LAND NAVIGATION CHEATS

Have you ever needed an edge with your land navigation? Have you been lost and just needed a little help. Adventure racer and pilot, Scott Schilling has a trick that can help you out of a jam.

Scott laminates this hand chart and carries it in his water proof navigation bag. It can be a crutch for those times when the mind is not working too well...although some of the info requires some calculation.

The pace patterns were tailored to Scott's stride patterns. To determine his stride pattern, Scott went to the track and walked or ran on level ground in the same manner he anticipated running the race. Wind, mud, elevation can be factored in on the fly.

Scott says

The most difficult navigating situations I have experienced are in flat areas

1) ocean with no land reference

2) paddling in flat areas through swamp areas with trees that blind you from shooting any bearings off a significant mark

3) (almost as tough as in open water, with no land marker or anything on the horizon) night paddling.

The reference to how well you see trees is probably the most useful information on the worksheet.

Scott says one rule is to look to the sky for planes and contrails. When you are in areas that are fairly remote the air traffic is generally going and coming from one major airport.

In the everglades it is Miami. In Alaska, they are probable going to Anchorage. In the swamps around New Orleans contrails do not help, but planes ascending and descending are going to Kenner. Research the area you are going too and give yourself a navigation edge.




Scott's Navigation Cheat Sheet