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It appears as if 99% of people have grown a brand new appendage: the mobile phone. The joyful mobile phone is nearly indispensable for many and even gives GPS coordinates full with maps, robotic voice directions, and so forth. These make land navigation a cinch, proper?
The person enters their location, then the vacation spot, and bingo! Level A to Level B plotted and calculated, with relaxation stops and nice locations to buy with their debit playing cards listed alongside the way in which. An ideal world, proper?
Right here’s the opposite a part of that state of affairs:
Out of the blue, the automotive loses energy, slowing to a crawl after which coming to a cease. The telephone screens go darkish. Mr. and Mrs. Happyfamily stare at each other, and the children’ laptop film display within the again goes out. A glow akin to a second dawn is seen shimmering throughout the clouds.
No, it’s not an space of “no service” or an influence surge. An EMP, an electromagnetic pulse, as simply been detonated over the continental U.S. The missiles will quickly observe the EMP. The mobile phone period could have formally come to a detailed.
Some could attribute such to “fearmongering,” however have a look round you…
Every little thing else warned about on just about each single platform – the entire websites, the blogs – it’s all coming to pass. These previously labeled “crackpot conspiracy theorists” (a moniker created, by the way in which, by our “authorities” to marginalize dissenting views) are, in essence, correct and accurate.
It’s been incremental: the pandemic, the destruction of food-producing plants, the corralling of the plenty into tighter surveillance with extra obstacles to their motion, the rising prices, the shortages in provides.
No, you don’t should belief these phrases. Belief your instincts. Belief in your widespread sense, and go searching you. Put apart no matter pin you put on, blue donkey or pink elephant, as a result of each are meaningless when all of it hits the fan. Put them apart, and have a look at what has occurred to the U.S. and the world previously ten years. In simply the previous 5, for that matter.
One of the best assets are those you construct inside your thoughts and coronary heart. That being stated, let’s bounce into land navigation.
The primary rule of land navigation: Grasp the “low tech” and by no means rely utterly on “excessive tech.”
Years in the past, somebody confirmed me their new wrist compass (the person was within the service), and I nodded with out saying something. When questioned, I responded with, “What do you do if the battery runs out on it, or if it goes useless on you in the course of an op?”
There are steps you’ll be able to take to cut back the results, ought to such a factor occur to you – what I name the “foreseeable unexpected,” which means you don’t know when the high-tech gizmo will disintegrate, however it’s worthwhile to deal with that gizmo as if it might shoot sparks and is derived at any time.
Low-tech ability 1: Map Studying
There’s nothing like the nice, old style, foldable map. Most individuals hate them, however that map will be one in all your most dependable mates. One of the best ones come from USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) and the UTMGPS (Common Traverse Mercator Grid Projection System).
It’s essential construct up a great assortment of bodily, printed maps in your makes use of now and later.
These maps offer you elevations, contour traces, main and minor terrain options, latitude and longitude markers, grids, magnetic azimuths, declination, built-up areas, roads, and so forth. The map akin to the world you reside in/journey in has the whole lot it’s worthwhile to discover your means round.
Civilian maps don’t concern themselves with this stuff in nice element. Civilian maps are “systemically-oriented,” which means they’ve roads, cities, and cities. The mapmaker assumes you’re driving in a automotive to your vacation spot. They don’t care about elevations, water sources, wooded areas, or different variables which can be essential. A lake is featured as a result of the highway runs throughout a bridge. Civilian maps are all journey and commerce-oriented.
You’ll be able to nonetheless use them, thoughts you, however they don’t embody the element that you simply want for when the substance hits the fan. And probably the most essential particulars you’ll be able to study your space is the terrain options: the wooded areas and the locations the place water will be obtained.
So take a map (army or civilian) of the world you reside, and plot the entire essential hide-sites, forested areas, water sources, and potential bivouac areas beforehand after which bodily go to all of those websites.
These maps provide you with distances and instructions it’s possible you’ll want in the midst of a breakdown or when fleeing a catastrophe – man-made or pure.
J.’s recommendation: By no means mark straight on a map.
You’ll be able to clip a sheet of plastic over your map to make use of (old-school) grease pencils or magic markers. You’ll be able to laminate the map and mark on it, however all the time do away with the marks. Don’t go away them on the map.
For those who can observe marked instructions to your hide-site, cache factors, and route of journey, then so can another person if they’ve your map.
There are plenty of resources out there so that you can research. My private advice is to choose up a copy of FM 21-26, the Military’s information to map studying and land navigation. The FM (stands for “Area Handbook”) offers you the whole lot you’ll want: each matter talked about concerning map studying, in addition to utilizing a compass, terrain affiliation, day and night time situations, and so forth. As army map-reading is extra complete, after finding out the guide, you’ll discover it easy to make use of civilian maps.
Low-tech ability 2: It’s a must to know the way to use a compass.
The compass, as you understand, traces up with the magnetic poles of the Earth. The compass makes use of the 360 levels of a circle, and every of these degree-markings, when employed in land navigation, is known as an azimuth. So, it needs to be a easy matter, then: look on the map, discover the place you’re going, and the compass factors the way in which, proper?
Not completely. That’s fantastic for a generalized quick distance marked by roads and noticeable terrain options. Strolling “cross-country” is a special matter altogether. You want the declination.
There are three “sorts” of north: grid north, magnetic north, and true north. Declination is the distinction in angle between any two of those three norths. The essential ones so that you can focus upon are grid north and magnetic north. Grid north is the “north” discovered in your map. Magnetic north is the north you discover together with your compass.
A army map gives you with a declination diagram that signifies the magnetic variance for the world and the way to convert it so that you simply stroll an accurate, correct azimuth.
It’s a topic in itself, however I’m supplying you with the essential overview right here. For extra data on utilizing a compass, go here.
Within the service, we glided by this easy acronym: RALS.
This implies, “proper add, left subtract.” North on the map and on the compass is 360 levels. Left of this 360 degree-mark – on an arrow pointing to, say, 350 levels for a declination – that offers you a westerly variance. You should compute this variance earlier than utilizing your compass.
Proper add, left subtract. That 10-degree variance for those who’re touring due east, and your plotted azimuth must be 90 levels on the map? First, you need to “add” that 10-degree variance we simply talked about to your compass heading.
You’ll be strolling to the east (to the “proper” of the 360-degree mark) and to account for the magnetic pull (the variance of 10 levels to the west), you’ll add that variance to your compass heading. So, you’ll observe on a heading of 100 levels, and the “pull” (magnetic variance to the west of 10 levels) will imply you’re truly strolling the route at 90 levels, synchronized with what you plotted on the map.
That is simplified, however with research and apply you’ll see the way it works.
For those who’re off by even a level in your calculations, this may translate into miles off beam on a long-distance leg. Luckily, the army maps not solely provide the declination, however they inform you whether or not or to not add or subtract. Because the poles transfer and shift, you need to verify on the declination and magnetic variance in your locale periodically, say each six months to a 12 months.
Low-tech ability 3: Are you able to calculate your tempo rely?
The usual is the mile, the “holy hand-grenade” with the quantity three hooked up. Immutable and unchangeable for us “English-types.” The need to transform the English-speaking nations to metrics was an abysmal failure, and that’s all fantastic and good.
We additionally want metrics, although. The army makes use of meters on its maps and within the calculations of the whole lot from weapons techniques to calibrations of kit.
It’s a easy matter to transform the distances. A kilometer is 0.6, or six-tenths of a mile. There are 2.2 kilometers per mile. So, 20 miles transformed to kilometers is 20 x 2.2 km/mile, to yield 44 kilometers. Thirty kilometers transformed to miles (30 x 0.6) yields 18 miles.
(Land nav isn’t the one factor you’re going to want to learn about when the facility goes out. Try our free QUICKSTART Guide to what to eat in an influence outage as properly.
The explanation that is achieved is the increments.
Miles don’t “break up” readily into even increments that may be rapidly calculated or readily usable. For land navigation, this will likely be obvious to you as soon as you discover your tempo rely, a important activity that’s utterly private, particular person, and distinctive for you.
The tempo rely is a measurement of the variety of steps you soak up a given distance to cross that distance. The usual for the USA army is 100 meters. Now, 100 meters is equal to about 300 ft. Remember, a meter is concerning the distance of a yard.
Utilizing a tape measure (the spooling type, not the 30-footer), tie a ribbon to a tree, measure off 100 meters, and affix a ribbon to a second tree. That’s your pace-count verifier. You should utilize different fastened factors of measurement for this, however guarantee they’re fastened – not the volleyball internet submit or gram-gram’s rocking chair on the porch.
After you have this distance, you stroll it and rely off; not each step, however a step left after which proper. That equals “one” tempo. The quantity you’ve whenever you attain that 100-meter level is your particular tempo rely. When you’ve that? Subsequent, placed on a heavy backpack, and do it once more. You’ll discover a slight distinction, as with a load, you normally take shorter steps, rising the rely.
It’s essential know your tempo rely, loaded and unloaded. Different components will have an effect on your rely, akin to strolling by way of sticker bushes, over clear-cuts (fallen logs, timber, and stumps), by way of/throughout swamps and marshes, and so forth.
After you have this tempo rely, you’ll be able to rock and roll.
Plot your distance in your map and the grid azimuth to it. Then, you’ll convert for the declination. Then, you’ll stroll it out till you attain that goal.
Pace count beads are a great instrument.
They’re affixed to a rope or twine. You can also make your individual out of 550 parachute cord. 9 on the prime, separated by a knot, with 5 beneath, and an area and a knot under, on the backside. They’re “beads on a string,” and whenever you stroll 100 meters, you pull down a type of beads. After they all stack up, you’ve traveled 900 meters, and also you jerk the stack again to the highest and pull down one of many “backside” beads on the decrease degree the place the 1000-meter bead markers reside.
After you full a complete “collection,” you’ll have traveled 3 miles, or 5,000 meters – or 5 kilometers. Then you definitely simply maintain observe of that distance on a observe card and march on. No complicated “1/32 of a mile” or any nonsense akin to that.
Area-expedient strategies of land navigation are essential too.
The solar and the celebrities can support your navigation efforts, with or and not using a compass or a map. Our ancestors used them for 1000’s of years, and you need to use them, too. Let’s listing a technique for every, for day and for night time methods, together with some others you need to use.
The Solar
One of many best strategies of “pure” land navigation to make use of is the shadow-tip methodology for locating the place you’re heading. The solar is perceived as transferring from east to west. Take a stick about an inch thick and about two ft lengthy and jam it into the bottom. The solar will throw the stick’s shadow onto the bottom.
Mark the tip of the shadow with a rock. Now, wait about half an hour. The “new” shadow could have moved. Mark the tip of this second shadow.
Now draw a line within the filth from rock 1 to rock two. Rock 1 places the shadow tip to the west, and Rock 2’s level is to the east. Understanding this, then bisect the road with one other straight line by way of the middle and orient your self. That is your North-South line.
The Stars
Discover the “Huge Dipper” and the entrance forefront – these two stars. Use your fingertips, and place them “on” the celebrities in entrance of your face. Retaining your fingertips aside in your “star factors,” now go 5 of these distances off the highest nook cup-star of the dipper. There it is going to be – the North Star.
You’ll be able to confirm this. On the other “facet,” throughout from the dipper is Cassiopeia, the “Lazy-W.” Go to the middle star of that “Lazy W,” and measure 5 width distances out from that heart, apex star, and yea verily, the North Star will likely be there.
Terrain Affiliation
A recognized landmark or characteristic can support you significantly in realizing the place you might be (half the battle) and realizing the place you’re heading (the opposite half). The army maps are finest for this. Whenever you study your terrain options, akin to giant lakes, rivers, mountains, and so forth., you’ll be able to correlate your place to them relative to what’s in your map and your location on the bottom.
The Pure World
Most main rivers (such because the Mississippi) stream from north to south. Within the woods, moss normally grows on the north facet of the bottom of the timber. The flights of the migratory birds throughout particular instances of the 12 months will clue you in by their path of journey. The solar (for those who wait out the entire day) provides you with your place in accordance with dawn and sundown.
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Folks have a tendency to consider land navigation as an “insurmountable impediment.”
It’s neither insurmountable nor an impediment. It’s a ability that, whenever you excellent it, you’ll be able to refine into an “artwork” for your self. Land nav will be a type of “enjoyable for the entire household” adventures, the place everybody learns new abilities and takes one thing away from it. As soon as once more, Ben Franklin’s adage, “An oz. of prevention’s price a pound of treatment,” holds true.
Take the time to review extra about land navigation, and the way to carry out it each appropriately and easily. There’s a distinction. You are able to do one thing proper and nonetheless pull out your eyeteeth (figuratively) doing it.
The “artwork” is when it’s utterly pure to you and unforced, and also you carry out it as simply as slipping on a pair of trainers. You are able to do it! Simply determine the areas it’s worthwhile to research and get to work!
What are your ideas on land navigation?
Is that this a ability you already possess or one it’s worthwhile to study? Do you’ve any further suggestions so as to add to this text? Let’s speak about it within the feedback part.
About Jeremiah Johnson
Jeremiah Johnson is the nom de plume of a retired Inexperienced Beret of the U.S. Military Particular Forces. Mr. Johnson can be a Gunsmith and a Grasp Herbalist. He graduated from the Particular Forces course at SERE (survival, evasion, resistance, and escape) Faculty, and is an knowledgeable in small unit techniques, land navigation, survival, and disaster-preparedness. He lives in a cabin within the Rocky Mountains of Western Montana.
