Navigation isn’t a lost art—it’s a life-saving skill. Whether you’re exploring remote backcountry or just trying to orient yourself on a trail, knowing how to read the land can make all the difference. And truthfully? It just feels good to know where you are.
Join us for a one-day navigation workshop designed to equip you with the essential skills needed for safe, confident adventures. You’ll leave with the know-how to join us on our more remote trips—or head off on your own with a map, compass, and solid plan.
Your Instructor: Captain Robert Buckingham (RETD)
Former Canadian Army Advanced Reconnaissance Instructor, Captain Buckingham brings deep expertise—and a refreshingly clear teaching style. A decorated Pathfinder and the Canadian Infantry School’s top navigation instructor, he’ll guide you every step of the way.
Who It’s For:
This course is for beginners and intermediate explorers alike. No military mindset required—just curiosity, a willingness to learn, and a love of getting outside.
Morning: Classroom & Cookies at MEC Queen Street
We’ll start with hot coffee, cookies, and a hands-on classroom session where you’ll learn:
Our friends at MEC are also offering a navigation prize pack to one lucky participant.
Afternoon: On-the-Ground Skills at the Toronto Islands
After a quick lunch, we’ll ferry to the Toronto Islands where the real fun begins. With only a map, compass, and your brain, you’ll work in teams to complete a real-world navigation challenge. Each team gets a unique course and a grid reference sheet to plot and follow. Fastest (and most accurate) team earns top bragging rights as Wilderness Union’s best navigators.
You’ll build and follow a route card, learn to trust your instincts, and develop the kind of confidence that only comes with practice.
08:50 - Meet at the rear entrance of MEC Toronto at 10 Bulwer Street. Message us on Discord if you have any trouble getting in - they're opening up specially for us!
09:00 -12:00 - Class based learning
12:00- 13:00 - Lunch and walk or TTC to the Islands
13:00 - 14:30 Exercise briefing and route card planning
14:30 - 1700: Navigation Exercise
17:00 -17:30 - Debrief and return to the mainland
This custom map is georeferenced, meaning it will show you where you are on the map in the right software and lays out the rough path that we’ll be following. It’s opened with the Avenza app which must be downloaded and installed in advance of the adventure.
You should also download the What3words app - this makes it easy to share and find locations in the unlikely event that you get lost.
Coffee and biscuits will be provided at MEC. Don't forget to also bring a packed lunch.
We'll be providing maps and compasses.
Long before it became Toronto, this land was a vital meeting place for Indigenous nations. The name “Toronto” comes from the Mohawk word tkaronto, meaning “where the trees stand in the water,” originally referring to a fishing weir near Lake Simcoe. The area has been home to many Indigenous peoples, including the Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and later the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, who continue to have deep ties to the land.
The Toronto Islands were originally a sand spit connected to the mainland and used seasonally by Indigenous peoples for fishing, hunting, and gathering medicines. Oral histories speak of gatherings, trade, and ceremonies held in the area, and the Islands were part of a larger network of Indigenous travel routes across the Great Lakes region.
In 1805, much of the land in what is now the Toronto area was ceded to the British Crown through the Toronto Purchase — a controversial agreement that was later contested and re-settled in 2010 when the Canadian government formally recognized the Mississaugas’ claim.
Today, Toronto sits on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and it continues to be home to a vibrant Indigenous community.
Navigation isn’t a lost art—it’s a life-saving skill. Whether you’re exploring remote backcountry or just trying to orient yourself on a trail, knowing how to read the land can make all the difference. And truthfully? It just feels good to know where you are.
Join us for a one-day navigation workshop designed to equip you with the essential skills needed for safe, confident adventures. You’ll leave with the know-how to join us on our more remote trips—or head off on your own with a map, compass, and solid plan.
Your Instructor: Captain Robert Buckingham (RETD)
Former Canadian Army Advanced Reconnaissance Instructor, Captain Buckingham brings deep expertise—and a refreshingly clear teaching style. A decorated Pathfinder and the Canadian Infantry School’s top navigation instructor, he’ll guide you every step of the way.
Who It’s For:
This course is for beginners and intermediate explorers alike. No military mindset required—just curiosity, a willingness to learn, and a love of getting outside.
Morning: Classroom & Cookies at MEC Queen Street
We’ll start with hot coffee, cookies, and a hands-on classroom session where you’ll learn:
Our friends at MEC are also offering a navigation prize pack to one lucky participant.
Afternoon: On-the-Ground Skills at the Toronto Islands
After a quick lunch, we’ll ferry to the Toronto Islands where the real fun begins. With only a map, compass, and your brain, you’ll work in teams to complete a real-world navigation challenge. Each team gets a unique course and a grid reference sheet to plot and follow. Fastest (and most accurate) team earns top bragging rights as Wilderness Union’s best navigators.
You’ll build and follow a route card, learn to trust your instincts, and develop the kind of confidence that only comes with practice.
08:50 - Meet at the rear entrance of MEC Toronto at 10 Bulwer Street. Message us on Discord if you have any trouble getting in - they're opening up specially for us!
09:00 -12:00 - Class based learning
12:00- 13:00 - Lunch and walk or TTC to the Islands
13:00 - 14:30 Exercise briefing and route card planning
14:30 - 1700: Navigation Exercise
17:00 -17:30 - Debrief and return to the mainland
This custom map is georeferenced, meaning it will show you where you are on the map in the right software and lays out the rough path that we’ll be following. It’s opened with the Avenza app which must be downloaded and installed in advance of the adventure.
You should also download the What3words app - this makes it easy to share and find locations in the unlikely event that you get lost.
Coffee and biscuits will be provided at MEC. Don't forget to also bring a packed lunch.
We'll be providing maps and compasses.
Long before it became Toronto, this land was a vital meeting place for Indigenous nations. The name “Toronto” comes from the Mohawk word tkaronto, meaning “where the trees stand in the water,” originally referring to a fishing weir near Lake Simcoe. The area has been home to many Indigenous peoples, including the Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and later the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, who continue to have deep ties to the land.
The Toronto Islands were originally a sand spit connected to the mainland and used seasonally by Indigenous peoples for fishing, hunting, and gathering medicines. Oral histories speak of gatherings, trade, and ceremonies held in the area, and the Islands were part of a larger network of Indigenous travel routes across the Great Lakes region.
In 1805, much of the land in what is now the Toronto area was ceded to the British Crown through the Toronto Purchase — a controversial agreement that was later contested and re-settled in 2010 when the Canadian government formally recognized the Mississaugas’ claim.
Today, Toronto sits on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and it continues to be home to a vibrant Indigenous community.
