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4.1.3. Second hiking day
Right on time, Mike wakes up to a beeping sound, shuts down the alarm with a press
of a button, and checks the Baro mode. He is happy to notice that the barometric
pressure is on the rise, which augurs good weather.
Before setting off, Mike switches his Suunto X10 to the Alti mode so that he can use
the altimeter as a navigational aid, and of course that he can monitor how far it is to the
top
While waiting for his breakfast to be ready, he calibrates the compass to make sure it
works properly. He also sets the declination to the Auto setting so that he does not
need to look at the map too often.
Mike navigates using the Suunto X10 compass together with the uploaded routes, the
altimeter and the map. Just like with a regular compass, he checks from time to time
that the compass works properly. If the bearing indicator stops moving or the cardinal
points seem to be in weird directions, he calibrates the compass again.
Even though the weather conditions are excellent and there is not a cloud in the sky,
Mike is also prepared for a whiteout, which would reduce visibility drastically and
cause problems to the GPS signal reception. He has practiced taking his bearings
using a map and transferring them to his Suunto X10 on dozens of easier routes
where mistakes do not have as dramatic consequences.
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