Easy to get lost (misplaced)

M

mtnmutt

New member
Mar 2, 2014
682
I am hoping this story helps people understand how important it is to learn map and compass skills and always take a map and compass with you.

On Friday, I was driving on the forest service road to my camping spot. The area was surprisingly absent of campers. Perhaps due to the rains. A young man flags me down. He was misplaced. He was following a small section of the CO trail. His father had dropped him off and he was only doing this small section and meeting his dad at the pickup location. He did not have a GPS or compass because the CO trail is very well marked and maintained. He had very minimal in his pack. From his direction, he missed a trail marker off the closed logging road. He ended up following the closed logging road to the Forest Service Road where he flagged me down.

He did not want to retrace his steps since he was way overdue to meet up at his dad\'s location, so I ferried him to his dad\'s pickup location. There was no cell signal at his dad\'s location and mine was poor. By the time I got him to his dad\'s location, the dad had already sent a motorist to call for SAR. After I delivered the young man, I needed to head to town to get a cell signal to call off SAR. The dad needed to stay in case SAR showed up.

All ended well. The young man learned a lesson as I did when it happened to me. Always carry a map and compass and know how to use it. Dark Timber, nighttime, stormy weather can turn us all around even in the woods we hunt every year.

Watch out for gear that has magnets and old mining claims can make the compass needle go bonkers. Some mining claims are marked on maps.

Something similar happened to me 7 years ago. After I sat down during my misplacement, I was able to figure out where I was and cancel my SAR request. I was stupid to go scouting when I was sick which messed with my common sense to always take the 10 essentials, including, a map and compass with me. Lesson learned.

I also once accepted a nice new free Goretex jacket only to find out it had magnets in it. I found that out when I was scouting a new area while wearing it. That was very frustrating. I almost got lost trying to follow my compass\' arrow.

CO search and rescue is by county and it is an all volunteer organization. It can take hours to assemble them. They are great guys and gals. They would much rather rescue you then carry a dead body out.

Good luck to you all and be safe.
 
Good reminder mtnmutt...it\'s amazing how darkness or a fog bank can totally change how things appear. This is a great reminder that no matter how simple the \'trail\' is that you are hunting, never leave without a map and compass. Also, be sure you know how to use them! The magnetic force in your jacket and old mines is another great reminder of making sure you know what you are doing out there. I had never even thought of that...
 
Sometimes it takes a \'wakeup call\' for people to swallow their pride.
Im sure that young man and his father learned a valuable lesson that day.

Getting lost, or even turned around shouldnt be taken lightly, and with all of the available technology on the market now, there isnt an excuse
 
Mutt, at least you sat down and thought it out, and made a plan when you got lost. Sometimes people have a tendency to panic when the weather is bad, it is getting late or they are in too big of a hurry. You may still be lost after you have had a chance to think things over, but panic will not help. It only makes things worse.
 
Just 2 weeks ago, Wife and I left camp in the Winds ... for a quick 2-hour horse ride around a couple lakes.

\"Do we need a map?\" she asked. \"Nope ... we\'ll be back by 10 or 11.\"

7 hours later, we found camp. No map, no GPS, just instinct and brush-busting. Good thing we had iodine pills for water since it was very warm.

This year so far I\'ve re-learned \"Carry a map\" along with \"Be able to make water\" and \"Be able to make fire\". Mother Nature can be a real crank of a teacher sometimes! But you dang-sure remember her lessons!
 
<!-- m --><a class=\"postlink\" href=\"http://www.learn-orienteering.org/old/\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href);return false;\">http://www.learn-orienteering.org/old/</a><!-- m -->

In todays modern world of GPS, PLB, cell phones and other electronic devices, (ALL OF WHICH CAN FAIL), I think many people take the easy way out and don\'t really take the time to really learn the correct use of map and compass. Everyone knows a compass points to the north. But when they really need it, I know of a good friend that couldn\'t remember if the red end of the needle pointed north or if it was the white end. True story!

The link I posted above is one of the better ones I have found on compass use. It might be a good idea to study it and learn it. Maybe even use it as a refresher if you already know how to use one.

Thanks Mutt for bringing this subject up.
 
I was going to ask a question before and I left and this seems like a good thread to do so. I have a GPS and a compass but no maps. I was thinking about just printing some stuff off the internet and putting them in a ziplock bag. I\'m sure there are places I can buy maps once I get to Colorado. What maps do you guys suggest and where do you buy them? I would prefer something small. Most of my experience is with military maps but I have used NF maps as well. Thanks.
 
Thanks Bill.

Be aware that declination (Magnetic North) is changing. It has accelerated for a number of years now. Magnetic North is moving towards Siberia. The declination listed on maps in the legend may be out of date. I prefer a compass that allows me to adjust it for my location\'s declination, therefore, I don\'t have to add or subject it from True North to match up with the map.

To find the current declination for a location, here is a web site. For example: Denver is about 8 degrees East Positive (East) and Grand Junction is 10 degrees Positive (East).
http://magnetic-declination.com/

The magnetic earth is weakening and may flip within the next hundred years or so. Pole flipping means the compass red arrow would point south. Bill\'s friend actually may end up being right with white arrow pointing North. Just have to wait a few hundred years or so. The last Earth pole reversal was 780,000 years ago during the Stone Age.
 
The last Earth pole reversal was 780,000 years ago during the Stone Age.

How did they know that? did their compasses have little red and white arrows, too?
 
\"timberland\" said:
The last Earth pole reversal was 780,000 years ago during the Stone Age.

How did they know that? did their compasses have little red and white arrows, too?
Click to expand...
They found fossilized salmon swimming in the wrong direction to spawn. :shifty: My very limited knowledge ends at the earth poles flipping every so often.

Iron age came after the Stone Age. Since stone doesn\'t point towards magnetic north, there must have been a lot of people lost until the iron age. At least the North star won\'t move, right?
 
\"mtnmutt\" said:
At least the North star won\'t move, right?
Click to expand...

But will the north pole still be the north pole if the earth flips? Please don\'t start rumors about the earth flipping someday, Mutt. We will have a rash of new prophesies about the end of the world. What a pain. :D
 
steve, check out the nearly everything store in eagle. that\'s where we bought our maps.
 
for a long time, i was a lesser hunter because i was getting lost so easily.

i would see an awesome stretch of woods that looked \"deer-y\"..or a distant shelf off of a nice timber mountain slope..and i wouldnt go check it out because i was afraid to get lost.

now? i do a lot of precon with google earth..in 3d mode, you kinda get your bearings..so bringing maps premarked really boost my confidence..coupled with my GPS set on UPS UTM mode.i\'m good.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

No members online now.
Total: 55 (members: 0, guests: 55)

Latest posts

Share this page

Back
Top