First as a diamond prospector, then later as an aerial surveyor, I spent a lot of time in remote parts of the African bushveld, navigating via an old army compass. Over time I was able to rely on an instinctive sense of direction, knowing where North lay. This was of great comfort, for it easy to get lost without a compass in the monotonous terrain of the bushveld, even just a few undred yards out of sight of one’s own camp site.
When I crossed the equator and came to live in the USA, I struggled for almost ten years with a 180 degree sense of disorientation, believing north lay south, before I regained an instinctive sense of direction.
Since the human body is mostly fluid, I believe that my disorientation had to do with its internal responce the Earth’s rotational spin. I dare say that if I ever go back south, I will go through the whole re-orientation process again. Is there any study on this?
Perhaps some sensitivity to the Coriolis effect could explain your sense. One would have to estimate its magnitude when one is hiking north-south and then look into physiology to see if there are any mechanisms in the body sensitive enough to pick the force up. Presumably many other experienced explorers have shared this sense, if it is indeed physically based; have you met anyone who does?
Also, if you found upon crossing the equator that what felt like north to you was always in fact south, wouldn’t it be easy to mentally just reassign the labels? Why would you struggle for 10 years?
Easier said than done. I remember the very words of the old propsector who gave me instructions on compass navigation in the bush when I first arrived as an 18 year-old at Williamson Diamond Mines in Eadst Africa.
“Trust this with your life.” He took out two other compasses and made me see that all read North in the same direction.
I cannot tell you how many times I doubted that compass! My instincts would say this way - and the compass say another. You could walk for hundreds of miles in what was then called Tanganyika and never see a person. Panic kills you. Let me assure you; making a life or deasth decision that goes against your basic instincts and putting your trust in a machine is one hell of a psychological stretch. Only by remembering the earnest injunction of that old timer who repeatedly warned me against this very reaction and doing as directed, saved my life.
Loosing that inner compass while north of the equator also made me insecure in myself Using the analytical half of thre psyche to determine one’s position in the world, when the intuitive half denies the phsyical evidence will always engage an intense inner struggle.
Sure I walked in the opposite direction to what my instincts dictated. But it was never comfortable - even when I arrived at where I wanted to go. Until one walks with complete assurance, doubt always haunts, no matter how much science tries to re-assure.