Mounted search and rescue

[Una Smith <una.smith@att.net>]

Mike wrote:
>However, here in Florida visible landmarks are almost non-existent.

Mike, I lived in Florida for a decade.  There are places where
you can see no major landmarks (such as recognizable peaks), but
that is true in most parts of the world.  And even when you can
see what looks like a peak, that does not mean what you see on 
the skyline is the peak marked on the map.  You could be looking
at a shoulder.  So even when a major landmark is visible on the
horizon a SAR field team from out of area still must use caution.

Yet orienteers manage to compete around the world (ie, extremely
out of area!) and navigate efficiently under any local conditions:
heavy tree cover, low visibility, relatively featureless terrain,
etc.  Far more navigational clues are available for use than even
experienced SAR field team members ever see.  It has been a real
eye-opener for me (someone used to working in remote deep jungles
a la National Geographic), how much more I still had to learn by
participating in orienteering meets and trainings.  IME, those
field workers (including SAR responders) who depend on GPS units
see almost *no* navigational clues, even the really obvious ones.

You can test this for yourself, easily;  just enjoy a few hours
of fun at an orienteering meet.  The courses are color coded
according to the subtlety of navigational clues:  white, yellow,
and orange are progressively harder.  Red, green, brown and blue
are harder still, but the differences among those four courses
are primarily length and the amount of climb, not navigational
difficulty.  To start off, try a yellow or orange course.

To find a meet, contact a club near you or wherever you travel to.
http://www.us.orienteering.org/ has a map with links to clubs in
the US and Canada.  And know that many clubs hold meets all over
their area, not just near their "home" location.  Especially older
clubs, which have established many maps.  My own local club, New
Mexico Orienteers, is just a few years old;  our first two large
maps are 100 miles' drive apart.  

        Una Smith
        New Mexico