I was wondering how full blown hikers like nutnfancy hike. Does he even go on trails; because it looks as if he is in the middle of nowhere completely un marked places?
Here's my take on the lingo...
Hiking - Done on normal terrain. Follows established trails, almost always blazed.
Climbing - Done on steep terrain. Follows defined "routes", typically defined in books but are not marked.
Bushwacking - Done on normal terrain. Does not follow established trails but often ends up following unofficial "herd paths" produced by people making the same decisions over and over again.
FMAJOR007 has some great advice about the book "Be Expert With Map and Compass". But the former math teacher in me knows that a lot of people don't have even the most basic map reading skills. To deal with this, when I used to lead church groups on hikes, I worked a small piece that I called "Be a Beginner With Map and Compass".
The basic process, as I see it, is as follows:
+ Plan a route on a map using established trails.
+ Mark the start, end and all obvious waypoints in between such as trail intersections.
At each way point (could be the start):
1) Find the way point on the map.
2) Orient the map so it aligns with the terrain.
3) Find the next way point on the map.
4) Make a decision on which TRAIL to follow.
5) Hike until the next way point.
6) Repeat.
Note that there 2 massively dangerous assumptions here. The first is that you will be able to follow the trail until the next way point. Trails are comforting but sometimes, they are poorly marked and disappear. The second is that you will be able to see the next waypoint/intersection. Sometimes you don't because they come in at odd angles or the trail you were looking for was decommissioned since the map was updated or another trail was added.
IMO, it's tempting fate to plan bushwacking trips until a person has more or less mastered the art of following trails.
I can't even in good conscience suggest bushwacking to get out of the woods if/when you loose the trail. In many places in the northeast, bushwacking is a good way to take you further away from trails and decrease the ability to get back to a trail and be found. IMO, for most hikers, it's better to back track to refind the trail and then back track to the last known way point.
And if you can't the best option is usually to sit down and stop. Rely on the fact that you filed a "flight plan" with somebody you trust who will initiate a rescue and then use your whistle (3 blasts) to signal for assistance.
. I bodybuild so my cardio must be terrible. I am going to have to work on my cardio conditioning a little more with these upcoming hikes. i think i am going for a day hike with my brother next week (hopefully). I was wondering how full blown hikers like nutnfancy hike. Does he even go on trails; because it looks as if he is in the middle of nowhere completely un marked places?
