Navigation

navigating in poor visibility
 

mist, fog and or darkness

 

Keep your route well away from potential danger such as cliffs.

Whilst walking in poor conditions be aware of safety

As well as the usual navigational concerns do the following before you move - ensure that :

Try and ensure you know your position at all times.  Use your route card.

Keep the group together.
Appoint a confident person in the group should be at the rear to keep the group together.

A confident person in the group should keep the group's morale up whilst leaving you to do the relevant navigational calculations.

Each person is responsible for ensuring they can see and remain in contact with the person in front and behind.

Appoint a back marker. Tell the back marker to shout at once if you are moving to quick or get out of sight.

The leader should look around periodically to check that everyone is OK.

Ensure your own and your groups safety.

Ensure you keep good morale in your group.

Check equipment, keep the group together.

Each person is responsible for the person in front and behind.

 

 

Go back to navigating using basic easy to use techniques

 

Keep the map orientated at all times.

Keep the navigational legs short.

Find an attack point near to where you want to go to.

Chose the easiest hand rail to your feature

Visualise some ticking off features as you travel

Work out the exact distance to your attack point

Decide on a catching feature to stop you walking to far

You are now ready to set off towards your destination (or attack point) using the above techniques as well as those described elsewhere on this site.

 

preparing to leave
a trig point in poor visibility
Make use of techniques that will make navigation easier

Pacing

Work out your distance before you move off and consider using pacing to check your distance. If you need to concentrate on your navigation technique then appoint someone within the group as responsible for pace counting distance.

Walking on a Bearing or Aiming Off

If you decide to walk on a bearing

Try and use the aiming off technique so as to minimise the chances of missing your new goal. Aiming off when done properly is better than hitting a feature by dead reckoning.

 

Following a bearing

Whilst you are following a bearing use the following technique to make the bearing easier to follow
Send one person ahead whilst walking on the required bearing. Shout when they near the limit of visibility or voice.
Get them to stop, you and your group should then catch them up and repeat the process again.
 This technique is often called "leap frogging"
Remember to use a back bearing from the person in front to check the bearing

 

Back-bearings

A back bearing can be used for two purposes

1)  to check if you are still walking on the correct bearing. For instance if you set off from a gate on a bearing and could not line up anything, when you get so far, turn round and line up the compass with the gate, to make sure you are on course. This is rare, as you can nearly always find something ahead of you to line up with.

2) it can also be used to return along your original route. Just turn the compass housing around 180° use the white end of the needle instead of the red.

Cairns

Keep a Look out for cairn's marking your possible route.
A cairn is a man made pile of stones that has been left for navigational purposes.  Often cairns have been built along a path to assist in following the path in bad weather.
Cairns are also used to mark summits at mountain tops and summits that do not have a trig point on.

a typical example of a cairn just visible in the mist

you could easily walk past it and miss this flat Glenshee summit

Back Marker

Whilst walking in difficult conditions such as fog, mist, snow, or darkness, appoint a back marker. Tell the back marker to shout at once if you are moving to quick or get out of sight.

Attack points

As  you arrive in the general area of your attack point, search both the map and terrain you pass over and can see for clues to your exact whereabouts.

Time

Whilst walking try and work out exactly how fast you are walking.
Having accurate information can assist you.

Remember you will walk considerably slower in poor visibility.

Search Techniques (box a section - sweep search, etc.)

If all else fails organise a search - Remember Keep the group under close control at all times Failing this, you must set up a search. Do not run about in all directions.

Contouring

Contouring is difficult to maintain at night or in bad weather, you are better to walk short legs with a compass and use pacing.

 

Use your equipment

Compass

Learn how to use your compass and trust it

Torch

Either use your torch or keep it switched off.

If you keep turning it on and off it takes a long time for your eyes to become accustomed to the dark after exposure to bright light.

some people use a red filter on their torch, as red light doesn't have such an effect on your eyes. If you use a red light remember - the brown contour lines tend to disappear in red light.

Rope

If you are in potential danger and have a rope - then use it - rope up.

If the weather gets extremely bad or you are very close to danger, you can walk in rope lengths so as to ensure even greater distance accuracy (provided of course that you know the length of your rope) [usually 45 or 50 meters for full length climbing ropes]

GPS

If you have a GPS use it for guidance. Do Not rely on it in bad weather, they should be used as an extra tool useful as a guide.

Warning - USE EXTREME CAUTION ABOUT USING THE GO-TO feature of a GPS.
If used indiscriminately it could put you in serious trouble OR WORSE.

more details on GPS goto function

  

Altimeter

Remember an altimeter is effected by bad weather as it uses air pressure to work out your height.  As air pressures tend to alter suddenly in bad weather treat all readings with caution.

 

If you see bad weather approaching

Stop

First take a look around - is there any dangerous land nearby that you need to avoid ?

Try and work out exactly where you are - if need be write down a description and a grid reference on your route card.

Take a bearing on any known features - if need be write these down as well.

Once the bad weather reaches you - It will be too late - Try and work out where you are as soon as you see the bad weather

 

 

walking in potential
bad weather

having already taken
bearings and location
info ready if
the visibility worsened