Learning to go off-trail and other advanced skills

If you do a youtube search, there are some good videos on map and compass navigation. I recommend carrying a smartphone with a GPS app installed and maps loaded. You don’t need service or even a service plan for it to work, it works off of satellites. This will give you a back up safety net while you are still learning.

The best way to start learning is to hike along a trail and choose a destination off trail. Reach that destination and then return back to the trail. For example, hiking in a high alpine area its fun to explore lakes that are less than a mile off the trail. Following creek drainages is also fun and easy to avoid getting lost.

Different areas have different navigational challenges. For example, in high alpine/mountain environments, its easy to figure out where you are and where you need to go because everything is open and there lots of prominent land features to orient yourself. The real challenge is finding the best way through the challenging terrain. In a dense forest, you don’t have landmarks to orient yourself so you need to rely on your compass more.

I think for you, a good option would be to find a smaller park area that’s small enough that you can never get lost, you will always pop out at the edge near a road. Give yourself some navigational goals (like go from point A to point B ignoring any trails). Try following long terrain features to get you to your goal. A terrain feature could be a creekbed or ridgetop. The biggest part of map and compass work is associating squiggly lines on a map with the terrain. It’s good to take a break at a high place and trying an associate terrain features on the map like ridges or peaks with what you see if front of you. If you can’t associate the terrain you see with the topography on your map, you won’t be able to navigate or figure out your location.

Keep in mind that going off trail requires better balance than on trail and it can be rough on your ankles and knees, so take it easy. If your local area has lots of brush you should consider protection clothing, long pants, long sleeve shirt, work gloves, and gaiters.

Meetup? In my area there are several outdoors groups on Meetup and one of them gets into technical off-trail multi-day excursions. They have an intimidating reputation as the type that will leave you behind if you can’t keep up. You might check your own area for likeminded people.

I agree that getting a GPS app for phone, such as Gaia, will give you a lot of backup confidence.  I still use it occasionally to double check my location.  Start with map and compass and use your phone when not certain.

For building off trail skills, I’d just go on a trip with some moderate off trail stretches. The Sierras and Winds in summer come to mind, or the Escalante in spring or fall. There are two issues for skill growth here which are totally distinct but often found together; navigation and rough terrain. Probably ideal to focus on one at a time, or at least both in controlled doses, where you can bail back to a trail within a half day or so.

For snow travel I’d suck it up, spend the money, and book 2-3 days of private, one or one instruction with a reputable mountaineering guide service. Call them months in advance and outline what you’re looking for and why you want to do it. They should tell you pretty quick if they can accommodate that, and just as importantly when during the year they’ll have appropriate terrain and snow. My assumption would be that somewhere in California or the PacNW would be more likely to do this well than Exum in the Tetons, for example, purely due to terrain.

join an alpine club …

the AAC membership includes some additional overseas rescue insurance i believe

stay away from the “facebook” or “meetup” groups … u want some group thats been around for a while and recognized

;)

Thanks for all the helpful responses!

Justin:  I have a Garmin Dakota 20 that holds its battery life better than my phone does.  But maybe the current phones’ GPS’s work better?  I thought that even though the phone GPS doesn’t need a cell signal to work, that the phone software to access the GPS would require it.  For example, on the road, when I am out of cell range or with a very weak cell signal, my GPS navigation refuses to load.  Is there a way around that?  The Dakota/Garmin works OK for what it is but doesn’t help a lot with on-the-ground details, and has led me astray more than once with inaccurate trail data.  Re: Terrain, most of what I can get to around here is more of the dense forest stuff.  Although one think I’d like to do someday is make my way across some of the un-trailed middle of Guadalupe Mts. NP, which looks pretty gnarly.  Re: balance and clothing, should be fine.

Dena/Eric:  The only Meetup groups I’ve done are groups otherwise well known to me like Sierra Club and ICO.  Will check for others.  AAC in this area appears to be mostly rock climbing, which is probably not an option for me–my fingers are too gimpy.  I always like to read AAC news and stories, though.

David:  I’ve been on-trail in the Sierra (JMT, HST) and I can imagine how taking partial forays off-trail might work.  (I’ve also been gravely–if temporarily–confused while purportedly “on trail” in the Sierra due to social trail networks going wherever!)  Maybe I could look at the eastern Weminuche or thereabouts since that is closer to home.  Re: Snow.  I remember when we were getting ready for JMT there was a Mountain guide who posted courses for people getting ready for the PCT.  As a lifelong Texan, I admit to being spooked by snow and ice, but I just feel like it would open up a lot of options.

It sounds like you all are generally saying that with care if I can go practice starting small and working outwards that I will probably get away with leaving the trail.  Very encouraging!

When I led 9-day backpacking trips for adults in the Sierra, we wouldn’t be very ambitious in miles/day.  Partly it was the 1980’s and I was the only one going UL (which in that era meant 13-16 pound base weight, but that was 1/2 to 1/3 of others’ base weights), and these were people in their 30s to 60s who had day jobs and while they loved to backpack, they only did it that one long week each year.

So after we’d hiked 3-5 miles in the morning, had lunch and done another 3-4 in the early afternoon, we’d be in camp at 2 pm with 7 hours of light still left.  People would fish, nap, read, or (and this is my point) some of us would scramble up the nearest peak or hike over to the next valley.

Doing something similar would let you do a bunch of interesting off-trail day trips with the security of being a short distance from the group at camp, with them knowing you were going to “try for that peak  from the south then descend west back to camp” so if something happened, help would be very close and timely.

Since you’ve already got your base weight down, day trips with a 5-pound day pack (water, sweater, rain gear, lunch) is an awful lot like backpacking with a 20-pound-total-weight pack so the skills and experience would transfer very well to future, extended off-trail trips.

These trips were organized through the local recreation department.  I’ve seen some offered through community schools programs, and the Sierra Club has a bunch of backpacking trips that are mild enough to give hours each day of free time.  Going with a group makes it likely that you could rope in someone else who wanted to do a particular side trip each day.

And consider a wilderness first aid class.  We developed one at the local Red Cross chapter based on their 50-hour, Advanced First Aid class but made it clear it was with a wilderness emphasis.  Their regular course assumes the ambulance is 40 minutes away while we’d focus on using the gear you’d have with you and that you might be on your own for 2-3 days.  So we got more serious backpackers, Scoutmasters, trans-ocean sailors, and ski patrol types.

For the phone GPS, download an app like Gaia.  Then download the map while in coverage.  You phone can pick up GPS fine while out of cell coverage.  If you put your phone on airplane mode, it will last a long time.

If you put your phone on airplane mode, it will last a long time.

Not necessarily, I know mine does not.  Try this at home before first.

all the talk about phones and apps is driving me batty.

make sure you have the navigation skills to go off trail without ANY electronics before attempting to go off trail.

Our local Sierra Club does a lot of base camping and day hiking but not much backpacking.  I assume because backpacking is pretty limited close by.  But I may start asking around to see if there’s any unmet interest in expanding this, or at least experimenting.

I hesitate to trust my phone, or even the Dakota 20.  Maybe it’s my generation?  I feel better with a nice map, compass, and time to think.  Maybe it would be better to go out by myself; when I’m with a group I worry about creating anxiety in others if I want to experiment.  I’ve certainly used the Garmin to good effect in some situations.  But I am starting to realize it’s going to come down to a lot more practice in settings where I can have the freedom to experiment, make mistakes, correct mistakes, and experiment some more.  Guidance from others in that kind of situation may be hard to come by.

I have done WAFA, and WFA a number of times, early on with WMI and more recently with Texas Rope Rescue, which volunteers to do the local Sierra Club WFA’s.  But I am overdue for that, probably ought to get that done for a refresher.

Thanks to you all, I feel more confidence in taking this on.  At least the off-trail part.  Snow/ice still make me “shiver.”

Will try to remember to post a progress report later!

I’m with you Art.  It’s good to have the map and compass skills first.  But the phone GPS is a great backup, especially when learning.

I was not suggesting that you use a gps device as a primary navigation tool, I was suggesting you carry it as a backup tool to help you learn with more confidence.

FWIW my experience with Gaia is that it’s a battery hog. It’s a good app (I use it just to track my distance) but it eats up my phone battery fast. And that’s in Airplane mode. If you want a GPS for backup I’d suggest taking a real one. They last a lot longer and you can carry spare batteries.

I have repeatedly gotten 4+ days on an iPhone 6/7 using Gaia, taking photos and videos. I run it in airplane mode, I’ve got notifications off and I don’t record a track. I’ll check in here and there to confirm I’m reading my paper map correctly every now and then. I drop pins sometimes to note a navigational detail or place I want to return to.

100% agree that you shouldn’t rely on technology. I learned that lesson on the JMT when my phone demanded a new passcode (my employer forces that every 90 days) and then I couldn’t use any apps until I could verify my Apple ID from the top of a pass a couple days later. My paper map and compass don’t require a passcode or a battery.

….If you want a GPS for backup I’d suggest taking a real one. They last a lot longer and you can carry spare batteries.

+1.  I did a test a while back with my Garmin Etrex 20 and got 57 hours on 2 Lithium AA batteries.  A pair of spare batteries weigh 29 gm.

You  might want to look into orienteering. It’s a sport where you navigate by map and compass. I would recommend taking a formal map and compass course with an actual outing where you use those skills. If you get lost, it’s better to do it with other people.

Since it sounds like you have considered traveling to get instruction, I’ll put in a plug for the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Map and Compass weekend in NH. The focus is off-trail navigation, specifically bushwhacking. If you contact the Boston office of the AMC they can let you know when the next one is—unfortunately I think you just missed this year’s, as it tends to happen in October. But it’s an excellent 2-day class with lots of hands-on practice on bushwhacking hikes in the White Mountains. When I took the class a couple years ago there was a wide age-spectrum among the participants.

I am not an ultralighter, but I am someone who has spent much of his life on foot (I am also not much of a car owner).  The easiest way to develop navigational skills and to build confidence is to “get lost” in a city.  Seriously.  Go to a part of town you are not familiar with and walk around without any real destination.  Go for about an hour then try to remember your way back.  Sounds stupid, but it does work.  Soon enough you will be able to intuit direction, distances, and landmarks.

Sam – your idea is somewhat brilliant. an easy way to build awareness, observation skills, and develop a feeling of comfort in unfamiliar areas.

over reliance on electronics tends to do just the opposite of this.

Mina-

Since you have basic map and compass skills, I think right now fear is the only thing holding you back, since you live in central Texas, you could head over to the Lone Star Trail take a bearing from maps and plot a route for off trail travel intersecting one of the many loop trails, this gives you a decent safety net, until you feel comfortable to move on to bigger challenges. No permits are necessary, and you will likely have the woods mostly to yourself. I know its all the rage with gps, but I wouldnt rely on it, as signal is iffy in alot of places and its just one more thing to fail. You can do this.

Lots of good advice here. My own experience:

Advanced Navigation

Navigation you can learn from books and lots of practice in situations where you can bail out if things go wrong. As everyone has said, hone your map and compass skills and just use GPS to double-check every now and again as you go.

I strongly recommend The Ultimate Navigation Manual by Lyle Brotherton. He travels the world teaching navigation to Special Forces and SAR teams, so it’s laid out as a course with exercises. This is how the professionals do it, and if you master all the material in this book that’s relevant to your local terrain you’ll be a solid navigator.

You can practice skills such as estimating time and distance, taking bearings and back-bearings, planning attack points etc etc, even on safe trails or walks you know well. Then up the ante on safe ground by getting out in mist, rain and darkness – everything becomes much harder. Then try on new off-trail routes with easy bail-outs. Then go into challenging country, but with someone experienced – take the lead on navigation but have them check your work and point out any errors before they become a problem.

I’ve been navigating off trail for half a century and still practice these skills regularly – they are the foundation of safe travel in the backcountry and it’s never good to become complacent.

Walking on rough ground and snow

In contrast with navigation, I don’t think you can learn this independently. You need to hook up with experienced people who can teach you the skills and judgement involved, especially with avalanche risk and glacier travel. I mainly learned by joining a club – the experienced members are usually delighted to help out the newcomers. Failing that, you might need to go on courses, but I preferred learning from veteran members. I also learned a lot from watching the professional guides in the Western Alps, and buying them drinks in the huts so I could pick their brains. Read everything you can find. Get out with experienced people and ask lots of questions. Practice regularly. Repeat…

Good luck. Travelling safely off-trail is a challenge and a joy, and it sounds like you are going about it the right way.

The best way is to join the Army and they will pay you to learn navigation :)

In my mind a person is ready to go off trail when they are willing to venture out.

Map reading is most important. With good map and compass skills, you should find yourself in a position where you rarely need a compass and navigate by map only, in most situations. Prior to about 1998 thousands and thousands of modern backpackers hiked all over the globe off trail without GPS.