Even an experienced hiker will forget about gear that is carried
in the field that potentially impacts a digital electronic compass.

by Blake Miller 

While teaching a community college class on land navigation, a student asked me what
affects a GPS receiver’s electronic compass?

This is a great question and offers an opportunity to assess equipment.

Make sure no nearby metal affects your magnetic compass accuracy.

In my map and compass (magnetic) navigation class I make a

 point of discussing the care that should be taken while

 handling a compass. A rifle barrel, flash light, radio and

other metal and electronic bodies will impact the compass’

magnetic needle. To see this first hand, move a flashlight

 next to a compass and the needle will move noticeably.

It never occurred to me that my digital compass would behave

 similarly.

In November while elk hunting and camping east of Oregon’s

 Cascades mountain range, I decided to check this out.

The test platform was my Garmin 60CS.

I found that my electronic compass would react to interference. That said, reaction was based on overt

action on my part.

For example, moving my Inova flashlight tight up to the receiver elicited a varied response. The
reaction was immediate; the electronic compass

swung roughly between 20°- 90°.

My rifle barrel caused a 10°-20° deflection, but only after deliberate and perhaps unrealistic
contact.

I got the same results with my cell phone.

My analysis is that the electronic compass’ reaction to stimulus was possible, but only after
deliberate contact. The electronic compass is not nearly as sensitive as a magnetic compass.

My advice, just keep this in mind and watch what is around the GPS receiver.

Blake Miller has made a career out of staying found and knowing where he is at all times. His formal navigation training began when he joined the U.S. Navy in 1973. He served as an officer aboard several Navy ships over his

Blake Miller

twenty-year career; many of those tours included the duty of Navigator. Blake began working with satellite navigation systems at sea in 1976, culminating with the then-new satellite positioning systems aboard the Battleship WISCONSIN in early 1990.

In 1998 Blake started Outdoor Quest, a business dedicated to backcountry navigation and wilderness survival. Blake has taught classes to wild land firefighters, state agency staffs, Search and Rescue team members, hunters, hikers, skiers, fishermen and equestrians. He regularly teaches classes through the Community Education programs at Central Oregon (Bend) and Chemeketa (Salem, OR) Community Colleges.

As a volunteer, Blake teaches navigation and survival classes to students in the local school districts, and conservation groups. He is a member of a Search and Rescue team.

If you have any questions about land navigation or wilderness survival, you can contact Blake through SurvivalCommonSense.com@gmail.com, or you can go to his website.

Contact Information:

Website: www.outdoorquest.biz

Blog: outdoorquest.blogspot.com

Phone: 541-280-0573

Email: outdrquest@aol.com

To hear the Blake Miller interview about choosing a magnetic compass and GPS on SurvivalCommonSense.com Radio, click here.

For more navigation information, click here

**Special Amazon Toys GoldBox Daily Deals Leak** – Up to 50 Off Select Melissa and Doug Toys

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Topographical maps have many parts, and if you’re going to use one effectively, understanding how the pieces fit together is really important. In this article, navigation expert and teacher Blake Miller discusses the map scale information, and makes some suggestions about what scale is best for your needs.

By Blake Miller

Dictionary.com defines map scale as:

“A ratio which compares a measurement on a map to the actual distance between locations identified on the map.”

A topographic (topo) map’s scale information is located at the bottom center of the map. Other maps will generally have scale information in the large map key that outlines many of the features and data printed on the map.

The map scale for a United States Geologic Survey (USGS) 7.5 topographical minute map is highlighted below.

A closer look of the scale information:

Map scale 1/24,000

The area circled in red is the ratio discussed by dictionary.com. Note that the ratio has no units of measurement assigned (e.g., feet, meters, acres.)

But, if you add measurements to both sides the ratio value becomes more meaningful. For example: 1 inch : 24,000 inches

This now means that 1 inch of measurement equals 24,000 inches on the map. Divide the 24,000 inches by 12 inches (one foot) the ratio value now becomes: 1 inch = 2000 feet

There are many other maps produced by government agencies (federal and state), parks and private companies. There are also many scale options to be found too. Some maps will use similar ratios such as 1:250,000 while others will
simply state: 1 inch = 2 miles. Here is another example; below.

The bar scales ( above) provide the best visual representation of scale. The bar scales provide data in miles, kilometers, nautical miles or feet. Notice the small graduations to the left of each scale. In the case of the kilometer scale, the graduations are in units of 1000 meters. This gives you the detail for measuring distance on a map.

For the backcountry hiker the USGS topo 7.5 minute topo (scale of 1:24,000) is your best source of information. At this scale, the map has much more validity and provides more usable information for your backcountry planning. You can
view important landmarks, streams and geographic features.

To complete the navigation picture, I always refer a second map, such as a map of the national forest (e.g., the Deschutes National Forest.) Commonly, such a map will be “zoomed” way out and have a scale of 1:100,000 or 1:250,000. Imagine that such a map would be made up of many 7.5 minute quadrangles.

Other options are available to the hiker. For example DeLorme produces an atlas and gazetteer for every state; visit delorme.com. National Geographic has excellent 1:24,000 scale maps for many of the national parks. My most recent
map came on waterproof paper and was very up to date.

My favorite product is made by mytopo.com and is the mapping software Terrain Navigator. I’ve been using this software in its various releases since 1998. Terrain Navigator allows the hiker to up load/down load waypoints and tracks from many GPS receivers, has tools for backcountry planning, provides several map scale and zoom options and is very simple to use.

Finally, I pack my map into a 1 gallon zip lock bag with my compass and GPS. Never leave home without this trio.

Blake Miller has made a career out of staying found and knowing where he is at all times. His formal navigation training began when he joined the U.S. Navy in 1973. He served as an officer aboard several Navy ships over his

Blake Miller

twenty-year career; many of those tours included the duty of Navigator. Blake began working with satellite navigation systems at sea in 1976, culminating with the then-new satellite positioning systems aboard the Battleship WISCONSIN in early 1990.

In 1998 Blake started Outdoor Quest, a business dedicated to backcountry navigation and wilderness survival. Blake has taught classes to wild land firefighters, state agency staffs, Search and Rescue team members, hunters, hikers, skiers, fishermen and equestrians. He regularly teaches classes through the Community Education programs at Central Oregon (Bend) and Chemeketa (Salem, OR) Community Colleges.

As a volunteer, Blake teaches navigation and survival classes to students in the local school districts, and conservation groups. He is a member of a Search and Rescue team.

If you have any questions about land navigation or wilderness survival, you can contact Blake through SurvivalCommonSense.com@gmail.com, or you can go to his website.

Contact Information:

Website: www.outdoorquest.biz

Blog: outdoorquest.blogspot.com

Phone: 541-280-0573

Email: outdrquest@aol.com

To hear the Blake Miller interview about choosing a magnetic compass and GPS on SurvivalCommonSense.com Radio, click here.

For more navigation information, click here

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

To many beginners, a topographical map is a mass of squiggles, lines, colors, graphs and confusion. Land navigation expert Blake Miller explains how to read the three norths diagram at the bottom of the map, and how to adjust your compass accordingly to use this information.

By Blake Miller

Topographic map users are familiar with the small diagram at the bottom of the map.

The above diagram is located at the bottom center of the map.

Let’s zoom in to the diagram itself.

The graphic and information presented relates directly to the declination of the map area, orientation of magnetic north, orientation of grid north and true north.

 Let’s discuss what that all means.

The line at the left with the star on top is the reference to true north.  True north is the principle geographic reference on all maps.  True north is oriented to the North Pole, the top of the earth.  The left and right borders of a topographic map are aligned to true north too.  True north is the principle compass orientation that the backcountry traveler will use with compass navigation.

Care should be taken when looking at the other grid lines on a map.  For example, not all township and range lines are oriented to true north.

The red lines on the map on the left represent township and range.  The red numbers refer to each of the 36 sections found in a township. (A section is a square that is one mile by one mile on each side.)  Determine if these red lines are oriented to true north in advance of your trip.

The next line over is “grid.”  Grid in this case refers to Universal Transverse Mercator Grid (UTM).  UTM is a derivative of the military’s grid reference system and came about after World War Two.

Some maps come with UTM grid lines laid out in a shade of light blue.  Many topographic maps only have UTM tick marks (color blue) along the four sides of the map.  The map above has those tick marks.  Small, they can be seen as numbers ⁶ 21 and ⁶ 22 at the bottom.  If one was to use a straight edge to connect the ⁶ 21 at top and bottom the line drawn would be in relation to grid on the declination diagram.  (For more information on UTM Grid check out Lawrence Letham’s book GPS Made Easy from your library.)

The last line refers to magnetic north.  This data is circled in red (below.)                Shop Amazon’s Black Friday Week

The line with the partial arrow head points to magnetic north (MN.)   Without getting bogged down in the pole’s location, the key thing is to understand is that magnetic north is what a compass’ red magnetic needle points to. The numerical value of 19° refers to the declination; the angular measurement between true and magnetic north.  In this case, the declination is 19° East.  It is this value that the hiker will compensate for in navigation.

To keep things simple, I use a declination-adjusted compass so that I do not have to calculate compass values.  For example, if the hiker is using a standard compass, 19° East declination (from the West Coast) would be subtracted from a bearing/azimuth of 100° True to get the correct magnetic heading.

This gets a bit sticky and that is why an adjustable compass is so valuable.  With an adjustable compass, you adjust the compass housing once for the local declination.  Once adjusted you are set and won’t need to worry about adding or subtracting the declination value.

The declination value on older maps has probably changed from what is printed.  Declination changes over time.  As a matter of routine I visit www.magnetic-declination.com to get the correct value before leaving home.

Blake Miller has made a career out of staying found and knowing where he is at all times. His formal navigation training began when he joined the U.S. Navy in 1973. He served as an officer aboard several Navy ships over his

Blake Miller

twenty-year career; many of those tours included the duty of Navigator. Blake began working with satellite navigation systems at sea in 1976, culminating with the then-new satellite positioning systems aboard the Battleship WISCONSIN in early 1990.

In 1998 Blake started Outdoor Quest, a business dedicated to backcountry navigation and wilderness survival. Blake has taught classes to wild land firefighters, state agency staffs, Search and Rescue team members, hunters, hikers, skiers, fishermen and equestrians. He regularly teaches classes through the Community Education programs at Central Oregon (Bend) and Chemeketa (Salem, OR) Community Colleges.

As a volunteer, Blake teaches navigation and survival classes to students in the local school districts, and conservation groups. He is a member of a Search and Rescue team.

If you have any questions about land navigation or wilderness survival, you can contact Blake through SurvivalCommonSense.com@gmail.com, or you can go to his website.

Contact Information:

Website: www.outdoorquest.biz

Blog: outdoorquest.blogspot.com

Phone: 541-280-0573

Email: outdrquest@aol.com

To hear the Blake Miller interview about choosing a magnetic compass and GPS on SurvivalCommonSense.com Radio, click here.

For more navigation information, click here

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

Start out by knowing where you are, and then, know how to use your navigation tools to stay found! (Raimie Hedman photo)

Ever wished you could find someone to answer your land navigation questions? Like some of the most basic starter queries, such as How Do I make Sense of a Topographical Map? or  How do you find your way around, when there are no roads?

Land navigation is the topic of this special SurvivalCommonSense.com weekly update. Expert Blake Miller tackles five common navigation topics that will be of interest to anyone headed to the backcounty on a big game hunt.

You may not be going to the mountains for your annual big game hunt, but it is quite possible to get lost and in serious trouble anywhere!

In this special edition, Blake discusses:

• Land Navigation: Walking a Line of Bearing
• Dump the Junk In The GPS
• Get Your GPS Ready for the Fall Hunt
• Baseline Navigation
• Navigating a Topographic Map 

To view this special edition, click here! 

Blake Miller has made a career out of staying found and knowing where he is at all times. His formal navigation training began when he joined the U.S. Navy in 1973. He served as an officer aboard several Navy ships over his

Blake Miller

twenty-year career; many of those tours included the duty of Navigator. Blake began working with satellite navigation systems at sea in 1976, culminating with the then-new satellite positioning systems aboard the Battleship WISCONSIN in early 1990.

In 1998 Blake started Outdoor Quest, a business dedicated to backcountry navigation and wilderness survival. Blake has taught classes to wild land firefighters, state agency staffs, Search and Rescue team members, hunters, hikers, skiers, fishermen and equestrians. He regularly teaches classes through the Community Education programs at Central Oregon (Bend) and Chemeketa (Salem, OR) Community Colleges.

As a volunteer, Blake teaches navigation and survival classes to students in the local school districts, and conservation groups. He is a member of a Search and Rescue team.

If you have any questions about land navigation or wilderness survival, you can contact Blake through SurvivalCommonSense.com@gmail.com, or you can go to his website or Blake’s blog.

Contact Information:

Phone: 541-280-0573

Email: outdrquest@aol.com

To hear a Blake Miller radio interview about choosing a magnetic compass and GPS on SurvivalCommonSense.com Radio, click here.

To learn more about land navigation, check out this affiliate blog!   

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

There is no substitute for a good compass, and the ability to use it. Since getting lost is generally the causal factor in most wilderness emergencies, it just makes sense to stay found to stay out of trouble!

A map and compass are vital Land navigation tools, but you must first know how to read the map!

In this article, navigation expert Blake Miller tells you how to check out and make sure your magnetic compass is safe and ready to go.

by Blake Miller

Recently, I was watching a rifle expert on one of the many outdoor cable shows.   This gent is a noted ballistics expert, writer and occasional backcountry guide.  During a segment of the interview he was demonstrating what was in his day pack.  It kept my interest, had the ten essentials, and all was going just fine until he brought out his compass.

It looked like a wonderful antique, might have come across the Great Plains and Rockies with Lewis and Clark –but in terms of reliability- it was questionable. The sad part is, he spent absolutely no time discussing key factors of having a reliable compass.  He touched his compass and quickly put it down.

And touching a compass is about all that most people do too.  Hunters preparing to go afield will spend hours with their rifle at the range evaluating their zero, adjusting optics, and measuring the initial velocity of that hot new round.  Navigation takes time to get dialed in, too.

Navigation is not “rocket science” but it takes practice.  It is a perishable skill.  The analogy that I use in my wilderness navigation classes is that you can hop on a bike after not riding one for ten years and head on down the road.  But trying to triangulate after ten months can be a chore.

For starters, you need a decent compass.  Leave the $5.00 compass on the shelf at the store.  (For more information on buying a compass check out my article on selecting a compass.)

This compass is adjusted for declination

Here are a few recommendations for a compass tune up:

• Store your compass in a safe spot.  Keep the compass off the dash of the rig, away from flashlights and the GPS.  Let’s not take a chance that an electrically induced magnetic field will degrade your compass.
• Compare your compass with another to verify that the red needle is pointing to magnetic north.   Take it a step further and find a road in town that is aligned north/south.   Most likely it will be aligned in degrees true; as in true north.  Again, verify that the compass is pointing correctly.  Do this for every compass you own.
• Is the compass leaking? Is there an air bubble floating in the compass housing?  I “deep six” (toss) those units.
• Brush up on your compass navigation skills.   June Fleming’s book “Staying Found” is a excellent read.   Visit www.landnavigation.org.  Practice shooting a bearing, triangulating your position and orienting your map and compass to your surroundings.
• Review the components of a Topographic map.  Start with the USGS’ site here.
• Insure you have the compass adjusted to the correct declination. Practice with your children.  Give them a good education with a map and compass before you give them a GPS.

Don’t depend on your friends being the navigation experts.  Make it a goal to exceed their skills.  You might find that your initial impression was mistaken. Instead of a “sense of direction” develop the skill of navigation.

Practice with a compass is essential to safe wilderness travel.  To quote Fleming, “The key to knowing where you are, is constant awareness.”

Blake Miller has made a career out of staying found and knowing where he is at all times. His formal navigation training began when he joined the U.S. Navy in 1973. He served as an officer aboard several Navy ships over his

Blake Miller

twenty-year career; many of those tours included the duty of Navigator. Blake began working with satellite navigation systems at sea in 1976, culminating with the then-new satellite positioning systems aboard the Battleship WISCONSIN in early 1990.

In 1998 Blake started Outdoor Quest, a business dedicated to backcountry navigation and wilderness survival. Blake has taught classes to wild land firefighters, state agency staffs, Search and Rescue team members, hunters, hikers, skiers, fishermen and equestrians. He regularly teaches classes through the Community Education programs at Central Oregon (Bend) and Chemeketa (Salem, OR) Community Colleges.

As a volunteer, Blake teaches navigation and survival classes to students in the local school districts, and conservation groups. He is a member of a Search and Rescue team.

If you have any questions about land navigation or wilderness survival, you can contact Blake through SurvivalCommonSense.com@gmail.com, or you can go to his website.

Contact Information:

Website: www.outdoorquest.biz

Blog: outdoorquest@blogspot.com

Phone: 541-280-0573

Email: outdrquest@aol.com

To hear the Jan 7, 2010 Blake Miller interview about choosing a magnetic compass and GPS on SurvivalCommonSense.com Radio, click here.

For more navigation- related SurvivalCommonSense.com tips and stories, click on the highlighted words:

• How to buy that first GPS.
• Help the searchers find you in the wilderness.
• Is the Bushnell Backtrack the right choice for you?
• Improve your GPS skills now.
• Find your directions by the moss on trees?
• Simple survival tips for using a map and compass.
• Three maps you should carry in the wilderness.

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

Before technology entered the backcountry world of the outdoors, the primary and proven tools of navigation were a map and compass. Compass navigation remains an important component of the “Ten Essentials” for wilderness travel. Knowledge of how to use map and compass takes education and practice. Further, such knowledge will enhance GPS navigation as many concepts are interchangeable.

by Blake Miller

This article will discuss one of the basic uses of a compass, how to adjust the compass to walk a specific direction to get to a destination; to get from point A to point B.

Let’s start with a review of the key features and parts of a compass; see Figure 1 below. This figure is an example of a standard baseplate compass found in most outdoor stores. I recommend the backcountry navigator use a declination adjustable compass such as the Brunton 8010G or the Silva Ranger 515CL.

Figure 1:Compass parts.

Figure 1

• The red magnetic needle rotates freely and points to magnetic north. Remember that metal objects such as belt buckles, watchbands, rifle barrels and car bodies will deflect the needle. Battery powered electronics will cause the needle to deflect too.
• The “direction of travel arrow” points in the direction of intended travel. Always point the direction of travel arrow away from you; perpendicular to your body.
• The “compass housing” rotates on the baseplate. The degree dial (0° to 360°) of the compass is found on the housing. With the baseplate, the “compass housing” can be used as a protractor while plotting on a map or adjusting to a specific direction.
• The “orienting arrow” is a red arrow inscribed in the compass housing cylinder. As the cylinder rotates so does the red arrow. The “orienting arrow” is not the red magnetic needle.

For more detailed information refer to the compass’ owner’s manual.

Let’s define some important terminology.

• Bearing: The direction to an object is the bearing. Bearing information is expressed in degrees such as 090° or 320.°
• Heading: The direction one is facing. If the hiker is facing north then the heading would be 000°. If one is going to travel to an object that has a bearing of 120° then the heading could be 120.°

Now that some of the key concepts of a compass have been discussed, the next series of steps will involve applying this information to a map:

• Using a map to first determine a start point and a destination.
• Laying out a track (the hiker’s path through the woods) on the map with a straight edge. Laying out a track gives the hiker the direction need to get to the destination.
• Determine the bearing from the start point to the destination.
• Adjusting the compass to travel a specific bearing to reach the destination.

For this exercise, the western shore of Sunset Lake will be the start point and the destination will be the eastern shore of Colt Lake; see the map in Figure 2.

Figure 2

Figure 2

A straight edge or ruler is used to lay out a track from the start to the destination. (The general direction of travel is indicated by the red arrow.) The track is the desired path through the woods. Do you need to layout a track line? The answer is “No.” One could just “wing it” and estimate the bearing to Colt Lake. That said, in back country navigation, accuracy is important.

In Figure 3, the compass is placed on the map with the clear baseplate aligned along the black line (adjacent to and parallel to the black line.) The compass is placed so that the direction of travel arrow is pointing toward Colt Lake; pointing from start to finish.

Figure 3

Figure 3

In Figure 3, the compass housing (with the bearing information) is rotated so that north (the “N”) of the compass housing is aligned to map north; map north is straight up to the top of the map. In this example the map’s grid lines are used to align the compass housing; red compass lines (in the compass housing) become parallel to map black grid lines. Once adjusted, the compass direction provided is 018°.

At this point the traveler has learned that the direction from Sunset Lake to Colt Lake is 018°.

Note too that bearing information is expressed as three digits, 018° instead of 18°.

In my formal navigation classes, I recommend to my students to double check one’s work. For example, move the compass out of the way and look at the black line drawn on the map. Does the line look as if it is laid out to the north east, does the bearing of 018° make sense?

Now it is time to move from the western shore of Sunset lake to the destination.

As shown in Figure 4, hold the compass at waist level. The base plate and direction of travel arrow should be perpendicular to the body.

Figure 4

Figure 4

With the compass adjusted to 018°, turn left or right and watch the red magnetic needle move. Continue turning until the red magnetic needle aligns directly on top of the red orienting arrow of the compass housing. With the two red components aligned the compass is now pointed in the direction of travel (018°.)

With the compass aligned and held as discussed above, the hiker should

• Use the direction of travel arrow essentially as a sighting tool; pointing in the desired bearing of 018°.
• Look down range (on the bearing of 018°) and sight on a distant object such as a single tree or land feature several hundred yards away.
• Using the feature as a landmark, walk straight to the object without using the compass. On arrival sight on another object, repeating the process until arrival at the destination. This process is akin to leapfrogging through the woods along the line of bearing to reach your destination. It also keeps you moving in a generally straight direction as you move forward.
• Note that in featureless terrain, a hiking partner can move downrange several hundred yards. To keep the partner on track, his position left or right of the line of bearing can be adjusted by hand signals or voice commands.

References that I frequently use are:

www.landnavigation.org

Staying Found, The Complete Map & Compass Handbook by June Fleming

Blake Miller has made a career out of staying found and knowing where he is at all times. His formal navigation training began when he joined the U.S. Navy in 1973. He served as an officer aboard several Navy ships over his

Blake Miller

twenty-year career; many of those tours included the duty of Navigator. Blake began working with satellite navigation systems at sea in 1976, culminating with the then-new satellite positioning systems aboard the Battleship WISCONSIN in early 1990.

In 1998 Blake started Outdoor Quest, a business dedicated to backcountry navigation and wilderness survival. Blake has taught classes to wild land firefighters, state agency staffs, Search and Rescue team members, hunters, hikers, skiers, fishermen and equestrians. He regularly teaches classes through the Community Education programs at Central Oregon (Bend) and Chemeketa (Salem, OR) Community Colleges.

As a volunteer, Blake teaches navigation and survival classes to students in the local school districts, and conservation groups. He is a member of a Search and Rescue team.

If you have any questions about land navigation or wilderness survival, you can contact Blake through SurvivalCommonSense.com@gmail.com, or you can go to his website.

Contact Information:

Website: www.outdoorquest.biz

Blog: outdoorquest.blogspot.com

Phone: 541-280-0573

Email: outdrquest@aol.com

To hear the Blake Miller interview about choosing a magnetic compass and GPS on SurvivalCommonSense.com Radio, click here.

For more navigation information, click here

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The older couple at the Swampy Lakes trailhead, a few miles outside Bend, Oregon,  didn’t have any maps or survival gear at all, were unsure how to put on their snowshoes and were reluctant to take the firestarter and matches I offered them. From their inadequate clothing and  lack of preparation, it was obvious they were tourists visiting Central Oregon and had no clue of the potential danger.

In 2006, less than six miles from where they stood, a veteran snowmobiler had died when an unexpected blizzard had blown in.

Click here to visit Peter Kummerfeldt's website!

“We’re not going to do any of that survival stuff,” the woman said. “We’re only going out for a little while.”  – Leon

by Peter Kummerfeldt

Many things get people in trouble when they venture into the outdoors, including lack of preparedness, not paying attention to the weather, accidents etc. More commonly, it is the  attitude toward our safety that is the precursor to a life threatening event occurring.

How many times have you said to yourself or have heard others say, I am just, as in I am just going to walk up the ridge and see if I can see a deer, or I am just going to be out for fifteen minutes,” or perhaps “I am just going to run down to the store.”

I believe these three little words I am just get more people into trouble than any other three little words I can think of!

Most commonly you don’t verbalize these words out loud, but say them to yourself, silently ─ which is even more dangerous. Many times you are not even conscious of your decision to leave your gear behind. Unconsciously you already have made the decision to leave it because I am just…  When spoken out loud there always is the chance that someone, upon hearing you say, I am just will step in and remind you of the importance of always taking your emergency clothing and equipment with you ─ even though the possibility of having to spend an unplanned night out is remote.

When nothing looks familiar, and every direction seems to be the same, STOP and think about what to do next!

 It is easy to convince yourself that nothing life threatening will happen ─ after all you are “just…”   When you use the word “just,” you are convincing yourself that the weather will remain pleasant, that no accident will happen, that you will not get lost, or that you will be able to get back before dark!

You are saying to yourself that you don’t need to carry your daypack with your emergency gear and warm clothing because you won’t need it ─ you are “just…”

It also is easy to rationalize away the need to always carry your backup clothing and emergency equipment. As the years ago by, one hunting season follows another, and you have yet to spend that unplanned night out, the temptation to reduce the weight of the daypack you are carrying by leaving your survival kit at home, can be very attractive.

As you look to the mountains in anticipation of having to ascend on foot and hunt at higher altitudes, it is natural to want to lighten your load and leave behind those pieces of equipment that you have seldom, if ever, used.  Sometimes it is “space” or the lack of it, which causes you to decide to leave items behind that you should take.

Most often, it’s the short trips that get you in trouble!  After all, I was just…  You get complacent.  Nothing life threatening ever has happened in the past and so it is easy to  convince yourself that it won’t happen in the future and if it does you can handle it ─ whatever “it” is!   Ignoring the possibility of finding yourself in a survival situation is like playing Russian roulette.  Falling victim to the I am just… syndrome is like playing Russian roulette with five out of six chambers loaded!

 History is replete with examples of those finding themselves in trouble who, after being rescued from some horrendous situation, said I was just…

This trash can liner can provide a quick emergency shelter. (Peter Kummerfeldt photo)

Several years ago in Oregon an older man left his camp one evening ─ he was just going to walk down to the end of the ridge and see if he could spot an elk.  The following morning was the opening day of elk season.  He never returned and despite an extensive search he was not found alive.

Ten days later his body, partially buried under snow, was discovered by other hunters.  His emergency gear consisted of a .357 Magnum pistol and thirty seven rounds of ammunition, which he had used to try to signal his hunting partners.

Thirty-six of the thirty-seven cartridges had been fired, but were never heard by either his partners or those that searched for him.  He had tried to shelter himself by drawing two log ends together and laying slabs of bark on top of the logs to provide a crude roof.  His clothing, a mixture of cotton and wool, failed to provide the protection he needed from the environmental conditions he encountered.

Physiologically he died from hypothermia, but it also could be said that he died because he had rationalized away the need to carry any additional emergency gear.

Equipment that might have prevented the situation from developing in the first place – a map, compass or a GPS Receiver.  Equipment that he could have used to increase his protection from cold temperatures, precipitation and wind-chill.  Equipment that he could have used to attract the attention of the rescuers that were looking for him – a mirror, whistle, survival radio or 406 MHz emergency beacon.

He was “just going to walk to the end of the ridge, look for an elk and then return to camp!

The words “I am just” when spoken out loud or silently should be considered a red flag warning!

When you say them yourself or hear others say them ─ STOP!  The trap is being set! Continuing on only will spring the trap and once you are in it, there may be no escape.   Without adequate clothing, without basic survival equipment (reliable fire starting devices, waterproof, windproof sheltering materials, a signal mirror and whistle), without the ability to build a fire or signal to others, survival depends on an individuals tenacity to live, their ability to improvise what they need and luck – sometimes that’s not enough!

As you contemplate what you should have with you as you begin a trip – even a short one, don’t use the words I am just…

Peter Kummerfeldt has walked the talk in the wilderness survival field for decades. Peter grew up in Kenya, East Africa and came to America in 1965 and joined the U.S. Air Force. He is a graduate of the Air Force Survival Instructor Training School and has served as an instructor at the Basic Survival School, Spokane, Washington; the Arctic Survival

Peter Kummerfeldt has taught wilderness survival for more than 40 years, all over the world in different environments.

School, Fairbanks, Alaska, and the Jungle Survival School, Republic of the Philippines.

For twelve years, Peter was the Survival Training Director at the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado. He retired from the Air Force in 1995 after 30 years of service.

In 1992, concerned with the number of accidents that were occurring in the outdoors annually and the number of tourists traveling overseas who were involved in unpleasant and sometimes life-threatening incidents Peter created OutdoorSafe.com

He is the author of Surviving a Wilderness Emergency and has addressed over 20,000 people as the featured speaker at numerous seminars, conferences and national conventions.

Check out Peter’s blog at: OutdoorSafe.blogspot.com

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

How accurate is your GPS? Really?

When you hear or read that your GPS is accurate to 15 meters, just what does that mean to you in the backcountry?

by Blake Miller

This is a frequent question in my GPS land navigation class.

Today, a GPS receiver is accurate to the design specifications of the model.  Generally, a GPS is accurate to plus or minus 15 meters (a circle with a 15 meter radius or 30 meters in diameter.)

Many models offer more accuracy through the technology of the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS); three meters is possible.  (Note: To take advantage of WAAS that option must be “enabled” in the setup function of the main menu.)

There are several factors that contribute to the accuracy of the signal data received and geographic coordinates displayed.  These include:

• Number of satellite signals being received
• Multi-path interference (signals reflected off a surface, yet still being received)
• The age of the unit and antenna model/type
• Receiver sensitivity
• Atmospherics (such as solar flares and sun spot activity)

To counter the factors listed above, the wilderness traveler has only a few options and these include:

• Buying a new unit
• Relocate to an area with a clear sky view (get away from trees).
• Give the receiver more time to capture and process the satellite signal

Giving a receiver the time to capture and process data received is especially true with the older models.

For example,  I have students attending my classes bringing in the older Garmin 12, Garmin Etrek Summit, Magellan 315 and Magellan Sport Track.  These are old, but functional, usable models that will definitely get one back to the truck or trail head.

My recommendation is to give the receiver the time to do the job; this could be five minutes.  (If it takes longer than 5 minutes you may have a problem with the receiver.) 

Remember, with the older models, if your travel over 50 miles from the location where the unit was last used, it will take more than five minutes to “re-initialize;” check the owner’s manual.

No matter what the age of the GPS receiver is, my recommendation is to consider that the traveler is moving down a lane in the backcountry.

A GPS provides a lane of accuracy.

In the example to the left, the hiker will be somewhere in the lane traveling from “start” to “elk camp.”  At one moment in time the hiker may very well be in the center of the lane but a short time later his actual position will shift ahead, to the side and so on.

I understand that this may not be as “spot on” as some would like, but overall, the GPS will provide adequate information to reach the destination.

Depending on the model, I’ve found GPS compass information to be variable.  Rather than use the GPS compass/electronic compass information exclusively, I’ll use my magnetic compass too.

GPS compass

 

Don’t rush navigation.  Navigation deserves the time, patience and attention to detail as does any other skill of the backcountry.

Blake Miller has made a career out of staying found and knowing where he is at all times. His formal navigation training began when he joined the U.S. Navy in 1973. He served as an officer aboard several Navy ships over his

Blake Miller

twenty-year career; many of those tours included the duty of Navigator. Blake began working with satellite navigation systems at sea in 1976, culminating with the then-new satellite positioning systems aboard the Battleship WISCONSIN in early 1990.

In 1998 Blake started Outdoor Quest, a business dedicated to backcountry navigation and wilderness survival. Blake has taught classes to wild land firefighters, state agency staffs, Search and Rescue team members, hunters, hikers, skiers, fishermen and equestrians. He regularly teaches classes through the Community Education programs at Central Oregon (Bend) and Chemeketa (Salem, OR) Community Colleges.

As a volunteer, Blake teaches navigation and survival classes to students in the local

school districts, and conservation groups. He is a member of a Search and Rescue team.

 

If you have any questions about land navigation or wilderness survival, you can contact Blake through SurvivalCommonSense.com@gmail.com, or you can go to his website.

Contact Information:

Website: www.outdoorquest.biz

Blog: outdoorquest.blogspot.com

Phone: 541-280-0573

Email: outdrquest@aol.com

To hear the Blake Miller interview about choosing a magnetic compass and GPS on SurvivalCommonSense.com Radio, click here.

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

Click here to visit Peter Kummerfelt's website!

I met survival expert Peter Kummerfeldt during one of his “Myths of Survival” presentations at the Central Oregon Sportsmans Show several years ago. With no idea of who this guy was, or his abilities, I sat in on the seminar out of curiosity.

At the end of the hour-long session, I followed Peter back to his booth and plied him with questions. That night, I went home and threw away several items that had been part of my backcountry survival gear for years. Peter is the epitome of common sense survival, and he speaks from decades of experience. Here is one of his best presentations! – Leon

by Peter Kummerfeldt

Much of the information available to people who want to learn more about survival and surviving is based on material that is outdated and in some cases, totally incorrect. Unfortunately, early outdoor writers created a problem for those  interested in learning how to survive a wilderness emergency today.  Techniques and procedures that were once state-of-the-art are no longer valid.  Some of what was once thought of as an appropriate method is now not only inappropriate, but in some cases, dangerous.

The times have changed.  The needs of a recreationist who gets lost today are different from the needs of the mountainmen who trapped beaver in the American west and lived off the land while doing so.  The individual who gets in trouble today is unlikely to have devoted sufficient time to practicing survival skills; is unlikely to have clothed and equipped him or herself adequately; and, consequently, is unlikely to be able to spend a night out without great discomfort.  Skills that were once second nature can no longer be counted on when difficulties arise.  Even a once commonplace skill, such as striking a match to light a fire, is no longer commonplace.

If you were to open some of the currently available “how-to-survive” books you would find techniques and procedures that date back to those who survived by manufacturing what they needed from the resources on hand.

The question is “How appropriate are these techniques and procedures today?”In many cases they are not!   However, despite the passing of time, the fact that the advice given is still in printed form, implies that the information must still be valid.

In many cases it is not!

New and better procedures have developed.  New equipment is available.The result of all of this misinformation is that inexperienced people who find themselves in trouble today still believe that they can rub sticks together and start a fire.  They believe that a waterproof, wind proof shelter can be built from natural materials.  They believe that they can live off the land until they are rescued.  It must be so – it’s in the book!

Many current, popular outdoor press writers perpetuate the problem.  Much of the rubbish that is published would never be published if the writer (or the editor) first went out and tested the procedures they write about.  Instead they go to their bookshelf, remove a survival or woods lore book written fifty years ago, extract from it some procedure used by Jim Bridger to build a fire and present it once again as if the procedure is still valid today.  Sometimes it is, but most often it isn’t.

More confusion results from the contemporary experiences of those who survived traumatic incidents.  They quickly become the newest “survival expert!”  They survived, therefore, what they did to survive must be valid!  Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn’t.  Sometimes, people survive despite what they did.  They got lucky!

Many myths, misconceptions and misunderstandings still exist today. As a result, the inexperienced  person who, when confronted with a night out in the bush, experiences unnecessary discomfort, hardship, injury and sometimes death because of their reliance on antiquated information.

The following is a short discussion of some of the more blatant myths and misconceptions commonly found in print today.

Firecraft: Building and maintaining a fire is fundamental to surviving. Were you to believe the advice given in most survival literature, producing heat and light is easy.  Simply rub sticks together and – Presto! – you have fire.  Nothing can be further from the truth.

Without considerable practice and prior preparation producing fire by rubbing sticks together is impossible!  Even with practice and preparation starting a fire by rubbing sticks together can be very difficult! When rubbing sticks together was the primary way to produce a fire, the necessary pieces were carried by the user, much as we today would carry a BIC lighter or a match.

The use of a magnifying lens is another fire starting method that is more myth than reality.  The writers of the articles would have you believe that tinder can be ignited using the lens from your eye glasses.  Or that you can remove the glass lenses from your camera or binocular and then using the lens, focus a beam of sunlight onto the tinder until it ignites.

The writers talk of “shaving and shaping a piece of ice into a lens” and then using it to ignite the tinder!  This begs the question: “When do you need a fire?”  Not on a bright sunny day in the middle of summer, but on a cold wintry day when the sun is low on the southern horizon or as the sun is about to set or the storm about to break and your spouse or child is dying from hypothermia!

Carrying a magnifying glass to start a fire makes no sense when there are other much more reliable devices that can be depended on.

Cigarette lighters have been often touted as a piece of equipment that should be carried in your survival kit.  Cigarette lighters are difficult to light when your hands have lost their dexterity, they do not perform well under cold conditions or at higher altitudes and if dropped into a fire accidentally, they explode sending shrapnel in every direction!

Matches come in many forms and to the unknowing they may all look alike.  Another trap!  What do the words “safety,” “strike anywhere,” “stormproof,” and “waterproof” really mean?

Two plastic match containers have been taped together. One holds cotton balls and petroleum jelly, and the other carries REI Stormproof matches. A Boy Scout Hot Spark is taped to the kit.

In each case there are significant survival ramifications!

“Safety” means the match can only be ignited using the striker on the side of the box from which the match was removed – they may not work on the striker of another  box!

The words “strike anywhere” would lead us to believe that the match could be literally “struck anywhere!  Nothing could be further from the truth.  While these matches do not need the matchbox striker to be ignited, finding a suitable substitute is not always possible

“Stormproof” matches are less susceptible to wind and water than other matches but are often hard to light and quickly wear out the matchbox striking surface.

“Waterproof” matches are coated with a lacquer-like material which must be worn through before the striking surface of the matchbox comes in contact with flammable material on the match head.  Every time a match head is scraped across the striking surface, the lacquer is deposited on that striking surface and will eventually (before you run out of matches) so contaminate the surface that other matches will not light.

Sheltering: Confusion exists about the kinds of shelters built to protect those that ventured in the outdoors to hunt, fish, backpack etc.  and those needed by a survivor.

This trash can liner can provide a quick emergency shelter. (Peter Kummerfeldt photo)

Most survivors first become aware of the need for shelter as it begins to rain or as the sun  sets over the western horizon.  Most survivors are dehydrated and possibly hypothermic as they begin their survival experience! Some are injured.

Could they build a lean-to or debris hut?  I doubt it!

Building a shelter from natural materials is possible if time allows, if there are plenty of natural materials available, if the survivor has practiced building an emergency shelter previously; if cutting tools (knife or saw) are available and if the survivor is uninjured!

But lacking time, skill, natural resources, tools and the use of both hands building a windproof, waterproof shelter from natural materials becomes impossible.

It is wiser to carry waterproof material with you. Carry large plastic bags or tarps that you can crawl into or crawl under to protect yourself rather than trying to build one of the many survival shelters shown in the books.

Bags or blankets made from Mylar plastic are the most commonly carried survival shelter material and the most useless in an emergency! (Editor’s note: I had carried two Mylar blankets for years – they were among the equipment I trashed!)

This material is difficult to remove from the container!  Mylar plastic bags and blankets are difficult to unfold; (especially if you were injured and only have the use of one hand) The blankets are generally too small to adequately protect an adult; two hands are required to hold the blanket around you; Mylar plastic is very noisy when the material is pulled over your head (you can’t hear the rescuers) and  tears very easily when  nicked or  punctured.

Signaling: In addition to staying alive, a survivor’s greatest need is to be rescued as quickly as possible and to do that they must be able to indicate to others that they are in trouble and need help.

Once again the books, manuals and magazine articles are full of nonsense.  Three fires placed in a triangle, wetting a slab of wood to form a reflective surface and other labor intensive, less-than-effective procedures are commonly featured in survival literature.  With the equipment available today, inexpensive, effective devices are available with which to signal.

Survival medicine: Defined as the medicine that survivors would administer to themselves or to others that were with them, survival medicine is another area where many myths, misconceptions and misunderstanding exist.

Unlike the medical community, who are required to attend Continual Medical Education training annually,  those who recreate or work in the outdoors have no such requirement.  Their knowledge of medicine and medical practice is based on first aid courses they may have taken and once again on what they read in the popular outdoor press – which may or may not be current.

For example,  there are many who still believe that “cut and suck” is the standard treatment for snakebite! (Editor’s note: My snakebite kit also was trashed!) Some still think that the treatment for a frostbite injury is to rub the frozen tissue with snow!  Still others are reluctant to render aid to a lightning strike victim for fear that they will be electrocuted when they touch the victim!

Much confusion exists over how long water should be boiled before it can be consumed safely!  The treatment of hypothermia is another area where the knowledge of the non-medical community lags far behind the current standards of practice as advocated by the Wilderness Medical Society.  Remember – you may be the patient and your own doc!

To survive an emergency is difficult but not impossible if the survivor is prepared.  That preparation must be based on good information, selecting your clothing  and equipment carefully and practicing your survival skills.

Select your “experts” carefully. Read widely and compare the recommendations that are given.  What worked for one may or may not work for you.

Select procedures and techniques that work under a wide variety of conditions – procedures and techniques that work for you.  Just because you are told something works, don’t accept it until you have tested it in the field.

Peter Kummerfeldt has taught wilderness survival for more than 40 years, all over the world, in different environments.

Peter Kummerfeldt has walked the talk in the wilderness survival field for decades. Peter grew up in Kenya, East Africa and came to America in 1965 and joined the U.S. Air Force. He is a graduate of the Air Force Survival Instructor Training School and has served as an instructor at the Basic Survival School, Spokane, Washington; the Arctic Survival School, Fairbanks, Alaska, and the Jungle Survival School, Republic of the Philippines.

For twelve years, Peter was the Survival Training Director at the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado. He retired from the Air Force in 1995 after 30 years of service.

In 1992, concerned with the number of accidents that were occurring in the outdoors annually and the number of tourists traveling overseas who were involved in unpleasant and sometimes life-threatening incidents Peter created Outdoorsafe.com

He is the author of Surviving a Wilderness Emergency and has addressed over 20,000 people as the featured speaker at numerous seminars, conferences and national conventions .

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com

A 68-year-old man died in a sleeping bag in his truck after he got stuck in the snow while camping in February and kept a log of nearly 70 days spent apparently stranded in east Linn County’s high country, authorities said today. To read the complete story, click here.

Let’s hope we can all learn from tragedies.

In this case, apparently nobody knew the victim was missing. Here’s a video about leaving a note before you go anywhere to make sure something like this doesn’t happen to you!

For more related SurvivalCommonSense.com tips and stories, click on the highlighted words:

• STOP: Use this exercise to reduce stress and focus your thoughts.
• Take your Ten Essentials on every outing.
• Dress with the right fabrics.
• Have a plan to make a tarp shelter.
• Carry lightweight, compact firestarter.
• Find the most effective fire ignition system.
• How to make charcloth, a material that can catch a spark from any source.
• Use charcloth as an effective method of catching a spark to make a fire.
• It can kill you: Hypothermia
• Hardtack: A great emergency food
• About Leon Pantenburg

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com