I was up at Hartz Peak on Saturday. Visibility was lousy - between 5m and 50m most of the time. So before I headed off to try and make it to Mt Snowy, I thought I'd check the trusty compass to make sure I was heading in the right general direction, as I hadn't seen Snowy all day. I was pretty sure which way North was, I just wanted to be doubly sure before I headed off along the invisible (in the clouds) ridge line. So I pull the compass out, face what I'm sure is SE towards Snowy and look down. Only to find that the compass is telling me I'm facing NW rather than SE!
I give the compass a gentle tap and shake, and watch it settle down. Nope, still confused. By this time, given the poor visibility, and the fact that I'd been rained on for hours, this shook my confidence a bit. Could I have got turned around completely? Could the tack not match the map? had the track been rerouted? So I decide rather than try for Snowy, I'll retreat back down the track and see how I feel after a bit. As I walk down the track, the compass needle slowly swings around until, maybe 300m from the last little scramble to the summit, it's now pointing to where I was sure North lay. Back up the track - needle swings around. Hmm. Very suspicious.
Has anybody else experienced compass weirdness at Hartz Peak or anywhere else? On a clear day, it'd be just something to laugh at. If I was off track and in cloud, it'd be a bit unnerving. Maybe a GPS is a worthwhile investment after all.
Just thought I'd share that little experience.
Cheers,
Alliecat