On Cross-Country Travel

My father said, “Find the car, Bors.” I was six, and it was my responsibility to take the family back to the vehicle. On the walk out, my father had been pointing out landmarks, asking me which way was north, and having me turn around to see what our back-trail looked like. I set off with purpose, following these clues. After a while I got stumped, so I climbed a tree for a look around. I could see the parking lot in the distance. I’d been going in the right direction, and proudly led my parents to our green and white 1972 Toyota Landcruiser.

Two years later, on a warm summer day, my father led the family on a long walk. The path he took was giant half-loop, one-half of a circle. “Ok, Bors, find the car. Complete the circle.” There’d been no advice on the walk out this time. The area was new to me, and we were well away from any trails. Setting out, I completed the circle in terrain I’d never seen before, bringing my parents out of the woods within a hundred yards of where the car was parked.

“Bors, you can go out whenever you want,” said my father. He meant that I could go exploring in the woods without parental supervision, anytime, anywhere. He knew that I would never get lost. I never have. That being said, I did once doubt the veracity of the earth’s magnetic field, but that’s a story of its own.

Much of my photographic work is created off trail. If you also choose to walk into the woods in pursuit of light, here are some techniques that will enable you to do so successfully.

1. Back-trail. Turn around and memorize the look of where you just came from. Continually. This is the single most important technique for getting back out of anywhere. If you have a series of ‘sight-pictures’ of your back-trail, you can always return the way you came. When I’m on multi-day treks off trail, I put my self to sleep each night by traveling backward along the route in my mind. The more rugged the terrain, the more important this becomes.
2. Landmarks. Note the unique aspects of the terrain around you, and their relationship to one another. Mountain peaks, a lightning struck tree, the rocks in a dry wash, a meadow, the direction of the sound of the river, etc.
3. North awareness. When you get out of the car, ask yourself which way is north. This is a great thing to do with friends. Have each one point their north, then check it against a compass. Do this on a regular basis as you go.
4. Sun awareness. What time of day is it? Where is the sun in relation to the terrain? In relation to North? Where will it be, which way is it traveling? Note its position as you go in the same way you note your back-trail. It’s one of your best nav aids, but unlike landmarks, it moves!
5. Memorize the map. Study a map of the area before you go. (This assumes you know how to interpret and visualize real terrain from map contours and features. If you can’t do this yet, then move map reading practice to item number 1.)

Successful off trail travel is about creating and maintaining a terrain map in your mind that is oriented correctly to the earth. A paper map doesn’t help unless you already know where you are. The most important map is the one in your head, the one you created on your walk in. The most detailed contour map won’t tell you how to get back to that big tree you used to cross the river.

These points only scratch the surface. What they do not teach is route finding, wilderness safety, critter awareness (snakes, bears, cougars), how to walk a rockfall, ford a stream, and so much more. With practice, what they will do is help you find your way back to the car with ease.

Happy trails.