[Triangle-AR] Night Navigation Practice?

[Don Childrey]

Thanks for the tips Charlie! I definitely need to work on both my 
"pacing' and "timing" techniques too.

Any thoughts of putting on another practice course in the mtns?

Don


Charlie Roberts wrote:

> I don't have any other suggestions for locations in the Raleigh area. 
> I think Don and Brian covered those. But I will add that an altimeter 
> is indispensable for many longer ARs in our region which are held in, 
> or near, the mountains.  I use elevation "catch points" extensively.  
> One thing to remember is that weather changes can significantly mess 
> with your readings when using barometer-based altimeters such as the 
> Suunto watches.  Always re-calibrate before starting the race and 
> whenever you cross a known point.
>
> Keeping track of distance traveled is also very helpful. The 
> cyclometer works great on the bike, but on foot you'll need to rely on 
> pacing. I've never had the discipline for pace counting and just tried 
> to learn how fast I could travel at different exertion levels in 
> different terrain. You have to time yourself both during day and night 
> tho.  You always move slower at night than you think.  This works 
> pretty good for me until the second night without sleep. By that time, 
> the brain is fuzzy and the body is in pain...one mile can feel like 5! 
> :-)
>
> For following precise bearings, the "teammate as a marker" trick can 
> work pretty good over short distances.  For a navigator I would 
> suggest having a high power light, however, to allow them to see and 
> mark those distance trees when you really need to be exact.
>
> Oh, and the number one rule...the compass is always right.  It's 
> amazing how easy it is to get completely turned around and disoriented 
> when bushwhacking in poor conditions at night.
>
>
> Charlie