How did you learn navigation/topo reading skills?

[East Side Hiker]

If you read Roper's book, its very interesting. Whether or not you know maps, you can get into trouble. In the old days, they didn't have maps, so every adventure was uncertain in respect to hopeful outcomes. Many trips failed in their objective. But you take time to attempt the goal. Back and forth, back and forth; over there, over the other way. Keep trying. Make sure you have enough food; or have any food at all.

Go north or south of a lake, east or west of a topographical feature... One can get into trouble or slide across an easy access. But one tries, and tries, and it may take a day to figure out how to get where one wants to go.

Thats why I advocate planning to add a few days onto a trip that is long term if you're going off trail or adventuring. Have fun. Wander. Check it all out. What more can you gain but to explore and look around. You might see a marmot; maybe an alpine columbinel; a sky pilot; some cool buckwheat. Be careful and safe. Rocks moving, go back. Meadow looming, go forth.

Going off trail (x-country) is the only way to travel in the Sierra. There's so much country. And thats why Muir called the Sierra the "gentil wilderness." Think about all the people who travelled the Sierra without maps for a 100 years before us without maps, trying to figure it out; and eventually mapping it out. They didn't concern them selves with maps. They were making the maps (well some of them - the sheepherders weren't).

Just do it and be safe. Read Roper. Think about rocks, ice fields, etc. Go slow and make time and try to achieve your goal safely.

I want to thank WD for the Roper advice. I never needed it in the past, but since she made me aware of it, its made my Sierra life much easier - cuz we get old... We get forgetfull.

[SSSdave]

An older thread here that explains some of what I do:

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To follow the route noted requires considerable topo skills. giantbrookie did a good job using it sometime later though I doubt many others could. My own topo map skills had a lot to do with a crosscountry habit I have of often continually viewing a map while leading routes. That is a certain way to improve ones map interpretation. I've noticed many carry maps and use them from time to time but for the most part leave them in their gear while hiking. Way way better to be using a topo while hiking. There are many experienced Sierra crosscountry hikers that can often efficiently roam across terrain without using a map. However in places, especially in glaciated areas, there are sometimes unpleasantly steep surprises beyond where one can see. Also evaluating the gradient of steep chutes visually from a distance is sometimes difficult. Many have foolishly blindly descended steeps only to find unseen higher gradient sections below they are not going to want to climb back out from. Novice Sierra peakbaggers are quick to learn that fault so as a group tend to pay attention to maps when they are tackling unknown routes. A topo can with more certainty show how steep something is.