You are wild, roam free.

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” John Burroughs

It’s when you use both compass and map the compass is really good, and you will be able to navigate safely and accurately in terrain you’ve never been before without following trails. But it’ll take some training and experience, though.

MAP READING. 

Road maps and other general use maps are often a jumble of color. They use map colors in a variety of ways…

• Blue – lakes, rivers, streams, oceans, reservoirs, highways, local borders
• Red – major highways, roads, urban areas, airports, special interest sites, military sites, place names, buildings, borders
• Yellow – built-up or urban areas
• Green – parks, golf courses, reservations, forest, orchards, highways
• Brown – deserts, historical sites, national parks, military reservations or bases, contour (elevation) lines
• Black – roads, railroads, highways, bridges, place names, buildings, borders
• Purple – highways, (also used on U.S.G.S. topographic maps to represent features added to the map since the original survey)

As you can see, different maps can use colors in a variety of ways. It is important to look at the map key or map legend for the map you are using to become familiar with the color scheme, lest you decide to turn right at an aqueduct.

bibliography: http://geography.about.com/od/studygeography/a/mapparts.htm