Top Tips for Successful BackCountry NavigationWritten by Chuck Fitzgerald
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* Always measure for yourself. You’ve prepared for your trip, now you should use what you learned. Bearing (direction of travel) and distance (number of steps or lapsed time) are two most important measurements to you when traveling in backcountry. Always measure for yourself, do not rely on anyone else for this. If your partner comes up with something different, sort it out. If you come up with same thing as your partner, then move on in confidence. * Never travel at night. Although a star lit sky can offer accurate navigational data, traveling at night is risky. Only experienced travelers should travel after dark. The major risk of traveling at night is injury. It is difficult to judge “footfall” distances and terrain in dark. * Keep a log book. If you are traveling from station to station (map feature to map feature) keep a written log of bearing and distance decisions you’ve made. This will aid you in recovering from navigational errors and will also aid you in returning to a known location. * If you think you’re lost S.T.O.P. Oftentimes admitting you are lost is toughest thing to do. It is also most important thing you can do. Once you’re lost, Sit, Think, Observe and Plan. S.T.O.P. will save you.Some final thoughts: * It’s OK to write on your map. * You should know how many steps you take to travel 100 yards. Write this number down on your map and in your log book. * When a new land feature presents itself to you, compare it to your map. * Keep your compass hanging around your neck, not in your pack. * Never use your compass on hood of your car or truck. Compass accuracy is adversely effected by metal objects. * Always travel with extra batteries for your GPS. * Pay attention to natural and manmade features such as fence lines, power lines, railroad tracks, ridges, valleys and rivers. Backcountry activities are fun…until you get lost. That’s why you should know how to navigate. Take a map reading class, read an orienteering book and practice. Like most life skills, navigating in backcountry is easy to learn. Get Outdoors!
Chuck Fitzgerald is Owner and President of Phoenix, Arizona based BackCountry Toys, an online store providing backcountry specialty gear and educational information to outdoor enthusiasts. Visit www.BackCountryToys.com to receive the free newsletter "FreshAir” or call (800) 316-9055.
| | A wave from the TourWritten by Craig McGinty
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And like a wave it is not always clear on whom it is going to fall as over 100 cyclists pour down road you need to keep away from edge as some briefly go astray. But as pack heads off up road, crowds further on are hit by wave with cheers and car horns echoing in distance. Then as last few cyclists ride by, still working hard to stay in race, Tour comes to a close, but what of beginning? The build-up to passing of Tour starts earlier in day and takes place on grass verges and in fields that border route. Villages prepare fetes, amateur cyclists ride up and down route to see what pros will face and children get ready for caravane. An hour before race actually arrives sponsors’ cavalcade drives past with their crazy cars, disco music and freebies. Here you see coffee pots, inflatable ducks and even a giant, furry lion parading past throwing sweets, magazines and toys at feet of children stood beside road. The fans scream and shout hoping to pick up some goodies as parents duck and dive out of way of stray packets of coffee, which fly past their heads. Since Tour started in 1903 it has become one of world’s major sporting events and can lay claim to possessing largest number of spectators. And it is fans that make Tour such a spectacle, as they stretch out along more than 3,500km of tarmac, shouting and screaming encouragement as wave passes by. But today fishes out ran wave and a breakaway by local rider, David Moncoutie proved strong enough to give Frenchman his first-ever stage win.
For more articles by Craig McGinty on living in France including tips on buying a home, the legal process and more, visit his website and live life the French way. http://www.thisfrenchlife.com
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