Improving Navigation and water crossing skills

[bobby49]

For some people, using time to measure a mile is not practical. The other technique is to use ranger beads.

[Wandering Daisy]

Not sure what you mean by "ranger beads", but if it is a method of counting steps, it does not work on difficult off-trail travel, because steps are anything but even, unlike on a trail. OK for trails, but not off-trail.

I am not suggesting a rigorous calculation of a mile by time, but keeping track of time, and having an awareness of how much time it takes generally to go a mile, which of course will vary a lot depending on the difficulty of the off trail route. Tracking your time is important because when one gets lost, one gets a warped perception of time when every minute seems like five minutes. You swear you have been flailing around for an hour and swear you have gone miles, but it may be only 20 minutes! I am pretty sure I am not the only one who does this.

[AlmostThere]

Not sure what you mean by "ranger beads", but if it is a method of counting steps, it does not work on difficult off-trail travel, because steps are anything but even, unlike on a trail. OK for trails, but not off-trail.

I am not suggesting a rigorous calculation of a mile by time, but keeping track of time, and having an awareness of how much time it takes generally to go a mile, which of course will vary a lot depending on the difficulty of the off trail route. Tracking your time is important because when one gets lost, one gets a warped perception of time when every minute seems like five minutes. You swear you have been flailing around for an hour and swear you have gone miles, but it may be only 20 minutes! I am pretty sure I am not the only one who does this.

Time does change when you're in a situation. Like the car accident -- the adrenalin starts to go, and seconds pass but feel like minutes. Conversely time can also feel like everything takes too long, when you're panicked and trying to "fix it." That's why the best thing to do when you think you are lost is to sit down, take a break, have a snack, take a drink, and look at the map when you are calm.

Not that I've always done this but I have done it, from time to time, and once calm realized that I wasn't in dire straits after all.

And cross country with beads and step counting isn't really necessary. I agree with Daisy, it's more important to keep track of time. I usually allot double the time for the day's distance when off trail, just because I don't want to push myself when untangling a navigation challenge -- don't need to add that pressure to things.

[SSSdave]

Stream crossing skills are not likely something easily explained with text. Beyond the basics of understanding where in streams flows tend to be deepest and strongest and the well known strategies for crossing, its pretty much experience. One looks down into flowing water, checks how painfully cold it is, looks at the bottom features like deeper channels and slippery cobbles and recalls other stream crossings. Stream flows can be quite powerful and footing slippery. When one lifts up a foot to step along going across a stream, the force of water as one reduces leverage against the bottom is continually trying to lift one up and float one further downstream. At some point lifting a foot becomes scary as one fears that will happen as soon as a foot leaves its bracing point.

Another issue may be really cold stream temperatures. On a wide waist deep slower water crossing one may quickly realize it is much worse and debilitating than expected. 37F snow melt water is immensely more debilitating than the 57F cold Pacific shore water you waded in last week. Another reason besides getting clean to briefly jump in lakes or streams everyday regardless of cold water is as that will give one better familiarity of what cold water feels like and how one can cope at least for short periods. Most days our full body dunking take just 3 to 10 seconds as I bound out like a jack-in-the-box. Brief but makes a huge difference feeling clean in a sleeping bag.

[bobby49]

Not sure what you mean by "ranger beads", but if it is a method of counting steps, it does not work on difficult off-trail travel, because steps are anything but even, unlike on a trail. OK for trails, but not off-trail.

I am not suggesting a rigorous calculation of a mile by time, but keeping track of time, and having an awareness of how much time it takes generally to go a mile, which of course will vary a lot depending on the difficulty of the off trail route. Tracking your time is important because when one gets lost, one gets a warped perception of time when every minute seems like five minutes. You swear you have been flailing around for an hour and swear you have gone miles, but it may be only 20 minutes! I am pretty sure I am not the only one who does this.

Ranger beads are a common tool in the military, especially in the Infantry. Nobody said that steps have to be even.

During training, you build some mental calibration factors. For example, if you walk on a straight flat trail, it might take 2500 paces for one mile. But if you walk on a rough route, it might take 3500 paces for one mile. You build that little table into your head. Then when you are out in the field and you are crossing some terrain, your mind might guess "this is 3000 pace terrain" or else "this is 3500 pace terrain." Once this is practiced a lot, some accuracy develops.

[Wandering Daisy]

OMG! I am way too old to actually count and remember thousands of steps! LOL. Definitely a method for those with young memories.

[AlmostThere]

I know how long it takes to do stuff. You learn that by doing it. I count nothing - that's work.

[Love the Sierra]

Thanks so much, all of you, for the VERY valuable guidance. I do depend upon the GPS way too much because I don’t have the confidence. On the other hand, I have a good sense of direction and speed to miles. Where I don’t trust myself, is determining if what I think realities the map to the topography is really true.
Thanks to all of you so very much!

[Dave_Ayers]

No need to actually count steps. Digital pedometers can be had that weigh about an ounce. Wearing one while doing training and day hikes in various conditions gives one the info needed to make adjustments to terrain. Been doing this for many years and it works quite well for me -- much better than time alone.