Trail finding
From Trail-Finder -- Dedicated to getting you outside
Contents |
Overview
Maybe you're lost. Maybe you can't find the trail that you know intersects with your trail right around here. Maybe the trail just sorta vanished right in front of you. It's certainly not something you'd want to let ruin your day's hiking. Whatever the case, there are some tricks you can use to help find your trail.
What to Look At
Look Down
Look for crushed leaves or a complete lack of tiny plants growing up through the forest litter, etc.
Look Up a Bit
Look up about 5-10 feet (2-3 meters). Most trails will be be slightly lower than the surround ground, looking like little valleys or washouts. This also lets you use your peripheral vision, which can work better in some cases (see below).
Look Up More
If you still haven't found the trail, look around level with the ground. You're looking for any gaps in the trees and brush. A 2-meter tall hole in the bushes can conceal a turn, for example.
Look Way Up
Look for changes in the tree patterns. Many trails are old fire roads, driveways, logging roads, etc. For these trails, there may be a line of less tree coverage which you can see only by looking up.
How to Look
There's an odd trick your eyes play on you without you even knowing it. In the center of your field of vision, the part that's reading this right now, for example, you have sharp focus and your brain doesn't mess with what your eyes tell it. Outside that narrow cone of vision, though, you hit your peripheral vision. Here, your brain is perfectly willing to play around with what your eyes tell it. Normally, this is harmless, but if you're trying to find a trail, it can actually help. Your brain will automatically find and fill in patterns for you, which might allow you to find a trail that would otherwise be hidden.
Where to Look
- You've been hiking along this trail for a while now. You know where the trail designers have laid it out. Do they try to skirt along lakeshores? Follow ridgelines? Head straight for the top of every hill in sight? One trail system I know has every single intersection at the top of a hill, with trails going out of their way to make it happen that way. Think of where the trail's gone in the past, then go there.
- Go up. Go to the top of a hill and then take a look around. You'll have a better view.
- Nature has few straight lines. If you see a straight line, it's probably man-made.
Categories: Skills | Lost | Emergency | Navigation | Hiking
