| Maps, compass, and a high tech GPS handheld receiver will get me to my planned destination. Make sure you enter a waypoint for the location of your vehicle. I once made the mistake of not placing a waypoint at the car location. Late one fall day I set out to hike a peak in the desert. Traveling 16 miles into the desert I parked my vehicle about 2 miles from the peak. I could see the peak easily from the car. There were no trails or path to follow. I made the peak, but it took longer that I expected. With daylight fading I made a hasty retreat down the mountain side away from my vehicle. Once reaching the base of the mountain, which is now in total darkness, I walked around the mountain to where I thought would be the car. Funny, I couldn't find the car. What was obvious in the day light hours is obscured in the darkness. All of my visual reference points were hidden. The small ten foot beam of my flash light was useless. I found several roadways, but not the one I was on, (not all roads lead to Rome). To make matters worse, the flash light battery is almost drained, I can bearly make out my watch dial....It's been two hours since reaching the base of the mountain during my descent. The map that I printed out for this hike was useless without the grid lines. For some strange reason I felt you couldn't get lost when you have a GPS unit. Knowing your corrordinates, but not being able to transpose that onto a map that does not have any reference points is useless. Finally the light from my GPS unit die. At this point I felt very frustrated. Then I got scared when out from the darkness came a horrible high pitch scream! Holly Cow what's out here with me in the darkness? I definitely will not go in that direction where the sound came from. Later I learned that scream came from a rabbit being killed by a coyote. From off in the distance I can see lights from a town possible ten miles away. I thought about walking towards the town, but as I was looking, a pair of head lights appeared moving in the distance. It might be a mile or two away from me. The lights were stationary now, pointing straight at me. I knew the main dirt road that I came in on was running north to south. This light was pointing perpedicular (west) from the main road, maybe they turned off the main road to turn around. I knew if I can find the main dirt road, I could locate the dirt road that I turn onto to locate my car. Not knowing when the vehicle lights were going to disappear, I decieded to head directly to the lights, (go to the light, go to the light, was going through my head). Not being able to get a bearing reading from my compass in the darkness, I looked at the location of the town lights and the faint outline of a mountain ridge line to keep me going in the correct direction. It's dark, it's lonely, but at least I have got a point to travel to. Then the light disappeared! I continuted on walking through dry stream beds, around yucca plants, over small hills and finally reaching the road way. Finding the main road was the next best thing to finding the car. Eventally I found the car. After stumbling around for three hours in the darkness, I have learn my lesson of always placing a starting waypoint before the hike. |
