Someone is supposed to have asked Daniel Boone whether he'd ever been lost. The reply: "No, I ain't ever been lost; but I've been awful confused, sometimes for days at a time." Being "confused," even for days at a time, was probably not particularly intimidating to one of the greatest frontiersmen of all time, but for most of us, the prospect of being lost chills the spine.
At first glance, you might think you're free from worrying about getting lost while trail riding. You know the way or ride with someone who does. The trails are well-marked.
But consider this possibility: You tell your riding buddies you can't ride with them, because you have an afternoon appointment. But they convince you to ride with them anyway; it's an easy trail, they say, with a nice spot for lunch near a creek. After lunch, they explain, you can return to the trailhead on your fast-walking horse and get to your appointment in plenty of time.
So you join the group heading happily up a trail through the timber. And you make your first mistake: relying totally on others to guide you. You have no idea which direction you're going- your second mistake. As you enjoy the camaraderie and the conversations, you lose touch with your surroundings. You fail to notice that another trail angles into the one you're on - your third mistake.
After lunch, you say your goodbyes and mount up. The two miles back to the trailhead will be a lark, you figure. But halfway back, you encounter something strange - a fork in the trail. You don't remember it, but there it is: "Two roads diverging in a yellow wood," as Robert Frost wrote.
Both trails bear numerous horse tracks in both directions. No help there. You deliberate, ride a little way down one trail, then decide you're wrong, and return to try the other one. Both forks run through dense stands of pine and aspen, and there are no visible landmarks.
Your horse seems equally eager for either route. You've been told that horses have an uncanny ability to find their way home, but not to count on that because they may not consider the trailhead to be "home." You've heard, too, that a horse's idea of the best way home may be to travel in a straight line over terrain you'd rather not ride.
Your stomach tightens. You consider riding back up the trail toward your friends, but you know you'd probably never catch them. At this point, you may not be lost, but you certainly fit Boone's description of "confused."
Being lost, even relatively close to civilization, is serious, and in some popular wilderness areas, it can become deadly. Know where you are at all times. To do so, start with the right mind-set; here's how:
Take responsibility. Don't leave all responsibility for finding your way to your leader and/or other members of your riding group. Know your general direction of travel - north, south, east, west.
Learn landmarks. Learn the names of prominent landmarks in the area, such as rivers and mountain peaks. Ask yourself whether you could give instructions to a helicopter pilot on reaching your location.
Be aware. Look around you, and take notice of your surroundings. Look back over your shoulder frequently, and check landmarks, so that you have a mental picture of a return route over the same trail.
Now, here's an overview of three navigational tools - topographical map, compass, and global positioning system (GPS) unit - to help you stay on track.
Topo Map & Compass
The basic tools of land navigation are the topographical map and compass. Used in concert, these two tools can take you virtually anywhere. Here's a rundown of each one, as well as tips to stay oriented on the trail.
Topographical map. A topo map is a detailed "book" of the terrain. It tells you not only direction between points, but also the lay of the land, steepness of slopes, prominent landmarks, and degree of forestation. Trails and roads are also marked on maps, but note the date the map was made - roads and trails may've appeared (or disappeared) since then.
A topo map features contour lines, which connect all points of the same ele-vation above sea level, or the same depth below sea level. The map's legend will tell you the contour interval, that is, how much elevation change exists between each adjacent contour line. A 40-foot contour interval means there's 40 feet of elevation rise (or fall) between each contour line. If the lines are extremely close together, the terrain is steep; if they're far apart, the terrain is gentle.
A plain circle indicates a hilltop. A circular contour line with slashes drawn through it indicates a basin or sunken area.
Even if timber is thin or nonexistent, you can't necessarily ride straight from point A to point B off trail. A topo map's contour features suggest whether passage is possible.
