Seeing recent news articles and forum discussions about people getting lost in the backcountry while relying solely on GPS reminded that this subject needs to be covered here. The more recent incidents, taglined as “Death by GPS” involve a fatality and near fatalities. That is what we obviously need to avoid. Getting lost, even as a minor inconvenience, can disrupt your plans for the day as you spend time to find your way again. As a root cause of the more serious examples it appears there is not enough attention focused on where they were and where they were going. This blog will not address backcountry travel beyond finding your way. That is another whole subject that I’ll cover at a later date.
Fortunately I am one of those people that have a good sense of where I’m at, geographically. That is probably because I get real uncomfortable if I don’t know where I am. Being good with maps or geographically astute doesn’t hurt either. However, even more so with today’s technology, anyone can be a good navigator. Like anything else it simply has to be learned. As a small child I enjoyed being navigator while my dad drove on our many trips together. As a boy scout I learned to use a map and compass in the field. And many years of sailing and offshore navigation have only reinforced the basic tenants of good navigation. The recent development of GPS has been a great advantage, although it must be stressed to know the basics.
You should know how to read a map. If not just Google “map reading”. Get comfortable with your map reading skills to the point that you feel you can rely on those skills. Use a map even when you don’t really need one. Look at it while traveling familiar roads. Trust me you’ll learn something you didn’t know before. I’ve done this since my days traveling with my dad and it has developed my geographical knowledge.
First get prepared. You will want to build an inventory of navigation aids. Things like maps, compass, GPS and travel guides. Start with good maps. You’ll need several. The first and foremost rule of good navigation is to never rely on only one source of information. Why several maps? Well first of all, scale. You should have a single map that covers your entire route; this at least for planning purposes or unexpected detours. Detailed map(s) for the specific area you’ll be in. I’ve found two good maps of the same area can represent a different picture or be interpreted differently (i.e. one may show a road or trail, the other may not).
I’ve spent many years collecting maps and charts of all types. AAA has been known for years for their cartography. I’ve found their county maps to be very good. They are clear, easy to read and show most roads you could travel on as you get away from populated areas. The DeLorme state atlases are very good too. There are many excellent specialty maps like Tom Harrison’s or maps published for a particular recreation area or state or national park. The US Forest Service has maps for every national forest. I have many of these maps. Bureau of Land Management, BLM, has equivalent maps for other areas. These are also good to obtain. Of course USGS has topographical maps down to the 7.5 minute “quads” showing every detail be it spring, mine, creek, canyon, trail, road, outbuilding, whatever. These are generally used by hikers but I sometimes use them on 4 wheel drive trips if I’m looking for a particular geographic feature.
Travel guides are also good for information. There are several out there for backroads and 4WD trails, etc. They can give insight that may not be found on a map and could make your trip more enjoyable. It is worthwhile to state the importance of knowing the nature of the route you are going to travel. Is it paved, gravel, dirt, badly rutted or washboarded? Is it rated for high clearance 2WD vehicles? I’ve traveled some that are noted for “experienced 4WD drivers only”.
You will want to plan your trip. This does not mean you need to develop and follow a rigid itinerary. You can plan to just wander around. Just consider the entire range of your wandering. This will allow you to collect and study the maps, guides or trail reports for your trip. Always let someone back home know at least roughly were you plan to be and for how long. Call the local Ranger or authority ahead of time. They are more than happy to give you information on a particular road including up to date weather conditions. Some roads are closed in wet weather. One of the very few times I didn’t call ahead we arrived to find the entire area we planned on jeeping for the weekend was closed for restoration after a forest fire. Good planning simply helps to eliminate variables and makes the trip more enjoyable.
Somewhat off topic, calculate your fuel range and should that be an issue keep a mileage log and always know how far you can get with the fuel you have. I bring this up as in most of the longer trips I take in the Southwestern deserts require side trips for fuel (and I carry 2 jerry cans). In fact I always track my fuel consumption in my jeep. You could be very surprised to find that your mileage with aired-down tires, transfer case in low range in deep sand or rough low gear terrain is only a fraction of what you thought. I route plan so that I can gas up without every using that last jerry can of fuel. That is the reserve fuel for the unexpected detours because of washouts or whatever changes come your way.
I’ve found good up to date information on the internet (usual precautions apply) at several forums. In planning routes to places I’ve never been to Google maps in satellite mode or Google earth are good for seeing the terrain. Maps do not necessarily show every road or trail that aerial photography does. I have used this method to find primitive campsites were I’m planning to meet others that are arriving later. I just tell them I’ll be camping at such ‘n such coordinates.
Another navigation method involves time and distance. Sailors have used “dead reckoning” for hundreds of years. Simply put, if the dirt road between the highway and your destination is 20 miles and you’ve been averaging 15 miles per hour and driving for an hour are your there yet? No, you’ve got another five miles to go. Remember use as many different sources of information as you can. This can be over simplified but it is common to find there are many more “roads” than the map indicates. If they are not signed you could make a wrong turn. Use a small note pad to log your time and odometer at each point such as changing roads or a know point that is signed. I use a dry erase marker and log it on the inside of my windshield.
Most of these methods have worked for many people for a long time before the advent of GPS. Unfortunately some people without experience in backcountry travel depend upon a GPS as the sole source of information. This is simply asking for trouble once you’re off the beaten path.
Most of the places I camp and explore in are just a big blank on a typical GPS screen. That is why you need the other sources of information. The GPS screen may be blank but outside isn’t. So I just drove across a small bridge, there’s a mountain on the left and a bigger one on the right, just a little further ahead. I look at my map at where I think I should be. I see the map indicates there’s a bridge and some mountains to the left and bigger ones further to the right. I check the time and based on my average speed I am reasonably confident I know where I am. And I see a few miles further there is some definite landmark to further confirm my location. Life is good.
There are some GPS units designed with back country travel in mind. These have topographical maps that show physical features like streams, contour lines and dirt roads and trails. Most of these are small handheld units. Practice reading the degree coordinates (or UTM) off you GPS and finding that point on your map. In my jeep I use a Lowrance Baja540c. It has a larger than typical screen. When I bought it was the only one with off-road map software. It also allows me to open the map on my PC, customize it with waypoints and routes and such, save it to the memory card and load into the unit in the jeep. It also simplifies my logs as it does track distant, elapsed time and things like that. But I still keep my written logs.
So remember to use as many sources of information as you can get for comparison. Each additional source increases your degree of accuracy and reduces you degree of error. Learn your route ahead of time. Practice these methods even on your easy well signed trips. Eventually you’ll be able to do all this as second nature. Then you’ll be free to enjoy the outdoors with the peace of mind that you know where you are and know where you’re going, geographically that is.
