Though you would guess that it should be the other way around, you will find that the vast majority of seasoned hikers use maps in order to navigate their way along trails and through wilderness areas while novice hikers believe that maps are not really necessary. The novice often believes that it is not necessary to go through the hard work of learning map reading and that he will be okay as long as he keeps to well worn trails. Sorry to say, that is a mistaken view. You can get yourself seriously lost even close to clearly marked trails and stepping a few yards from the trail into a heavily wooded area has confused more than one newcomer. Without the benefit of the stars, sun or recognizable geographical features it is very easy to get turned around and to end up walking even farther from the trail and getting yourself well and truly lost in next to no time.
Now in the example here a map alone would not necessarily help you out of the wood in question. However, you will usually run across another trail which joins the one you were on and a good map would help you to easily find your way back to your starting point. Okay, so where do you begin? Begin by getting hold of an up-to-date map that covers the area you intend to hike in and begin by studying it at home in a relaxed environment.
You will not of course be in a position to match the map to features on the ground, but it will certainly assist you in learning and understanding the symbols used on the map. All maps have a legend (which you will find differs slightly from one publisher to the next) and you want to familiarize yourself with the symbols. In addition, you will have to understand the scale of the map which will be clearly printed on it somewhere as something like 1 inch = 5 miles. Bear in mind though that distance is only part of the equation and that 1 inch which represents 1 mile on open ground is a very different thing from 1 inch which represents 1 mile over an area including a steep winding path up the side of a 2,500 foot cliff. To factor in the latter, you have to consider altitude which is marked on the map by a series of curved lines which, if 'stretched out', would form a circle.
The distance between two altitude lines around some natural feature such as a large hill indicates the altitude. Usually there will also be numbers printed beside the lines in order to help you. These are known as contour lines and the closer the lines are to each other the steeper the ground. Next, you have to study the longitude and latitude lines.
Longitude lines which show North and South run 'up and down' the map from the top to the bottom while latitude lines showing East and West run 'right and left'. In daylight you can make use of the sun and natural features on the ground to orient the map so that it is aligned with the ground that you are hiking over. Remember that the sun rises in the East and sets in the West so that early in the day facing the sun will have you heading in an Easterly direction. Similarly, late in the day facing the sun as it sets will have you hiking in a Westerly direction.
Once the sun has gone down you can use the stars and you can frequently see the sky quite well because the majority of wilderness areas are a long way from the glow of city lights. One of the great joys of hiking is to be able to hike out under the stars and familiarizing yourself with such star formations as Orion and the Big Dipper as well as the North Star.
One of the first things you will need as a novice hiker is a good pair of hiking boots and you could do a lot worse than a pair of Vasque or Asolo hiking boots
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