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Blue Ridge Mountain Rescue Group
FTM Training Schedule - Fall 1999

At Home Reading Material

 

   Why should I read this?

  •       This is all useful information

  •       Much of it will be on the FTM test you will take around Christmas!

 

   Grid Systems

  •       Virginia is at about 40 degrees north and 80 degrees west

  •       One minute of longitude is around one mile, one second is about 100 feet

  •       Lines of latitude are called parallels; lines of longitude are meridians.

  •       A grid system known as LORAN is very similar to  lat/long, except seconds are not used.  Instead, they are expressed  as decimal minutes.  For example 10o 10’ 30” becomes 10o 10.5’

 

   Contours

  •       With practice, you can look at a topo map and visualize the lay of the land.  The skill is very much an art, and it takes time and practice to develop. For most people, this is not intuitive.  Don’t despair if it’s hard.  Ask for help!

  •       Imagine putting a science fair model volcano in a bathtub.  Fill the tub with 1” of water and trace the waterline onto the volcano with a pen.  Add another inch of water and trace again, repeating until the volcano is completely submerged.  The volcano is now covered with a series of lines that, when viewed from above, consitute a topographical map!

 

   Compass Pointers

  •       Correct declination is very important.  If you followed an unadjusted bearing in Charlottesville you would be 160 m off course after 1 km.  If you adjusted the wrong way, the error would be doubled.

 

   Useful Web Pages & Books