Avoid walking in circles in the wild

[Loren Booda]

Is there any general rule to avoid walking in circles in the wild?

 

[redargon]

ummm, I'm sure i knew a few, but the only one i can think of right now is keep the sun on your back or face or side, depending what direction you're going. You could also "aim" for something in the distance and walk towards that, which is kind of the same as the sun thing, or follow a canyon, river, valley.

 

[redargon]

gps?

 

[berkeman]

It's not actually a bad question. Not that I've ever had that issue in the wilderness (yeah, right). GPS can help, but is problematic when there are tall trees all around. A magnetic compass is the best reference in most situations. That part of my kit has saved me from survival camping overnight more than once. Learn how to carry and use a compass, would be my advice.

 

[Ranger Mike]

A subject I know well. In the Infantry, they train to cross impossible terrain via dead reckoning. you use a map, a lensatic compass and a pace count. you are literally following the map. you have to compensate for declination angle which is the difference from grid North and magnetic North. Grid North is the true north of the map and due to the Earth's core, magnetic North is a few degrees off depending upon your world location. all military maps are topographical so the hilltops, valleys. streams ridges. It does not look like your typical road map. You will drift to one side or the other and have to be cognizant of the side of the tree you typically walk around. I think right handed people move to the right side and go around. They train in the desert which is zero reference and they train at night, in rain and fog. I been soaked for hours and all we could do was look at the limious compass dial to maintain our azimuth. If you are without these, there are stars. If you are in the woods, moss grows on the north side of the tree for north hemisphere. If you are lost, head don hill and find a stream and follow it. animals have used natural line of drift, taking the easiest path over centuries and you will find trains almost anywhere in the world. On GPS - nice fad but if you have not mastered the basics I would not depend on a cute gadget that could break if my life depended on it..the military lensatic compass is pretty tuff and every one has on on patrol..a lot of cross checks and redundancy.

 

[Borek]

If you are in the woods, moss grows on the north side of the tree for north hemisphere.

Urban legend - that is, this is a story repeated by those that have never been to the forest

More seriously - moss happens to grow on the north side of the trees, but it is not a rule, as a lot depends on the local terrain, shape, slope and humidity. So it is not a particularly efficient way of determining directions. Sun & stars are much more reliable if you don't have neither compass nor GPS with you.

That said - many years ago we got lost in a forest. We went to pick mushrooms one afternoon and I have missed the moment when clouds covered the sky, long before the sunset. Then it was too late and my feeling of direction (that usually keeps me well oriented) failed. We were back to our tent well past midnight, luckily we meet people camping and knowing where they were. Once I get a reference point it was few minutes to the lake shore and follow the shore. Not that we were in some deep wilderness, three to four hours walk in ONE direction would solve the problem.

 

[Ranger Mike]

Urban legend - that is, this is a story repeated by those that have never been to the forest
you are wrong.

Although this is not universally true, it has a basis in fact.

Moss does tend grow preferentially on the north side (in the northern hemisphere, that is, opposite would be true in Australia or Argentina) of trees because it prefers moist conditions. In sparsely wooded areas, you get more sun on the south side of the trunk, thus that side will dry out faster and will be less conducive to the growth of moss. So, there will be moss on all sides, but it will tend to be thicker and healthier looking on the north side.

But, yes, in a dense forest, moss will grown on all sides of the trunk without one side being noticeably lusher than any other. like anythong in life you have to master the basics before moving forward. that is why an area study of the terrain, foilage, indiginous population and their culture is critical for survival..also a gold rolex watch and star saphire ring help..

 

[Borek]

Although this is not universally true, it has a basis in fact.

No doubt about it. Let me reword what I wrote. "Moss grows on the north side of the trees" is a rule that is simplified to the point where it has no practical application.

 

[Integral]

ummm, I'm sure i knew a few, but the only one i can think of right now is keep the sun on your back or face or side, depending what direction you're going. You could also "aim" for something in the distance and walk towards that, which is kind of the same as the sun thing, or follow a canyon, river, valley.

This is a recipe for walking in a circle. Remember the sun moves in an arc. In the morning you will be heading west, at noon south, in the evening east. The sun is useful but only as a reference with respect to the time of day.

Here in the forests of the Pacific Northwest moss grows every where and is simply not a reliable indicator of anything, other then the season. Summer it is grey and dry, in the winter it is wet and green. In many areas here it nearly impossible to hold a course for any distance due to terrain constraints. Other then a GPS, a topo map and a compass are the surest aid, However I have rarely used them. For the most part I can always get back to my starting point with dead reckoning. The few times I have been a "mite bit confused" was when I encountered and unexpected road.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

No doubt about it. Let me reword what I wrote. "Moss grows on the north side of the trees" is a rule that is simplified to the point where it has no practical application.

I've been in forested areas where I attempted to find north by the moss on the trees to see if this factoid was true. As far as I remember the trees all seemed to have moss on different sides and I couldn't find any definite trend toward a favoured side of the trunk.

 

[physics girl phd]

If you run into a creek, follow it downstream.
I don't think this happens in a natural setting:
http://filipspagnoli.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/mc-escher-waterfall.jpg

 

[Borek]

This is a recipe for walking in a circle. Remember the sun moves in an arc.

Seems to me like it is recipe for going south in halfcircles.

 

[lisab]

That said - many years ago we got lost in a forest. We went to pick mushrooms one afternoon and I have missed the moment when clouds covered the sky, long before the sunset. Then it was too late and my feeling of direction (that usually keeps me well oriented) failed. We were back to our tent well past midnight, luckily we meet people camping and knowing where they were. Once I get a reference point it was few minutes to the lake shore and follow the shore. Not that we were in some deep wilderness, three to four hours walk in ONE direction would solve the problem.

Don't eat those mushrooms again .

 

[turbo]

I've never had a problem in the Maine woods until I hunted in heavy fog one day and came out several miles from where I had expected. Silly me, I had changed to a lighter coat, and my compass was in the heavy coat. I knew the area pretty well, so I headed in without a compass anyway. Oops!

Generally, even on overcast days, there is enough directional variation in the light that I don't have to use a compass, but the dense fog got me that time. The woods were bounded by enough roads (including logging roads) that even if I got really unlucky, I would probably have to walk no more than 5 miles or so in a straight line. The key is remembering enough about old logging roads, grown-over farmsteads, etc, to get your bearings when you see a former road or a stone wall or two. I now keep a compass in the pocket (or pinned to the front) of every hunting jacket I expect to use. Compasses are cheap insurance.

I learned to use compasses and topo maps in the Boy Scouts. Now, I keep a DeLorme Atlas of the state in my truck all the time, and make mental note of a back-track bearing to the nearest (straight) road before heading into the woods. A couple of years ago, I came out of the woods about 1/2 mile from where I had expected after spending a lot of time getting detoured by impassable overgrown cuttings surrounding a swamp. The property had been selectively cut a couple of years before and I hadn't hunted there in years, so unfamiliarity was a factor. When someone cuts lots of fir and hemlock out of a mixed forest, and the deciduous trees start racing up to the light for a couple of years, things can look very different than you remembered.

About the moss thing: If the forest is densely-crowned, the location of moss on trunks is not a very reliable indicator of direction. Learn to use a compass, and look at a decent topo map before heading into the woods to get a mental picture of the lay of the land. We don't have featureless plains or deserts in this state, so I don't know how to deal with those - a GPS might be handy in such places.

 

[jobyts]

Just curious, what's wrong with walking in a circle? You want to come back to the point where you left, rt?

(from someone who hasn't been to any deep forest.)

 

[turbo]

Just curious, what's wrong with walking in a circle? You want to come back to the point where you left, rt?

(from someone who hasn't been to any deep forest.)

The problem occurs when you have lost your bearings and realize that you don't know the direction back out to your point of origin. From that time onward, walking in circles becomes an unproductive pastime.

 

[Huckleberry]

Is there any general rule to avoid walking in circles in the wild?

Don't ask me. I was following you.

Always pay attention to your direction even if you're not alone. Then if the other person gets lost you can argue about which way is right. I don't have much experience with walking the wilderness, but the few times I've gotten lost it was because I was walking for some time without monitoring my direction. You can be lost on a trail and not even know it.Trails may not go where you need to go and following one without keeping orientation will get you lost. Where you are should never be far from your mind.

 

[Moonbear]

Wear a watch when you travel. That way, if you're following the sun, you know what time it is to figure out generally what direction to head.

I think I might opt to walk downhill. You might be walking in a giant spiral, but as long as you don't walk uphill again, you can't wind up back where you started. Besides, it's easier than walking uphill, and probably more likely to lead to water at the bottom somewhere.

 

[BobG]

Wear a watch when you travel. That way, if you're following the sun, you know what time it is to figure out generally what direction to head.

I think I might opt to walk downhill. You might be walking in a giant spiral, but as long as you don't walk uphill again, you can't wind up back where you started. Besides, it's easier than walking uphill, and probably more likely to lead to water at the bottom somewhere.

If you're really lost, this is a good rule. Finding a stream or river and walking downstream will eventually get you back to civilization. Of course, it may not be the quickest way back to civilization. In our state, we have the Platte, the Arkansas, the Rio Grande, and the Colorado. All exit the state in a different direction - of course, in most places, you'd really have to have wandered off course to wind up following the wrong major river. Hiking near the continental divide could offer some challenges, though.

You need a good topo map, a compass, and a GPS. The GPS eliminates any doubt about where you are. You should have a compass as a backup (something that won't lose power because of a dead battery). You need the ability to figure out a route on your map and to translate that to the landmarks around you.

Without a map and landmarks, it is very easy to get turned around, so walking in circles is a concern. Not such a problem here in the mountains. As soon as you get to the top of a ridge you can get your bearings back again. For flatlands, Moonbear's suggestion of a watch and the Sun work perfectly fine (in fact, you can generally tell approximately what time it is just by the elevation of the Sun and the tone of the sunlight if you're used to being outdoors). It's still not a good idea to rely on dead reckoning. Unless you were suddenly dropped out of a plane, you ought to be prepared before you head out into the woods.

GPS offers something a compass doesn't. It records your path so you can find your way back out the way you came. (Just thinking about that guy that took his family for a drive through some logging roads, not realizing what a maze those roads created. He wound up taking the tires off his car and burning them for a signal fire, then tried to hike out on his own for help. Rescuers found his family alive, but he wound up dying, lost in the woods.)

 

[berkeman]

Just curious, what's wrong with walking in a circle? You want to come back to the point where you left, rt?

(from someone who hasn't been to any deep forest.)

The big problem (at least in my experience) comes when the nights are not as mild as the days. That is, if you are stranded overnight, you may die from hypothermia. So walking in circles or being lost near the end of the day in fall or winter can be a very bad thing. That's why I always have my basic survival kit with me in the woods, even in mild weather and even if it's just a moderate hike or hunting stalk. Being equipped to spend a night or two in the wilderness gives you much more flexibility and comfort when dealing with difficult situations out there...

 

[Pattonias]

Picking something in the direction you want to go and walking toward it is a reliable way to avoid walking in circles. Using the sun to guesstimate which direction you are heading is also helpful (of course don't follow the sun regardless of its placement). A reasonably intelligent person should be able to tell whether it is morning or evening and be able to tell whether they are heading easterly or westward. Know your stars, the better you know them, the better able you are to head in the right direction.

Any tools you have from this point on are just plane helpful. If you have a compass and map you should be set if you practice using them. US Army ROTC website offers lots of military standard instructions. If you have a GPS you know how to use you shouldn't be lost.

 

[Monique]

Is it true that if your right foot is dominant, that you'll walk in a circle to the left? I think it was Ray Mears that once suggested that every-some-many-steps you should step twice with your non-dominant foot in order to compensate. It could also have been Bear Grylls.

 

[lisab]

Is it true that if your right foot is dominant, that you'll walk in a circle to the left? I think it was Ray Mears that once suggested that every-some-many-steps you should step twice with your non-dominant foot in order to compensate. It could also have been Bear Grylls.

Ah...interesting. An alternative solution: turn around and walk backwards 10 steps for every 10 forward steps you make .

 

[Pythagorean]

continuously pick three land marks that are in a line in the direction you're walking. Everytime the farthest back land mark disappears, use the remaining two to chose a third land mark ahead of you.

You won't necessarily go perfectly straight, but you won't go in circles either. This is what we were taught in the Alaskan chapter of the Boy Scouts. I've been "lost" in the woods probably three times. But:

"You're not really lost if you can find your way home"
-somebody famous

 

[BobG]

Is it true that if your right foot is dominant, that you'll walk in a circle to the left? I think it was Ray Mears that once suggested that every-some-many-steps you should step twice with your non-dominant foot in order to compensate. It could also have been Bear Grylls.

Yes, it is true. But how many steps between the double step? The only way to know is to pace this off blindfolded with a friend watching you. You need to do it lots of times, wearing different footwear, carrying backpacks, etc. Then average it all together.

I think there are people that might be able to guess a ballpark figure on when to insert an extra step, but the extra step method isn't going to be accurate at all for the average person. If anything, trying to figure it out will illustrate just how likely it is that you'll walk in circles if you don't find a way to prevent it.

 

[magpies]

You can walk in as straight a path as you can until you find a landmark. Assuming you are actualy lost. If someone is going to look for you its best to just stay where you are basicaly. Also picking up objects to mark the place you are can help if your going to try a spiral type of pattern. The trick to doing a spiral type search pattern isn't to actualy walk in a circle. Walk in straight lines and make 90 degree turns after a set amount of time pasts. If you try to walk in circles your likely to end up making a misjudgement hell youll probably make a misjudgment even walking straight so...

I think the main problem with people getting lost in the woods is that they are either in panic mode or basicaly drunk. So all these advices go out the window and youd just start doing random stuff lol. Dont be afraid to take a break if you need to... Walking straight for hours is harder on your system then say 30 min walks with 10 min breaks.

 

[BobG]

continuously pick three land marks that are in a line in the direction you're walking. Everytime the farthest back land mark disappears, use the remaining two to chose a third land mark ahead of you.

You won't necessarily go perfectly straight, but you won't go in circles either. This is what we were taught in the Alaskan chapter of the Boy Scouts. I've been "lost" in the woods probably three times. But:

"You're not really lost if you can find your way home"
-somebody famous

Yes, the Boy Scouts taught us this method, too. Then they gave us a route that took us across a ravine where it was impossible to go straight across.

The principle is still sound and learning how to deal with it when it can't possibly work is pretty important, too. In our case, you had a team of 4 or 5 people, so a couple people could watch the landmarks while the others figured out a way across the ravine. You'd better pick some really unique landmarks if you think that would work while hiking alone. Yet another reason you really shouldn't be hiking alone in the wilderness (best reason is pointed out in Jack London's "To Build a Fire").

 

[jobyts]

Ah...interesting. An alternative solution: turn around and walk backwards 10 steps for every 10 forward steps you make .

And every turn around should be mathematically precise 180 degrees.

 

[Office_Shredder]

As long as you turn in the opposite direction each time it shouldn't matter too much

 

[magpies]

I think the important thing to know is don't do anything while your in panic mode. Fear based logic is probably the worst.

 

[russ_watters]

Is it true that if your right foot is dominant, that you'll walk in a circle to the left?

That would surprise me, but I bet there is a relationship between dominant hand/foot and which direction you walk around obstacles.

 

[DanP]

Besides basic navigational skills , in wilderness one will need routefinding skills. It's one of the most valuable decision making skills in wilderness. Getting a navigation path and actually being able to negotiate the path are very different things and many accidents in mountaineering occur due to deficient routefinding skills.

Always pay attention to your direction even if you're not alone. Then if the other person gets lost you can argue about which way is right.

This is one of the best advices in this thread. The key to develop routefinind skills is awareness and attention to detail.

 

[Evo]

I think I might opt to walk downhill. You might be walking in a giant spiral, but as long as you don't walk uphill again, you can't wind up back where you started. Besides, it's easier than walking uphill, and probably more likely to lead to water at the bottom somewhere.

If you are in a hilly area, walking in one direction may require you to walk up and down hills.

 

[turbo]

If you are in a hilly area, walking in one direction may require you to walk up and down hills.

If you are walking in this area, you will definitely be "steered" by terrain. My silly Massachusetts-raised neighbor did not realize this, nor does he have a good feeling for the topography. He went for a walk on his property, got lost for over 3 hours and wound up walking along a highway miles from here until his nephew happened to pass by, stopped, and took him home. My lot and his are just about 1/2 mile deep (N-S), so it's not like he was out in some trackless forest.

 

[BobG]

Is it true that if your right foot is dominant, that you'll walk in a circle to the left? I think it was Ray Mears that once suggested that every-some-many-steps you should step twice with your non-dominant foot in order to compensate. It could also have been Bear Grylls.

That would surprise me, but I bet there is a relationship between dominant hand/foot and which direction you walk around obstacles.

It is true. In fact, it's the reason people tend to wind up walking in circles.

You have to eliminate all other physical clues to really see it happen over a short distance (hence walking with a blindfold on a level surface). It happens to people in snowstorms when they primarily look down at the ground to avoid having snow hit them in face (of course, wind direction will also play a part since it has an effect on which direction you tilt your head). It happens to people in a flat desert setting with no landmarks to focus on.

It creates a slight tendency in most situations, since a tendency to veer downhill is stronger than the tendency to veer to the non-dominate side, etc. Given an equal probability of distractors (visual cues, terrain, etc), you can predict which way a person will veer and the size of the circle is dependent on the number of other clues. The fact that it's a slight tendency is why it can take hours to wind up back in the same place you've been before.

With all the variables that affect how strong that tendency is, I'd be really amazed at someone that could actually compensate by inserting an extra step with the non-dominant foot, but it might be possible for a person that knows their gait very well, always wears the same shoes while hiking, always carries the same pack with the weight in the pack always distributed exactly the same, disciplined enough to ignore sand blowing in his face, etc. Like I said, I'd be amazed (and really impressed) by anyone that could use that technique successfully.

That said, it is very interesting to look at people's tracks in soft terrain. The shoes a person wears has a big impact on how they walk. For example, the higher the heels (cowboy boots, for instance), the narrower their track as they walk (i.e. - the lateral difference between their left foot placement and right foot placement). Hence the reason the guy had better be wearing the same boots every time he hikes if he thinks that extra step technique has a prayer of working.