Every direction can be expressed as an angle with respect to north. In the military and the boy scouts, this is called an "azimuth", and bearings are expressed as a number of degrees. Orienteers take the easy way out, just setting the angle on their compass and keeping the needle aligned, which in turn keeps them going in the right direction. A simple set of step-by-step instructions for setting a bearing on a baseplate compass are:

• Place the compass on the map so that the direction of travel arrow is lined up with the way you want to go
  
• Turn the compass housing so that the arrows engraved in its plastic base are parallel to the north arrows drawn on the map (make sure the arrowhead points north and not south)
  
• take the compass off the map and hold it in front of you so that the direction of travel arrow points directly ahead of you
  
• rotate your body until the compass needle is aligned with the arrow on the base of the compass housing
  
• pick out a prominent object ahead of you along the direction of travel, go to it, and repeat the process (this way you can detour around obstructions but still stay on your bearing)

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