Steering Marks

Excerpts from Finding Directions without a Map or a Compass,
from the U.S. Armed Forces Survival Manual, Edited by John Boswell,
published by Rawson, Wade Publishers, Inc., New York, 1980.

A steering mark is any well-defined object on the ground in the direction of travel, toward which a navigator may steer. It is easier to follow these than to steer continuously by compass.

Steering Marks by Day - Naturally, steering marks are easier to find during daytime marches. Such objects as lone trees or buildings, timber corners, and shapes on the horizon are good examples. Even a cloud formation or wind direction may be used if checked periodically by any of the celestial direction-finding methods discussed.