Dividing the day sky into 12 imaginary sections of one hour each, using the most eastern point as 6am, noon as directly overhead, and the most western point as 6pm is likely to cause great dismay if you’re in the wilderness and hoping to get your shelter and fire set up before nightfall. Using the simple method below can mean the difference between getting cold, wet and hungry, or being warm, dry and possibly fed.
Determining How Much Time is Left Before Sunset
Besides being a neat trick to show friends this technique can determine your survival in the wilderness. One of the first things you need to get set up is your shelter; fire, food and water come next in most cases. Making a shelter from scratch, such as a debris hut, using natural materials takes more time than setting up most tents. Thus, it is essential that you be aware of how much sunlight is left so you have adequate time to get things done.
This method measures the amount of time before the sun disappears beyond the horizon. There may be some light in the sky after that point, dusk, that will still provide enough light to get a few easy things wrapped up before it’s too dark to see.
- Find the location of the sun, without looking directly at it (this could harm your eyes)
- Raise your arm up, with your palm facing you, stretch your arm out as far as you comfortably can with your ‘pinky-finger’ parallel to the ground.
- Start with your hand being positioned just underneath the horizon line, see my photo’s. Count each hand every time you flip your hand levels.
- Count the number of times you have to move your hand upwards before seeing that your hand is sitting just beneath the Sun. Each hand width (4 fingers lined up together) represents about one hour until the sun sets.
- When one full hand-width is too great, switch to using individual fingers. Each finger represents about 15 minutes.
Note: This technique is generally correct for latitudes where the bulk of the human population resides and if the sun is shining at least bright enough for you to see it glowing through clouds. If you go above 50 degrees latitude, closer to the North or South Poles, this method will not work due to the Sun appearing for longer periods of time on the horizon.
More articles on Outdoor Skills:
Ash Cakes / ‘Stick Bread’ Recipe
Talking a Wilderness Survival Class
Evelyn Vincent
Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner, Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.
"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller
Curt Siters
The old people came literally to love the soil and they sat or reclined on the ground with a feeling of being close to a mothering power. It was good for the skin to touch the earth and the old people liked to remove their moccasins and walk with bare feet on the sacred earth. Their tipis were built upon the earth and their altars were made of earth. The birds that flew in the air came to rest upon the earth and it was the final abiding place of all things that lived and grew. The soil was soothing, strengthening, cleansing and healing. That is why the old Indian still sits upon the earth instead of propping himself up away from its life-giving forces. For him, to sit or lie upon the ground is to be able to think more deeply and feel more keenly.
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