This training will provide you the additional essential skills that you’ll need to confidently navigate outdoors.
If you already know the basics, then our Advanced Land Navigation course will provide you the rest of the essential skills that you’ll need to confidently use a map and compass. You’ll learn to better understand terrain features, calculate and track distances, develop a route plan, plot UTM coordinates, and apply search techniques to hone in on your objective. Even better, while this is a group class with several shared training components, you will spend most of the day moving solo between checkpoints according to your skill and comfort level — with a lot of personalized instruction — so that you can maximize your learning.
Andy, South Carolina
This course is designed to build on our Basic Land Navigation. Many clients take our Basic and Advanced courses back-to-back in the same weekend so that they can walk away with a full understanding of the navigation essentials. Others complete the Basic, then practice for a few weeks or months, then come back for the Advanced. Either way, we want to offer you options to best suit your learning style, schedule, and travel needs so that you can explore with confidence.
Here is an overview of the program:
- Start / End Times: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Fee: $150 per person
- Location: Hartwood Acres County Park (roughly 15 miles north of Downtown Pittsburgh with easy access from the Pennsylvania Turnpike).
- Maximum Group Size: 6
- Minimum Group Size: The course requires a minimum of four persons to run this training. If we are unable to meet this size, True North will fully refund your payment with as much advance notice as possible.
- Minimum Age: Children 15-17 years old are welcome when accompanied by a parent or guardian. In our private courses, there is no set age requirement as it depends on the specific group’s needs and goals.
- Description of the Level of Physical Difficulty – Moderate: This course involves walking over varying distances at a steady pace over varying terrain that will include off-trail sections, rough spots, unexpected obstacles, and low to steep inclines and declines. This course is conducted in varying weather conditions, including hot, cold, humid, rain, wind, and snow, or a mixed combination. This course is best suited for those in good physical condition.
- Required Minimum Skill Level – Prior Land Navigation Training & Recent, Ongoing Practice: This course presumes that when you arrive for class that you possess such minimum skills as finding your location on a topographic map, setting an appropriate bearing between two points, then be able to dead-reckon to your objective. So, while your instructor will happily refresh certain skills in an effort to fine-tune your ability, this course is not intended to be a dedicated “refresher course.” So, if it’s been six (6) months or more since you last used a map and compass, or your navigation experience is limited to hiking on trails, we strongly encourage you to first register for our Basic Land Navigation course. If you wish to discuss if this course is the right one for you, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Check Out these Answers to Commonly Asked Questions:
What happens when I register? One of our instructors will personally follow up with you regarding your contact information, basic medical information (for safety purposes), and our waiver. Then we will send you a detailed course information sheet which will contain all of the applicable details, like required and recommended gear, exact gathering point, general driving directions. For an overview of the gear list now, check it out further down.
Can I register for your Basic Land Navigation and Advanced Land Navigation courses in the same weekend? Yes, many clients take these two courses back-to-back.
Do you run this course for private groups? Yes, just contact us for information and details.
Are bathroom facilities available? Bathroom facilities are available at this location.
What kind of gear do I need to bring? True North will provide all of the needed training supplies, including maps and compasses.
Course equipment list – Click to enlarge.
But if you would like a better sense of what additional gear that you need to bring on the course, or optional gear to consider, then check out the equipment list that will be included with the course information sheet (just “click” on the image to enlarge) when you register.
However, since one of our course goals is to teach you about various gear, plus offer you a chance to “test drive” it before you buy it, if you don’t have an item, don’t necessarily feel compelled to buy it right away … especially if it’s expensive. Instead, contact us to see if we can loan you an item or make a recommendation for purchase.