Learning to travel off trail- where to start?

[Cross Country]

Start with Grouse Lake out of Kings Canyon

[Cross Country]

And Grouse is a beautiful place

[Asolthane]

one other thing - when you go off-trail for the first time, don't do it on a dayhike. If you get lost on a dayhike it may mean a night out without proper gear. If you get lost and you are carrying camping gear, you camp.

Actually my advice above to those without even basic skills was to start practicing off trail hiking while day hiking and NOT backpacking...For never evers that don't even understand basics, practicing off trail skills for the first time while backpacking a long way from civilization could get then into trouble.

I wonder if in a way you are saying the same thing. I thought SSSdave was referring to a dayhike on a layover day from basecamp. If you are hurt and lost and off trail, I am not sure it matters if you are 3 miles from the car or 30. When I am out solo, I am very careful about the daytrips I take on a layover day. If you are going to go an a dayhike off trail, whether it is from your car or from your basecamp, be sure you have adequate supply to survive through the night. This means carrying more clothing than I would like weight wise, and an emergency blanket.

[SSSdave]

...I wonder if in a way you are saying the same thing. I thought SSSdave was referring to a dayhike on a layover day from basecamp...

Nope. At the end of my post, going from the highway 120 parking lot in Tuolumne Meadows, up Pothole Dome, and from there over to the river while practicing some basic skills.

David

[AlmostThere]

I say start with a class -- because hiking with anyone who wants to go has taught me that not everyone GETS IT when it comes to just figuring it out.

I started wandering around before I started using a map. BUT, I also know there are people who can sit down on a rock in the trail, get up, and walk the wrong direction without figuring it out until someone tells them (or they're back at the parking lot). Some people just can't DO without help. Since I don't know who those are on a forum on the internet, I'll stick with recommending some skills acquisition in the formal manner. It takes more than just DOING sometimes and the map/compass can make a safety net.

[Shawn]

Hey AT, your message about "not everyone gets it" resonates with me. Some years ago a buddy of mine wanted to go to Sawtooth Peak (Mineral King). I had been up there a few times already and really don't think of it as off trail so much. Anyway, we ascended to to the top of the ridge but topped out at hikers left of Sawtooth Pass and took a break before heading up to the peak.

My buddy took out a map and a compass, not realizing that the pass was about 50 yards away and of course the peak is in plain view. After looking at his map for a while, he turned to me and ask "are we lost !"? I was a bit bewildered by his question, because he is a smart and well educated guy. Anyway, I responded by pointing down the valley and said "dude, we can see the car from here". Ha.

So I can understand how some would be more adept at XC travel as compared to others.

Sawtooth34.JPG

[zwoij]

What got me into cross country travel was going with a friend. Than I got hooked. Enough to plan my own trips. And make my own mistakes.

[sekihiker]

Pick an area close to timberline, that has plenty of easily recognized landmarks, and has relatively gentle topography. I think the ideal place to learn is the Red Mountain Basin out of the Maxson Trailhead just east of Courtright Dam and Reservoir.

For a preview of the area, visit: http://www.sierrahiker.com/RedMountainBasin/index.html

One of my daughters had difficulty finding her way around (she could get lost driving across town) but she did well in picking routes in this basin.

[paul]

I would add a little something to my earlier post - I think a person ought to be reasonably experienced in all the other aspects of wilderness travel - staying warm, dry, and generally safe in the mountains, handling the weather and conditions - before heading off the trail. You don't want to be learning how to handle the weather at the same time as you are learning to navigate. And go in August, not October.

[Cross Country]

What zwoij did I did.