February — Trip Planning & Navigation
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Theme of the Month — February
Trip Planning & Navigation
The quiet month. Build compass, map, and satellite-communicator skills before you need them.
REC Safe Navigation
Our R.E.C. Tenets, applied to every trip:
- R — Registered
file your plan with Scan Your Plan - E — Equipped
map, compass, backup nav - C — Committed
honor your turnaround time, no matter what
Top 10 Trip Planning & Navigation Safety Tips →
February Weekly Content Calendar
What to Bring
- Topographic map
- Compass
- GPS device or phone with offline maps
- Portable battery bank
- Satellite communicator or PLB
- Whistle
- Headlamp plus spare batteries
- Written trip plan, left with a contact
- Watch
- Multi-tool or knife
Related Terrain
- Backcountry — where navigation skills matter most
- Weather — checking forecasts before every trip
Related Activities
- How to use a compass
- Satellite Communicator program
- Hiking & Backcountry (September) — where these skills get used most
- Rock Hounding — mild desert temps and BLM-land navigation make this a good February pairing
Test Your Knowledge
What should you set on a compass to correct for the gap between magnetic north and true north?
Declination.
What annual citizen-science bird-counting event runs in mid-February?
The Great Backyard Bird Count.
What should you decide before a trip starts, and then honor no matter what?
A turnaround time.
Which terrain type is most closely tied to February's trip-planning theme?
Backcountry.
What's February's suggested alternate activity?
Birding.
Alternate Activity
Not into trip planning & navigation? Try Birding instead — winter waterfowl and raptors, plus the Great Backyard Bird Count in mid-February, pair naturally with map and optics skills.