Tool of my Father


My family and I went out on an Orienteering Course this weekend. I have never done this before and not even sure that is what it is called. I will say it was fun and we all enjoyed it. We were at Pocahontas State Park. We had a map warm clothes, the wrong shoes for the soggy ground and my father's pocket transit.

The instructions said to orientate our map once we got to the starting point with a compass. So I pulled out the transit and much to my surprise east was on the left side and west was on the right. I had spent my whole life thinking I lived on the east cost of America, apparently I was wrong. Or I had no idea how to read this thing. Turned out to be the later.

Turns out transits are direct read devices unlike the compasses I had used all my life. I had always found this to be an interesting device with its dials, levels, sights and whatever all the other bits a pieces are. Now that I have looked up why they put the letters in the wrong place I am even more fascinated by it. I intend to figure out how all, or at least most, of its features work and shar it with my son.

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