LOST AND FOUND
THE RIGHT GEAR AND A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE CAN KEEP YOUR WILDERNESS TRAVEL ON COURSE
“IF YOU HAVE AT LEAST TWO IDENTIFIABLE LANDMARKS, YOU CAN USE YOUR MAP AND COMPASS TO TRIANGULATE YOUR POSITION.”
Away from civilization, you are just one mistake away from turning an enjoyable outing into a struggle for survival.
We tend to be more carefree during an outdoor adventure. We don’t always think of becoming lost and the bad things that can happen as a result. Add to that the fact that we’ve become dependent on having a little electronic voice tell us when to turn right or turn left.
Fun Times Can Take a Wrong Turn
If you’re not properly prepared for traveling off pavement, you can suddenly be caught off-guard and become lost. How does this happen? Multiple scenarios can lead you astray, including some of these possibilities.
You’re on a hike and have no intention of leaving the marked trail. But you’re distracted by the beautiful scenery. You step off the trail momentarily for that special photo to post online. Or maybe you sneak off discreetly for a bathroom break. Maybe downed trees from the last storm block your path and you’re forced to walk around them, or the trail ahead is overgrown and not well marked. In any case, you can’t nd your way back to the trail. First you feel silly. Then panic sets in.
Maybe you’ve misjudged the terrain and the time it takes to cover the distance. Or maybe you’ve twisted an ankle along the way, and it slowed you down. Either way, now you’re left in the dark and you can’t see the next trail marker. You follow what looks like it might be the trail, but it isn’t. Soon you nd that you’ve lost your way completely.
Maybe you’re tagging along on a hunt and are depending on a friend who’s supposed to know the area. You become separated unexpectedly or nd that your friend was over-con dent about his familiarity with the region. No roads or trails are in sight. You think you know the right direction, but after a short distance nothing looks familiar.
You’ve been hitting the dirt with an ATV or other off-road vehicle, enjoying the seemingly endless maze of trails. The vehicle breaks down and you suddenly realize that with all of the twists and turns, you’re not sure which direction leads out.
Whatever the situation may be, you’re happy to be in the outdoors, but not so happy to be stuck out there. With a little preparation and survival know-how, a traumatic situation can turn into a little mishap while out on an adventure.
Tips to Prepare Yourself for the Trip
1. BRING A COMPASS. Of course, bringing a compass does no good if you don’t know how to use it. Many who become lost end up wandering in circles. The rst skill you need is how to follow a compass bearing. If you know the road out is to the south, for instance, take a compass reading and pick an object—a particular rock or tree—that’s in line with the direction you need to go. Keep that object in
sight even if you have to walk around obstacles in the way. When you reach the object, take a new reading and follow it to the next object in sight that’s in line with that direction.
A small compass is fine for rough navigation, but you should also have one with a clear baseplate that can be used with topographic (topo) maps to plot precise courses. When used with a map, you need to know how to account for declination—the difference between magnetic north where your compass needle points and true north that’s indicated on the map. A good map will note the degree of declination and you can adjust your bearing the proper number of degrees accordingly. Also, a factor to consider, a compass still works when the batteries in your GPS unit or cell phone have died.
2. KNOW YOUR BOUNDARIES.
Naturally, a compass is more useful if you know which direction to take. Wilderness areas aren’t so scary when you know your boundaries. This allows you to navigate roughly by “thinking inside the box.” For instance, maybe you’re traveling north of the east-west dirt road you came in on, so that road is to your south.
You know there’s a river running roughly east and west to your north, a line of cliffs to your east and nothing for miles to the west until you come to a major highway. You know your boundaries and no matter how much you travel, as long as you don’t cross one of those boundaries, you’re in that box.
That east-west dirt road is your baseline. If you’ve headed mostly north on your way in, you would travel mostly south on your way out, obviously. However, you don’t want to come out to the dirt road and not know whether your car is parked miles to the east or west. You don’t want to walk needlessly in the wrong direction on the road. So, on your way back, instead of walking exactly south, you might head slightly southwest. So, when you hit the road, you can be confident your car is to the east along that road.
3. CARRY A MAP.
The trouble with merely following a compass bearing is that the best path is not necessarily Point A to Point B. A good topo map will indicate the terrain between you and your destination—the cliffs, swamps, rivers and other obstacles in your path. Using your map and compass together, you might be able to plot a course to avoid difficult terrain. The contour lines on a topo map will tell you not only the shape of the terrain, but the elevation: how steep up or down it’s going to be. To avoid the steepest terrain, use this adage: “Lines close together, another way’s better.”
Topo maps can be downloaded for free from the U.S. Geological Survey at Shop.USGS. gov, or they can send you printed maps for $15 each. MyTopo.com is an excellent source of custom-made maps either laminated or on water-resistant paper. It’s wise to carry maps in resealable plastic bags folded to show the area you are covering. This way you can view it without removing it