Bushwhacking Basics

[Simon Kenton]

I’m beginning to explore the forested regions in the Northeast. Coming from the Mountain West, getting a bearing was easier because of high peaks and sparse trees. The forests up here are more dense than I’m accustomed to. I’m reading Kjellstrom’s “Be Expert with Map and Compass” and practicing in my backyard (a small preserve) with a GPS as a fallback. I subscribe to CalTopo so I have a good method for printing maps.

However, I’d like to ping the community for their tips, advice, and links (thanks in advance to Ken and Link). I tried a BPL search but it didn’t do anything. Literally. I hit search and it brought me back to the same search page.

 

This was brought on because I was hiking the Bigelow Range Trail in Maine last weekend and I saw some very cool areas to explore, which, naturally, have no trails to them.

[David Thomas]

In Alaskan, there’s a lot of brush (mostly alder, but also Devil’s Club and some wild roses) between treeline and the alpine terrain above.

So if I’m going up to a peak off-trail, I bring a long-sleeve shirt and long pants, regardless of the weather.  Light gloves, like some of the new synthetic work gloves sold at Home Depot are helpful for climbing uphill through the brush as I grab unto alders and such.  Because one time out of thousand, due to slipping or inattention, I’ll grab the spiky stalk of a Devil’s Club.

If you pick the easiest way to the saddle on a ridge, you often find yourself on a game trail. They’re a little short for a human, but easier to travel on than a random path through the foliage.  Nothing much to worry about in Maine, but in Glacier NP, Alaska, Yukon, make a lot of noise if there might be brown bears around.

[Ken Thompson]

http://sectionhiker.com/53-bushwhacking-tips-for-off-trail-navigation/

[Lester Moore]

+1 on David’s suggestions. Having light, breathable and abrasion-resistant long shirt and pants, along with a beefy backpack and cheap protective gloves are worth the extra weight and bulk if you’re doing lots of bushwhacking. If Maine is anything like the Appalachian ridges in Western PA, where I did a lot of deer hunting growing up, then choosing the least bushy route (big timber is best) and looking for game trails really saves a lot of sweat, cuts, bruises and time. And watch out for those slippery leaves on the ground in Fall that hide all the small rocks and logs – landing hard on your butt coming down a steep hillside is not very fun.

[Simon Kenton]

I’m in the process of trying to find lightweight durable pants. I have a pair of schoeller pants but they are too form fitting to be comfortable in temperatures above 50F. Plus they are about as heavy as my Prana Zions.

I think I am going to try these:

https://www.simmsfishing.com/shop/pants-shorts/bugstopper-pant.html

But at 6.4oz, I’m questioning their durability.

For the upper body, I have an OR Echo l/s and a BD Alpine Start. I think that combo will be sufficiently durable.

 

Loving the tips, thanks guys!

 

[Paul Wagner]

I’d only add that it makes sense to take a look at your pack as well.  Anything hanging on the outside of it will probably end up in the bushes somewhere about a mile back….and it will stay there forever.

Clean up and put everything inside!

[Simon Kenton]

I love my 4400 HMG Porter and after scrambling and dragging it on granite to avoid icy trail last weekend (won’t forget microspikes next time), I know it’ll get the job done for most of what I can throw at it. I’ve never really been a fan of pack pockets, I’m too paranoid that I’ll lose something even while walking on the trail!

 

*Disclaimer: my wife works for HMG.

[Anonymous]

“Clean up and put everything inside!”

+1 Including your bear canister. If you carry poles, make sure they are a 3 section collapsible that type that doesn’t protrude above your pack. If they do protrude a little, stow them so that the excess length hangs hangs down below the back of your pack.
Same goes for ice ax. This is usually achieved by stowing the poles/ax upside down, handles of the poles/head of the ax up top.

+1 to the work gloves. Shaking hands with “The Devil” bare handed is a mistake seldom repeated.

Take extra batteries fro your GPS, enough extra food for a day, and a good first aid kit.

[David Thomas]

“I’m in the process of trying to find lightweight durable pants. “

Looks like Patagonia has, sometime in the last 31 years, changed the fabric in their “baggie pants”.  They used to be 41% nylon, 38% poly, and 21% cotton.  And they were incredible tough without having a “synthetic-y” feel to them.  I’ve crashed through brush, against rocks and watched a companion take a fall on metal-edged mountaineering skis and shave the hair off his leg through the pants without damaging the pants at all.  And 31 years later, I’m still using them.  They are now all nylon which may well be as tough, but that bit of cotton (while, I realize not so good when wet) did make them feel more comfortable.

Gramicci makes some thin nylon pants that are okay.  Lightweight, yes.  Great mobility due to the gusseted crotch and generally loose cut.  Reasonably tough.  But thin than some other options and after 6-8 years, I wear through them.

[Justin Baker]

Gloves – very important, as well as eye protection. For the hot and dry weather we get out here, I prefer cheap cotton pants and a cotton button up shirt. Nylon button up shirts don’t breathe well and knit poly shirts aren’t as durable, so woven cotton seems to be the best.

[Simon Kenton]

The mention of Patagonia baggies makes me think of supplex nylon. I have a few pairs of baggies shorts, one worn for over a thousand trail miles last year and you can’t even tell, besides that it has little-to-no DWR left.

 

I think I’ll stay away from cotton as it took a few hours to dry my schoeller pants last weekend after a slip on some ice. But the sunglasses are a good mention. I only ever buy cheap pairs for hiking and they are usually always thrashed in short order. I guess that’s just the nature of the game?

I’ll be sure not to leave home without my gorilla gloves. Another item I probably would’ve overlooked. Invaluable information all around! Thanks again.

[Roger Caffin]

Pants: Taslan/Supplex is the bees’ knees – see my MYOG articles on pants and windshirt. But finding them in the shops … very hard as they aren’t fashion items. Instead, try cheap $10 nylon track pants from the cheap end of the market. They may not last as long, but at that price …

Navigation: practice, and practice. We have the same problems here in Oz: you can’t see through the scrub. We use contours and creeks and the landforms. We don’t use a GPS, as it can get you INTO trouble – especially when it goes wrong.

Gloves: oh yes, in some country, or scrub, definitely! We have Lawyer Vine – you can figure that one out yourself. Yes, it has barbs.

Packs, and outside pockets: never EVER use the outside pockets. The mesh gets shredded and the contents get lost. Some ‘popular’ tracks here can be followed by the shredded blue foam mat bits along their length.

Cheers

 

[Steven McAllister]

I have done my share of bushwacking in shorts in the past, only because I didn’t think I was going to go bushwacking, but something changed my mind.

I want to emphasize that nothing should be dangling from you or your pack or it will get snagged and possibly get lost.

Long pants and long sleeves are not only necessary for protection from thorny plants, but it is also far more common to disrupt a bee/hornets nest while bushwacking than you would trail hiking, and not just in the North East.

Wearing a wide brimmed hat with chin strap.Wide brimmed to help deflect brush from your face. And the chin strap helps keep your hat on when it would otherwise be yanked from your head to end up falling down some steep slope.

[Roger Caffin]

And if the hat is made from solid material, you can put your head down and charge.
No, I am not kidding.

Cheers

 

[Simon Kenton]

I hadn’t even thought of a wide brimmed hat. Good thing there is post in the gear deals forum for a cheap one from Costco.

 

Thanks again to to everyone who contributed to this thread. I feel more prepared for my next outing.

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

I was going to say for Bushwacking bring loppers and a saw. And gloves and eyewear. But it sounds like you are seeking info on how to navigate with map and compass in a place without a view? I have no idea myself.

[Andrew Srna]

Paul- some good advice here for sure, I saw a couple good videos that could help with navigating your terrain, mostly by being aware and changing how you see whats around in correlation to your maps. Check out some of dave canterburys videos via the pathfinder school. He does a pretty good job of explaining things like handrails and backstops in your navigating.

[Cameron M]

It is easy to get turned around, losing sight of where you thought you were going, climbing around bushes and trees, etc. I find it too much hassle constantly pulling out a real compass, and I don’t like being a slave to my iPhone GPS. So I carry a little button compass on my wristwatch to help keep me generally going in the right direction.

[Billy Ray]

Like others have said, long sleeves & long pants.

Follow the animal trails. You’re a visitor. They live there 24/7/365 and know what they are doing. If the tree cover is heavy your GPS may not work very well… or at all. Take your time to notice the terrain and check your compass frequently… You may not have distinct landmarks to orient with your compass, but make sure you understand what direction the ridge or gully you are following goes… and turns… you build a terrain knowledge base from the beginning of the hike and as you go… minute by minute. In other words, don’t wait until you get confused or lost to start noticing things.

Billy

[Billy Ray]

I would add to keep in mind that humans learned to navigate that kind of terrain dependably long before maps, compass or GPS.

Learn to build a 3d model/understanding of the terrain in your mind as you go… that is the primary skill to learn and augment with compass and map… not the other way around. It takes some practice but in no time you will gain confidence.

billy

[HkNewman]

Tougher hiking or approach shoes as my trail runners took a beating (no need for high ankle stuff as long as you wear gaiters IMHO). Some tougher gaiters even in shin high cats-claw, I was wishing for those in the Chihuahuan desert last year (right behind where my current avatar pic is btw). Regular pants in nylon would have worked but massively snagged.

Already mentioned- having mesh pockets on a pack won’t do for bushwacks. Sounds like you got it solved with the HMG, but an old Jam or similar design by Zimmerbuilt would work too.

Gloves and eye protection +1. Some of the thorny plants love to whip back.

[Alex H]

I agree with building a “terrain knowledge” that has been mentioned above.  One part of that is to turn around from time to time and see what it looks like behind you, where you came from.  Good study of the map well before hand to familiarize yourself to the major landmarks, landforms and which way things are oriented (ridges, streams, etc.)

[Simon Kenton]

Wow, this thread is more than I hoped for! Really helpful stuff that I couldn’t have thought up on my own. Many thanks to all who have contributed.

[Roger Caffin]

too much hassle constantly pulling out a real compass, and I don’t like being a slave to my iPhone GPS. So I carry a little button compass on my wristwatch

I tried a number of those little button compasses, but none of them were reliable. They all jammed far too easily – and you might not notice that it has jammed.

I find the idea that getting a compass out could be ‘too much hassle’ somewhat strange. There have been plenty of times we have travelled for a few hours in forested plateau country with my compass in my hand. Sue goes in front and I steer her from behind. That has also been done in thick fog when XC skiing. It can be quite accurate, if done with some regard to landforms.

If you want to survive, you have to learn to navigate with a compass.

Cheers

[Cameron M]

“I tried a number of those little button compasses, but none of them were reliable. They all jammed far too easily – and you might not notice that it has jammed.”

They work fine in North America. Perhaps they don’t like being held upside-down in places that are on the other side of the earth? :)

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