Bushwhacking tips

[Orsonab]

Maybe next year...

Thanks and great advice, everybody. Guess I'll take the "scenic" route via the trails this time around

But one day...

 

[bubba]

Excellent posting!! I've really gained a bunch of knowledge.

Make sure to add eye protection to your list of gear -- not having to worry about a branch in your eye makes brush trashing way easier.

 

[mavs00]

Wow, some really good stuff in here. First thing I'd say is heed Nessmuk's post, he's obviously a seasoned B-whacker. I'd add a few points, if I may;

ALWAYS trust your compass. Do not rely on your GPS. Just use it for fun, additional information.

Don't go with someone who relies on a GPS.

By this advice, I assume you mean that you shouldn't leave the map & compass behind and rely solely on a GPS. I'd agree with that. That said, A GPS is neither a gimmick, or a toy. In the hands a competent and knowledgeable user, it can be a powerful and reliable navigational AID. In fact, I'd say my "observational navigation" (ObNav) skills, which I would say are the most important ones to have, have increased dramatically since I started using a GPS unit. I too extensively pre-map before hiking and I would say I use ObNav as my primarily navigation while b-whacking with GPS secondary and M&C as my tied/true failsafe option. My GPS (an Extrex, with internal topo software loaded), when properly functioning, provides immediate feedback to me while using ObNAv. In the thick stuff that tends to push routes left or right, it can help ward of the enemies of whackers like mapbending (A HUGE ONE) and the others Nassmuk mentioned. Not looking to start a debate on the issue, but a GPS unit can, and does serve as more than the gimmick item. Is it a dependable as M&C? No, but in my experience (Adirondacks), it's pretty good.

Okay, I know I've used my two cents already, but I'll add a couple items (mostly outside navigation) of practical value that may be more obvious but sometimes overlooked by beginners.

• Time - When planning a bushwhack, DO NOT forget to take into account how much slower whack travel is than trail travel. When pre-mapping and plotting mental waypoints, understand that two streams 1/2 mile apart that may take 15-20 minutes along a good trail can take up to 1 to 1 1/4 hours in dense conifer brush. Don't make the error of assuming that "I'll reach the next stream in 20-25 minutes" before you know the "conditions" between the two points. Otherwise, in about 45-50 minutes, you'll start to wonder crazy things like "I wonder if that puddle back there was the stream I wanted, maybe I should go back" As others have said, once the mental mindgames start, panic sets in and you start "bending" the map to your "perceived reality" not your actual one.
• Flexability (slight adjustments) - Some streams are plesant babbling brooks straight from Cinderella's woods and some are choked with blowdown and are a hidden jumble of holes, rocks & hidden hazzard that will slow travel to a crawl and are really not safe. Likewise, some ridges are open strolls, while others are wind collectors that serve to create acres of horizontal forests. Don't be afraid to drop off a ridge or pull way up stream bank in or to slightly adjust the route for easier/safer travel, just know to make the mental adjustments. If safer travel calls for you to get out of the brook and travel next to it, but a hundred feet away or so, do it. Hazzards found in the woods magnify on a bushwhack. You may have planned to "take the brook", but have the flexability to move to safer travel, if those options exist. THIS DOES NOT MEAN ALTER YOUR ROUTE ALTOGETHER.
• Footing - Unlike trails, which (for the most part) have predictable and decent footing, the forest floor is a tangled mass of compose and is fraught with hidden traps, false floors and other femur eating craters willing to injure and maim the careless foot placement, particularly on sloped terrain. Make sure what you are putting your weight on is real, particularly if your 190-200# (like me) or more.
• Extra items - Hats (ball cap), and glasses (which I only use in the real thick stuff). A corneal abrasion far from help in dense woods is "no joke". Myself, I prefer long pants and shirts for reasons mentions by Spencer. Also, gloves can help, even the cheap $3 knit jobbers. Yours hands esp. take a beating b-whacking.
• Getting Wet - Bring extra clothes in WP containers (bag). You may wake up and find okay weather and say it's a good day for hiking, but remember, if it rained overnight or if lots of condensation is on the trees, YOU WILL GET REAL WET on a bushwhack. Triply important in cool temps and a breeze. I've gotten REAL COLD, REAL FAST on cool summer b-whacks that I really did not thick I had to worry about beforehand.
• Treking poles - Unless you know your gonna spend the majority of the day in open woods, loss the poles....... B-whacking on steep terrain is a "hands on" sport. Also, if someone in your party refuses to heed this sage advice, give them a wide berth, I can't tell you the number of time Peakbagr has almost killed me with his this summer**

** - {edited} Partially kidding on this one. I'm teasing Peakbagr, and this is certainly "not the biggest issue" out there. Still, most people I know that have taken poles on whacks regret it at some point. They value they serve along trails is somewhat negated in dense brush.

I could go on, but I've babbled on long enough.

 

[Peakbagr]

Mav,

If I wasn't so pokey and you so quick, you wouldn't run into the back of my pole so often.

Actually, I hate carrying a hiking pole on bushwacks. In my case, the extra "baggage" is worth it as it lets me probe the crevices hidden by leaf debris, ferns, and shinhobble before I fall in, and is invaluable 3rd hand for my back back and funny knee on the descents.
PB

 

[REK]

Try a couple of orienteering courses. Its a good way to get bushwacking skills, particularly getting around cliffs and swamps and such. The downside is that the maps will spoil you rotten; they are true works of art! Topo maps just can't compare when it comes to detail. Around NE look into Up North Orienteers (UNO) and New England Orienteering Club (NEOC) The focus in orienteering is pretty micro so sometimes the handrails like rivers, trails, and roads are huge and hard to miss. All the advise so far has been great, use it and go slow.
Bob

 

[Nessmuk]

Try a couple of orienteering courses. Its a good way to get bushwacking skills, particularly getting around cliffs and swamps and such.

You may want to try nysoga.com. If you read the individual guide's descriptions, you could find one or two who look interesting. Give them a call and they might be convinced to teach personalized backcountry navigation skills in the manner you have read here

 

[sardog1]

EDIT: (Ooops, looks like I missed the orienteering referrals above. It's especially chagrining and more than a little ironic to have missed a control flag in an avatar ..... )

Where will you do this orienteering? Well, the Up North Orienteers are holding what looks to be a fabulous orienteering weekend, the Beaver Brook Boulder Dash on Oct. 15-16 in Hollis, NH.

Orienteering clubs are known for being especially hospitable to guests at their meets. Most meets will have courses of varying difficulty. Kids are welcome and so are hard-core competitors. And if you (eventually) want something more challenging, try rogaining via the International Rogaining Federation. No, it's not a hair loss treatment -- it's more likely to cause you to pull some out.

And then if you're still not getting enough fiber in your diet, and you relish the prospect of nighttime bushwhacking, send me a PM -- I'll hook you up with a SAR group in your area of interest. I've used orienteering for several years to get SAR newbies jump-started on navigation.

 

[Nessmuk]

It may be cheaper in the long run. You probably already own a PC (duh!) and a colour printer. I use Topo! which was pretty cheap. For the ADK HH I thought I would need to buy 18 Quads (!) but after purchasing a few that have several HH each I stopped getting new ones and now I just print what I need.

Anyhow think of the money you've already saved by not buying a gps and all those batteries.

Yeah, I figured you or someone would point out the long term cost thing. I do own virtually all of the USGS quads from Utica north and east, except for the far eastern and southeastern Adirondack region (I have enough to do in the more solitude friendly western region!). It's a lot more than 18 quads. As the maps I most frequently use get old and tattered I can't help but replace them with new ones.

But I did recently complete a solo hike/paddle of nearly 200 miles on a diagonal through the heart of the Adks and for that I custom printed 8x10 sheets from Topo! which I do own. It took 32 adjacent pages to cover the whole route, plenty hefty but far less paper than carrying all those quads with excess coverage.

Good call on the GPS savings. You are beginning to know me well

 

[WalksWithBlackflies]

ALWAYS trust your compass

Gotta disagree with you there. Last month, I was on the northeast side of Nippletop, and long story short, both my digital and analog compasses were off by 90 degrees.

 

[SAR-EMT40]

Around NE look into Up North Orienteers (UNO) and New England Orienteering Club (NEOC)

I have worked (and played) with NEOC many, many times and it is a great club with really good people in CT. UNO has had some really great courses over the years including at least one ROGAINE and also had a fixed long course that you could do at your leisure which was also a blast. I see that SARDOG1 has already given the link. Also in CT the WCOC is another club that is active and has had a ROGAINE just recently as well as being very active in CT.

Keith

 

[spencer]

By this advice, I assume you mean that you shouldn't leave the map & compass behind and rely solely on a GPS. I'd agree with that.

Yup. I think they are great, too! I use them extensively for work. However, I've seen lots of folks think they are infallible b/c they have a GPS with them. They are awesome when they work. but, as you said, they aren't as reliable.

This is an awesome thread!

spencer

 

[John H Swanson]

The easiest route between two points, when bushwhacking, is almost never a straight line. If you monitor your compass and know about how much time you've been off bearing and by how far (degrees) from the target bearing then you can adjust to get back on bearing. When the woods are open it's easy to select targets like tress and rocks. When it is dense indistinguishable, then it becomes an interesting game. Being able to deviate from a bearing by a full 90 degrees because it is the best route option is bizarre and useful. I especially like when this technique takes you out of some helacious growth into open woods. That's when the comment " I like this way much better" seems appropriate.

 

[Double Bow]

Excellent advice in this thread!

Just to chip in my two cents on this, I would recommend reading "Become Expert with Map & Compass". It's a classic! I do not use GPS out of preference for the accuracy and dependability of M&C. As I say: "It's ultra-light and retro cool!"

I also have to say that besides wearing a hat, eye protection, long sleeves, and pants, I really think that taking ONE pole along is very helpful. Two poles get in the way much too much but, a single pole is excellent for being able to probe the ground before stepping onto what could be thin cover over a whole. It's sort of the all-season equivilent of probing for crevasses.

Bushwhacking can be mighty dangerous sometimes but with the right skills you can minimize the risks.

 

[Papa Bear]

Yup. I think they are great, too! I use them extensively for work. However, I've seen lots of folks think they are infallible b/c they have a GPS with them. They are awesome when they work. but, as you said, they aren't as reliable.

This is an awesome thread!

spencer

I'm on both sides of the GPS question. I think anythging you bring that affects your well being should have a backup, whether it's a second map, a second compass or a bivy sack in case you are stuck over night. A GPS is no different. It can certainly help when it's working by supplying valuable information. So I would not leave it home, just make sure you can do without it.

I've started to do benchmark hunting. There's a sub-group of Geocachers who do this. I was reading a report on the site of someone who was searching for a mark on the granite base of one of the lions in front of the NY Public Library. His GPS couldn't get signal so he couldn't find the mark! Duh! Another guy said he was trying to use his compass to find the correct lion and couldn't find the right lion till he realized uptown in NY is (roughly) north! double-duh! (He claimed his compass was off by 180 degrees - yeah right!)

When I search for benchmarks in the city, I make a point of not brining the compass and not bringing the GPS. If you can't find something with a description like "14 feet from the curb of Fifth Avenue" then you need to go back to nursery school.

The most important item to bring along, whether you are serching for lions in New York City, or searching for the top of Vose Spur is your brain!

In the woods I bring anything else along that might help.

 

[Nessmuk]

I also have to say that besides wearing a hat, eye protection, long sleeves, and pants...

Gaiters... I couldn't live without lightweight gaiters winter or summer. They keep junk from falling in your boots, protect from scratches, and are most excellent for one-stepping through water or mud to keep your boots dry.

 

[Papa Bear]

It may be cheaper in the long run. You probably already own a PC (duh!) and a colour printer. I use Topo! which was pretty cheap. For the ADK HH I thought I would need to buy 18 Quads (!) but after purchasing a few that have several HH each I stopped getting new ones and now I just print what I need.

I have no special mapping software and I routinely use the stuff from Topozone which is totally free. My maps cost just what the blank paper costs. One advantage of Topozone maps over real quads is that they give the current magnetic declination. The paper map will generally have an outdated value for that important piece of information (although who would quibble over a few degrees! )

 

[Neil]

On a few B/Ws this summer I decided to wear trail runners. Normally I wear boots but they get heavy stepping over stuff. Enter runners and no gaitors for fleetness of foot. If the weather's dry or you don't mind wet feet - I do so will still take boots if that's a possibility- then this is a really big improvement. I don't mind all the crap that lines my ankles, don't feel it.
Now, the spruce needles in my butt I could do without.

 

[Nessmuk]

The easiest route between two points, when bushwhacking, is almost never a straight line. If you monitor your compass and know about how much time you've been off bearing and by how far (degrees) from the target bearing then you can adjust to get back on bearing. When the woods are open it's easy to select targets like tress and rocks. When it is dense indistinguishable, then it becomes an interesting game. Being able to deviate from a bearing by a full 90 degrees because it is the best route option is bizarre and useful. I especially like when this technique takes you out of some helacious growth into open woods. That's when the comment " I like this way much better" seems appropriate.

This is an essential skill. Even if you have properly pre-planned your best route by map study you still often have to resort to offset routing when you are in the field. Thats what makes observational navigation such a continuously dynamic process to update your location and so important to know. And fun.

 

[Neil]

The paper map will generally have an outdated value for that important piece of information (although who would quibble over a few degrees! )

Those of us posting on this thread that's who.


I always just use 14 degrees west. Is that last week's value? Oh oh.

 

[Nessmuk]

The paper map will generally have an outdated value for that important piece of information (although who would quibble over a few degrees! )

I might not quibble over 2 degrees much, but at 3+ it becomes serious. Observational terrain navigation mitigates some of this, but on long featureless legs 3 degrees starts to make an impact on precision.

You can get the current declination value and rate of change for any location at:
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/geomag/jsp/Declination.jsp

There is a useful tutorial on:
http://www.geocities.com/magnetic_declination/