The first level of navigation is the seven 'tabs' across the top of each page.  These tabs bring you to one of the seven broad content areas that the site is divided into:

• Home
• Technique
• Gear
• Resources
• Routes
• Forums
• Shopping
   

For example, clicking on the 'Technique' tab will bring you to the 'Technique Section,' where you will be able to make further selections.

Each of the seven sections is further divided into 'sub-sections' that are accessed using the buttons directly below the tabs.  

In some cases, using one of these buttons will bring you directly to a content page.  At other times, you will arrive at a page that is further broken down into 'sub-sub-categories.'

Using our example above (the Technique section) you will see five buttons under the tabs - Planning, Problems, The Trip, Meals & Menus and Tips & Tricks.  Clicking on the 'Problems' button will bring you to the 'Problems' page.

If a further breakdown is required, you will access the individual pages using a menu along the left side of the page.

Once again, continuing our example, if you've clicked the 'Technique' page, and the 'Problems' button, you'll see a menu in the left column with items like Hypothermia, Wind & Waves, Thunderstorms, Damage to Canoes, etc.

Clicking on these items will bring you to the content page.

The navigation system is visible at all times, so if you want to go to a different area, it just takes a click or two.

The simplest way of remembering the system is to visualize it as a 'top-down' system.  It begins with the broadest divisions at the top of the page (the tabs) and you access specific information in more detail by 'drilling' your way down the page deeper into the navigation system

A second way or navigating and keeping track of where you are in the site is by using the 'Place Finder' directly below the page title.  It will look something like this:

Technique | Problems | Hypothermia

The 'Place Finder' keeps track of where you are on the site.  At a glance, you can not only nail down your position in the navigation system, buy you can also move around and backtrack your way up the page hierarchy.

In the example above, the user clicked on the 'Technique' tab and is in that section of the site.  They then clicked on the 'Problems' button to get to that section.  They chose 'Hypothermia' from the menu on the left side and are on that particular page.

If the user wants to 'backtrack' one step and go back to the 'Problems' page, he or she simply has to click on that link.  They could also backtrack two levels to the 'Technique' page by clicking on that link.