By the term orientation we mean the ability to work out your own position within a territory. Orientation is that ability, and those techniques, that let you recognise your position within an unknown territory or, more literally, find the orient, the east. Why the orient? Probably the reference is to the orient because that's where the sun rises, and so it's also the first certain point to refer to in order to find the cardinal points: North, South, West, East.
While on the one hand walking may seem an utterly undemanding activity, on the other knowing your own position isn't always so intuitive, and the inexperienced hiker can get lost extremely easily even in apparently ordinary places such as a wood.
Rules of conduct for not getting lost
To avoid getting lost, everyone is advised to follow a few simple rules
1) Plan your route before setting off.
2) As a precaution, always tell someone (relatives or friends) where we're heading and which route we intend to follow.
3) Always carry the map of the area you want to explore.
4) Never forget your compass, without which the map can become unusable.
5) Stop periodically to check the map and confirm your position.
6) Learn to observe carefully and with curiosity all the signs of nature, identifying and memorising the most easily recognisable ones.
7) Periodically look at the path behind us too, so as to be able to recognise it when we walk it on the way back.
8) When you don't know an area it's good practice always to return by the way you came on the outward leg (unless it's a loop).
A first way to find your bearings is to learn to recognise the territory you're moving through, since the landscape doesn't always give us clear landmarks or distinctive signs.
The hiker can refer to “guiding lines” in the terrain such as, for example, the line where a wood ends, the fence of a cultivated field, an old abandoned mule track. These signs can give us an idea of the route to follow; they're features that are easy to recognise and remember.
At the same time they form a sort of limit that forces us to stop and take stock of the route we're following: a stream or a rock face, a sheer drop or again the edge of a wood we can consider as “stopping lines” on our way.
Similarly we could pick out more unusual or peculiar features, such as an erratic boulder in a wood or at the bottom of a valley, a pool of water or a small lake, an old tree trunk, the ruins of an abandoned stazzo (shepherds' stone enclosure), the ancient boundary stones, which can be very clear distinctive signs to refer to in order to find our path again.
The experienced hiker, on the other hand, is able to recognise the “contour lines of the terrain”, that is those imaginary lines that run along the flanks of the high ground keeping the same altitude. Contour lines can help us move along a ridge or identify the gullies, valleys and little valleys of an area.
The key to success in becoming experienced hikers is undoubtedly to commit to observing the terrain, so as to learn to recognise not only objects but also landforms such as ridges, escarpments, the curves of ridgelines, hollows, boulder fields, pinnacles and towers, rock faces and pillars, caves and fractures in the rock.
To do this you need to stop more often to observe and also, why not, to enjoy the view.
Here, then, is proof of how a lack of interest in nature and inattention can become a matter of personal safety when crossing unknown territory.
However, a far safer way to determine your own position is to use map and compass, tools that should never be missing for a hiker of any level.