Geospatially challenged, strong or average?

[Crankin]

Well, my spatial perception is awful. I used to think my geo-spatial skills were really good, until I started doing more things in the woods. On the road, I have an excellent sense of direction, with like almost a sixth sense about which way is the right way to go. I usually know which direction (N<S<E>W) I am heading whether in the car or on my bike. However, I am not much for exploring. I get very nervous if I don't have a cue sheet or planned route. I can remember a route or trail pretty well once I have done it, though. Pretty much, I make my husband take the GPS if we are doing anything in the woods. He can't remember any directions, so it really is a life saver for us.

[Wahine]

Well, my spatial perception is awful. I used to think my geo-spatial skills were really good, until I started doing more things in the woods. On the road, I have an excellent sense of direction, with like almost a sixth sense about which way is the right way to go. I usually know which direction (N<S<E>W) I am heading whether in the car or on my bike. However, I am not much for exploring. I get very nervous if I don't have a cue sheet or planned route. I can remember a route or trail pretty well once I have done it, though. Pretty much, I make my husband take the GPS if we are doing anything in the woods. He can't remember any directions, so it really is a life saver for us.

This brings up a different issue with navigation. Some people are survey navigators and others are landmark navigators. Survey navigators rely on distant landmarks to find their way and as long as they have visual clues to their direction, they can generally do vey well. Landmark navigators do better by remembering turns at specific landmarks. These people can tend to do better in scenarios where distant visual clues are not available but distinctive landmarks close the the path are.

I navigate like you and am a survey navigator. Stick me outside where I can pick up some distant landmarks and I do very well. Stick me in a building with a lot of different hallways and I'll get turned around and not know if I'm going N/E/S/W. Dense woods don't allow for sighting of distant landmarks.