Those of us with kids are on the lookout these days for fun outdoor activities to keep them – and us! – occupied. Outdoor skills-building is a great way for adults to brush up on skills and for kids to learn them. Outward Bound hands us a tool for doing just that with the 4th edition of their Map and Compass Handbook by Glenn Randall.
MACH is a really well-written manual with eight chapters that painlessly walk you through the fundamentals: reading maps and using a compass first, then topics like declination, altimeter navigation, GPS and orienteering.
Throughout the text Randall draws on his plentiful experience with stories illustrating the points he's making. He fits a lot of instruction in a slim 100-page book, and his clear text and frequent use of simple, easy-to-understand illustrations makes absorbing the information a breeze.
Although we still wish that the 1981 classic "Don't get Lost: How to Travel in the Best Circles in a Square World" booklet was still available, MACH is a modern classic that will inspire adults and kids alike to learn an old technology with timeless relevance.