While it is always best to have a compass when you are doing long distance hiking, they can break so it is always good to know another method of finding your directions so you wont be lost. You can always pretty easily tell east or west when the sun is low but the higher in the sky the sun gets, or the closer to the poles you move, the less reliable this method becomes. One good way to find north during midday can be done with some sticks. First you want to place a stick in the ground (the taller it is, the more accurate this will be) then mark the end of the shadow that is cast by the stick. Next you will want to wait 15 minutes for the shadow to move. Then place your left foot on your first mark and your right where the shadow moved to. After you do this you will be facing north and can easily figure out the other directions from there. Now when using this method for finding directions it is important to realize that it is not near as accurate as a compass and should mainly be used to give yourself general directions and not an exact degree heading. Also it is important to know that this method gives you true north and not magnetic north. So if you have been compensating one way or another to make up for the reading that magnetic north gave you, make sure that you realize that you no longer need adjust your bearings in order to find true north.
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