This Handy Scouts Camping Trick Is An Easy Way To Measure The Time Left Before Sunset

If you were ever in a scouting group growing up, you know that there are tons of helpful outdoor tricks that can get you through different survival situations. Some Scout techniques could save your life in a camping emergency — whether you're learning how to DIY a fire with Dollar Tree items or how to respond to a first aid emergency, it's all covered in the Scouting America curriculum. However, if you're a bit rusty or simply were never a Scout to begin with, there is one timekeeping trick anyone can learn that will certainly come in handy off-grid.

Say you're going camping and you want to see how much daylight is left in the day. Well, if you don't have Wi-Fi, it's not as simple as logging into your weather app of choice and checking. Luckily, humans have been keeping track of time for millennia, so there are several ways to determine the time of day without any help from technology. This leads us to one helpful scouting trick that allows you to see how much sunlight is left with nothing more than your hand: By holding your hand up to the sun, you can measure the remaining daylight with your fingers.

According to the guidelines provided by Scouting America, to use this trick, start by facing the sun. Don't look directly into the light, or you may risk damaging your eyesight. Extend your hand straight out in front of you, bending your wrist so that your palm is facing you and your fingers are positioned horizontally. If you are using your left hand, your fingers will point right, and if you are using your right hand, your fingers will be pointing left. Make sure your fingers stay straightened and touching each other, positioned in the same hand shape as a salute, but with your pinky parallel to the ground. Align the bottom edge of your pinky finger with the horizon.

Now, count how many fingers sit between the horizon and the sun's position in the sky. Each finger represents about 15 minutes, so four fingers would be an hour, while two would be 30 minutes, and so on. You can even stack your hands to see if there is more than one hour left before sunset, with eight fingers indicating that there are about two hours left. Keep in mind that this trick is an estimation, and not an exact measure of time. This trick can be hindered by inclement weather, so be sure the sky is clear for the most accurate results. Now you can enjoy National Park sunsets without worrying about how much time is left before nightfall. Happy camping, Scouts!