Ways to gain your direction without a compas

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I think he meant that while the GPS was giving the correct coordinates to the device, the device had incorrect maps programmed into it so it led them off course.

It happens a lot.. the gps has a map from 5 years ago and in the meantime the road was changed and the thing ends up giving you crazy directions.

And what happens if you can't see the sun or stars? There are times here where you can't get a reliable fix on either due to cloud cover that can last from days to weeks.

Then you are screwed.

ruveyn

Or like Daniel Boone once allegedly said, at least temporarily bewildered.

Cloud cover will not block the sun from creating a shadow for you to use the stick-shadow method. In that case you'd need to hunker down at night and move during the day.

I've taken a survival/outdoor sports class back in middle school and high school, and tried that. It doesn't work reliably on cloudy days. You can tell time like that well enough if you know how, but certainly not direction. I'd trust and outdated trail map more for accurate direction than a stick on a cloudy day (true story behind that one).

Umm... if you're lost with heavy cloud cover and trees all around you how would you know which way is north in order to follow the map correctly?

Obviously if you have a map you could compare some topographical features to give yourself a sense of location... but if you're lost that assumes that even with a map you cant make sense of your location/direction.

In a cloudy day the sun's rays still cast shadow in the right direction (except mid-day of course).
The only thing you need to know is if it is morning or afternoon to be able to tell direction from the shadow itself. Sun rises east and moves west so if the shadow during morning hours extends towards the west you will know where north is.

Well, sorry, but why is happiness more important than truth?

If your truly lost, you have two options, to stay put so someone has a chance of finding you, or try to find your way out. Obvious, if your lost, unless you know there is something in a specific direction, it isnt going to matter what direction you walk in, you just pick the most common sense direction and walk.
Obvious you dont want to keep walking in a circle, and if you actually want to survive, you DONT use most of the methods people have pointed to in this thread. I would never suggest someone use a stick and try to go by the shadow or to try to go by the sun or stars. Those things are just silly when you have a more powerful tool to use, your brain.

The most important thing to use is land features. Around here we have these things around here called mountains and streams. Mountain ranges and streams run in one direction, so if your in the mountains, and dont know what way to go, follow the mountain ridges for a better view, but if you come across a creek, you have a food source, so choose carefully what one you pick.
While your walking, look for land features to walk to, or ones that might work to your advantage, and always keep stopping and turning around to keep a eye on were your walking from.
Use any method you can find to mark were you have been, and make darn sure that the distance between markings are close enough to be findable. This way, if while walking you lose sight of the feature your walking to, or lose your sense of direction, you can backtrack some to get your bearings again.
Use common sense of were houses, roads, and food sources are going to be. Unless your lost at sea, following the stars at night isn't a very good idea!

Having flown small planes under visual flight rules, there are several other ways of finding your way without the compass, though they don't always work so well on the ground. One is the heading indicator, which is run by a gyroscope (although it should be lined up to the compass regularly) and another is VOR, which uses radio signals from a base station to tell where you are in relation to the station. Worst comes to worst, call Air Traffic Control and "Squawk" - they should be able to see you on radar.

The most low tech method, however, is to go higher and compare what you see on the map with what you see on the ground. You did remember to bring the map right? Alternatively, you can just make an emergency landing, activate the ELT and hope that they will find you.