You know how it goes. One moment you're heading down the trail chatting with your buddies about the newest American Idol and his shot at stardom. Before you know it, the minutes have turned into hours and the trail has rolled out behind you. You stop, look around and wonder, "Where the Simon Cowell are we?"
Losing track of time and space isn't an uncommon problem for trail riders, especially those of us who are less than spatially gifted. While few incidents lead to TV-news coverage and search-and-rescue efforts, there's that spot between being lost and knowing where you are that makes your hair stand on end. As responsible trail riders and horse owners, we should all know where we are when we're out on the trail and how to get back to the trailhead.
The tools you need to find your way when you're away from home territory are easy to use and inexpensive, while the knowledge you need to find your way home is priceless.
Finding Your Way
- First and foremost, get a map of the area where you plan to ride and take 10 minutes to study it before you head out.
- Invest in a good compass and keep it on your person rather than on the horse.
- Hold your compass away from your saddle when you take a reading so the metal in the horn doesn't disrupt its accuracy.
- Learn local landmarks, such as waterways, mountains, meadows and buttes.
- When in doubt, trust your compass rather than signage, which could have been compromised by vandals.
- Take a navigation class through your local parks and recreation district or sporting store.
Get A Map
Preparation is key to finding your way when trail riding, says cartographer Jeff Campbell, president of Spatial-Solutions, Inc. As a professional mapmaker, Jeff has used his gelding Hobo to survey thousands of acres of wilderness in central Oregon. His work surveying and recording areas has also taken him around the continental United States and into Alaska.
Campbell's most basic instruction is to get a map. Before you hit the trail, visit your local recreation store or ranger station and purchase a map of the area where you plan to ride. Recreational maps for public lands show major trails, roadways, landmarks and bodies of water, making basic ride planning simple.
Topographical maps visually depict three-dimensional terrain changes and elevation on a two-dimensional plane using contour lines to outline the shape of land changes. If you were to ride along a contour line on a map, you'd experience no elevation gain or loss. However, riding from one line to another would mean a change in elevation. On a "topo" map with a contour interval of 20 feet, each new contour line represents 20 feet of elevation change from the line next to it. Topo maps are available through the U.S. Geological Survey (www.usgs.gov).
A quadrangle is a standard topographical map sheet published by the USGS and is approximately 17 miles north to south and 11 to 15 miles east to west. When choosing a map of your riding location, whether you go with a recreational map or a topo map, make sure the scale of the map offers enough detail.
Scale is the ratio to which the map represents the real world. For example, on a map with a 1:126,720 ratio (1 centimeter on the map equals 126,720 centimeters on the ground), 1 inch on the map equals 2 miles in reality. As the ratio gets smaller, say 1:63,360, the map gets more detailed, and 1 inch on the map equals 1 mile.
Guidebooks also provide good, local or general information about riding areas. "Although, some are better than others," Jeff warns. "Sometimes they focus more on scenery than what you really need to know about getting around on the trails."
Instead of relying on a guidebook, use the book to supplement your map, he recommends.
Carry a Compass
A compass is a simple device with a magnetic needle that always points to the Earth's magnetic north. Modern conveniences such as cell phones and GPS (global positioning systems) are nice units to have, but they're not foolproof, says Jeff. He recommends always, always carrying a compass and a map when you head out for a trail ride.
"Some people make the mistake of thinking they only need their GPS and a cell phone," he says. "A GPS is good at telling you where you're at, but not how to get where you want to go. And cell phones don't always work."
Both devices are prone to breaking, and they also rely on batteries, which sometimes die when you need them the most. A good compass only costs between $10 and $75-an inexpensive investment into your safety and peace of mind. Campbell strongly suggests that you avoid using a digital compass, because it, too, relies on batteries to operate.
