Mounted search and rescue

["Mike" <revmp777@earthlink.net>]

True enough.  Practice makes a world of difference.  I'm partial to the
map/compass combo but still like to carry a GPS for other info, distances to
waypoints, travel speed, etc, but I wouldn't depend only on it.   I've never
tried orienteering but I may give it a shot just for the experience.  Thanks

Mike
----- Original Message -----
From: "Una Smith" <una.smith@att.net>
To: "Mounted search and rescue" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 02, 2006 15:40
Subject: Re: [MSAR] GPS and field navigation


> 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
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