your bearings, we'll move on to the next section: Triangulation.

A Letterboxing Community

Compassing 101

Follow a Bearing

Find a Bearing