
Navigation and Survival
The basic tools for navigation are a map, log sheet, accurate odometer, and
compass. For thousands of years explorers have been using these tools to explore
the earth. You will probably question that odometers have been used for thousands of
years, but they have. Instead of modern tires turning on the road and a recording
device on the dashboard, early explorers used there feet and beads on a string to
keep track of distance. A new space age tool has also been added, the global
positioning system (GPS). The GPS does not eliminate the need for maps and a log book, but it
coordinates with the map precisely to let you know your location at all times. It also
can act as a very precise compass, that is not affected by your vehicles magnetic
characteristics
Maps, guide books, and the knowledge of locals are your sources to find
interesting routes to explore in your Land Rover Product. Study the maps and guide
books at home and hi-lite your chosen route on the map.
MAPS:
The best maps that I have found are the U.S. Forest Service 1:125,000 (1 inch
equals 2 miles), that cover a complete National Forest. They show all of the main
roads, most of the backcountry roads, and most of the hiking trails. They also list the
areas that are open to motorized travel. They do not show contour lines, but the major
geographic features are shown. The Bureau of Land Management also offers similar
maps of their lands. Forest Service and BLM maps are available for a fee at local and
regional offices.
The 1:50,000 (1 inch equals 4,000 feet) county map series and the 1:50,000
USGS topo maps are excellent for vehicle travel. These are topographic maps that
show roads, trails, and all topographic features. They are also a new map series that
is up to date. The USGS 7.5 minute quadrangle maps 1:24,000 (1 inch equals 2,000
feet) are good for hiking or vehicle travel if you are interested in fine detail of a small
area, but they cover too small an area for general vehicle travel. This is a very old map
series that has not been updated in many years. USGS maps are available at
sporting good stores and from the USGS.
Eastern Distribution Branch | Western Distribution Branch |
U.S. Geological Survey | U.S. Geological Survey |
1200 S. Each St. | Box 25286, Federal Center |
Arlington, VA 22202 | Denver, CO 80225 |
GUIDE BOOKS:
Guide books and the four wheel drive magazines are a great source of
information on four wheel drive routes. They usually tell the location, degree of
difficulty, and history of the various trails that the author has explored. Here are a few
sources that we have used.
US Forest Service Guide To Your National Forest. Publication #FS 418 is free if you
write to:
USFS
P.O. Box 96090
Washington, DC 20090-6909
The BLM also offers a free National Recreation Guide, but remember to tell them you
are interested in off highway vehicle travel when you write.
BLM Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20240
Stewart Green offers a guide book to BLM lands.
Falcon Press
P.O. Box 1718
Helena, MT 59624
(406) 442-6597
Many state outdoor recreation departments offer maps and guides. Contact each state
you plan to visit for the availability of this information.
Pass Patrol offers excellent guides that cover Colorado and Utah.
Pass Patrol
P.O. Box 460460
Aurora, CO 80046-0460
(303) 341-5705
A good book covering Colorado's high country passes is Don Koch's The Colorado
Pass Book (Pruett Publishing Company, Boulder, Colorado). This is available in
bookstores in Colorado.
Harry Lewellyn's Back Road Trips and Tips covers trails in Southern California and
Baja California. This guide is also an excellent source of information covering
survival, navigation, and four wheeling tips.
Harry Lewellyn
6073 E. Calle Cedro
Anaheim Hills, CA 92807
(714) 998-6636
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE:
After studying the maps and guidebooks the next step is to contact the local
land managers (Forest Service, BLM, or state) and ask about the conditions on the
route that you have chosen. Many mountain areas are impassible until late summer
because of snow, some roads may have been closed or have seasonal restrictions on
travel, and flash floods may have destroyed road sections. Four wheel drive clubs and
shops are also a source of information on possible routes. Many of the current maps
do not show 4 wheel drive trails that are open to travel. You can also ask people you
meet on the route about trail conditions and directions.
COMPASS:
Two good books on the subject are:
Kjellstrom, Bjorn | Randall, Glenn |
Be an Expert with Map & Compass | The Outward Bound |
The Orienteering Handbook | Map and Compass Handbook |
Charles Scribner's Sons | Lyons and Burford Publishers |
New York 1976 | New York 1989 |
Since vehicles are restricted to existing roads and trails the compass is mainly
needed to tell the general direction the vehicle is heading. An orienteering compass
can also be used to give your location if two known landmarks are visible and you
have the proper map. See the above books to learn how to do this.
A hand held compass is affected by metal and electric currents. To get a true
reading you must be at least fifty feet away from your vehicle and not be wearing any
metal objects. A compensated compass (commonly use in air and watercraft) adjusted
to your vehicle will eliminate the need to leave your vehicle to get proper compass
readings.
LOG SHEET:
A log sheet and odometer are used together to record your journey. The
odometer gives your mileage from a known road intersection to each intersection you
encounter along the route. The direction of travel at each intersection is recorded
along with the mileage. A properly written log will allow you to follow the route at a
later date and it will give you directions to retrace your steps (by reversing the
information) if this becomes necessary. The comment section of the log allows you to
note landmarks and signs that are noticed along the route. The wording from signs
are noted in parenthesis.
LOG SHEET EXAMPLE
Miles | Direction | Comment |
0.0 | Left onto Road 547 | (Texas Creek 5 mi Texas Lakes 10 mi) |
15.7 | Right at Y |
22.9 | Right at T | A large dead tree is at the intersection |
ROUTE FOLLOWING:
In order to know where you are at all times you must pay attention to your map
and make sure the number and location of intersections, curves in the road, and
stream crossings are the same as what you are finding on the trail. The distance that
you have travelled from your starting point must agree with the distance that you have
calculated on your map and your direction of travel must also agree with the map (your
compass will confirm this). Forest Service maps indicate road numbers and these are
very helpful in determining your location when the road intersections are marked with
these road numbers. If the map is up to date, you will have little problem finding your
way. If new roads have been added or old roads deleted from the map you will have
to pay close attention and keep a careful record on your log sheet to unravel the maze
of roads that are not on your map. Asking directions from others encountered in the
area can also help.
GPS:
A global positioning system unit can greatly simplify knowing where you are. It
will give you very precise latitude and longitude coordinates that can be transposed on
your map with a scale. This will tell you exactly where you are on the map. A GPS can
also give compass headings that will tell you if you are going the right direction and
altitude.
ALTIMETER:
An altimeter can be used to give your position on a road or trail in mountainous
terrain when coordinated with a topographic map. Contour lines on a topo map
represent a certain elevation above sea level. When your properly adjusted altimeter
gives the same elevation reading as a contour line on your map that intersects the
road or trail you are travelling, you can mark your position on the map. This must be
coordinated with other information (stream crossings, road intersections, and direction
of travel) that you have noted to make sure that you are looking at the right contour line
on the map.
SURVIVAL
A modern four wheel drive vehicle can take you many miles into the back
country in just a few hours. On foot those same miles could take you several days if
you are in good physical shape and the weather conditions are mild (avoid travel
when snow is predicted in the high country). Every person who ventures into the back
country has to face the possibility of their vehicle experiencing a mechanical
breakdown, becoming damaged beyond repair or becoming hopelessly stuck.
If you have regularly serviced your vehicle and repaired any known problems,
the probability of a breakdown is greatly reduced. If you do breakdown it can usually
be repaired with ingenuity and your tool kit.
If you have followed the rules, travelling with a group of vehicles, letting
someone reliable know your route and planned return time, sticking with your plan,
and carrying enough fuel to complete your trip (remember your vehicle gets about one
half the mileage off highway that it does on highway) a serious breakdown or getting
stuck will not become a survival situation. Even if both vehicles become inoperable
and you have followed the rules, you only need to make yourself safe and comfortable
until the person you left your route schedule sends out a rescue party. You may be
able to get help sooner by contacting other people in the area, by CB radio or in
person if they are near by. A cellular phone in many areas can be your rescue link, but
remember this system does not work in most of the west.
To make yourself safe and comfortable you need to be prepared to spend the
night. Preparation means to carry enough food, water (at least 10 gallons per vehicle
when in the desert), warm clothing, a first aid kit, and sleeping gear for each person,
plus your tool kit and recovery gear. Matches, candles, mess kit, tarp (to be used for
shade and shelter from wind and rain), and a small stove should also be part of your
gear. Once the decision to spend the night is made build a fire and make a nice camp.
A good nights rest will make everything seem better in the morning
Stay with your vehicle, it is your support system. All of your supplies are
contained in your vehicle and it is your shelter. Your vehicle is also easily spotted from
the air if a rescue is launched. If you followed the Tread Lightly rules, you will be on a
road where others can find you. Be prepared to signal for help. A bright fire at night
and a smoky one during the day can attract attention. Anything in flashes of three is a
distress signal, honk the horn 3 times, fire 3 gunshots, flash a light beam 3 times, or
flash the reflected light from a mirror 3 times. Flares can attract aircraft as can
messages formed on the ground.
Survival is a mental attitude. The first thing you must do is decide to live. Once
you have decided to live things become easier. Stay cheerful, keep a positive altitude,
evaluate the situation, organize the group, and divide up the work. If you have injured
or sick people in the group administer first aid and keep them warm, hydrated, and
comfortable until your group is rescued.
Dehydration and hypothermia are the biggest killers in the back country. Drink
lots of water and stay warm and dry. Even in rainy weather one can become
dehydrated. You must assume that all of the water in streams and lakes is unfit to
drink unless it is chemically purified, filtered, or boiled for a minimum of five minutes at
sea level.
Add 1 minute of boiling time for every thousand feet you are above sea level. Water is
very difficult to find in the desert and it is the most important item. See the sketch on
how to make a solar still to produce water in the desert.
A true survival situation begins when you have broken all of the rules and you
ventured off with one vehicle into a remote area without telling anyone your travel
plan. Staying with your disabled vehicle is still the best policy. It is easily spotted and
it is your connection with civilization. If you are absolutely positive no one will find you
and you can not contact anyone nearby or by radio. Then you must make the decision
to leave your vehicle. This is a risky undertaking. When you leave the vehicle you
must get oriented, carry a map and compass, follow roads, railroads, fences, or water
to civilization. Cross country travel is very risky. When hiking out pace yourself, carry
water, mark your route, and use common sense. In the desert travel when it is cool
and do not eat much. Dehydration is a quick killer when it is hot.
RECOMMENDED READING
THE SAS SURVIVAL HANDBOOK by John Wiseman
OUTDOOR SURVIVAL SKILLS by Larry Dean Olsen
THE SURVIVAL HANDBOOK by Bill Merrill
SURVIVAL KIT
- Maps of the area and a compass.
- Good first aid kit with directions.
- Shovel.
- Ax or saw.
- Recovery strap with 2 D rings.
- Leather gloves.
- A good hydraulic jack with a plywood base.
- Winch kit if you have a winch.
- A multipurpose fire extinguisher, halon works very well.
- Jumper cables
- Tools and spare parts. See mechanical section.
- Flashlight with spare batteries.
- Swiss Army Knife.
- Matches in a waterproof container.
- Food, enough for each person for at least one day and night.
- Water, water purification tablets, or a water filter.
- Paper towels, toilet paper, and a plastic trash bag.
- Warm clothing for everyone.
- Sleeping bags for everyone.
- A 6 foot X 6 foot plastic tarp.
- A tent and rope.
- A backpacking stove and extra fuel.