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(continued)
A night version of the stick and shadow (Northern
Hemisphere) I recalled that stars, located away from the Celestial
Poles, generally moved from east to west. I thought, “Maybe I can use this
information in the same manner I had the sun.”
I selected a star and then went out and found a straight five-foot
stick. In the nearby open meadow, I pushed the stick at a slight angle
into the soft ground. Next, I tied my parachute line to the tip of the
stick ensuring that it was long enough to reach the ground with lots to
spare. Lying on my back, I positioned myself so that I could pull the cord
tautly and hold it next to my temple. I moved my body around until the
line pointed directly at the selected, non-circumpolar, star or planet.
At this point, the parachute cord represented the star’s shadow and, I
placed a rock at the point where it touched the ground. I repeated this
process two more times, waiting ten minutes between each. Similar to the
stick and shadow, I realized that my first marking was west and my second
mark was east. A perpendicular line helped me determine north and south.
Once I established a northern heading, I used the moon as my guide since,
similar to the sun, it travels approximately 15° an hour toward the
western horizon. However, before I began my night trek, I searched for
and found a
sturdy seven-foot long walking stick. I kept its low end in front of me,
using it to ensure that the ground was there. I had heard stories of night
travelers walking off cliffs and didn’t want to become another statistic.
Finally exhausted, I found a natural shelter, piled duff above and
below me and hunkered down for the night. I should have made a fire, but I
was just too exhausted. At four AM, I realized my error in judgement and
it took me over 30 minutes to get a fire going. The metal match was cold,
and it was hard to hold it steady while trying to strike a spark into the
tinder. As I stared at the fire, I felt its warmth reaching for me, and
like so many times before I reached back. I awoke to a spectacular stage.
The glistening ground and sparkling trees provided a perfect setting for
the birds that serenaded me. I was tempted to just stay there forever but
the thought of my family kept me focused on returning home. Taking time to
get up, I started to think of alternatives for the stick and shadow. I was
tired of stopping every hour to re-orient. Since the sun was out, I
decided to use my watch.
Navigating with a Watch During my survival training, I had
been the only student with a watch that had an hour hand. Even the
instructor didn’t have one. In fact, he used my watch, along with the
midday sun, to demonstrate how it could help someone find his or her
cardinal directions. _files/survwach.jpg) I remembered how fascinated I was when he used a compass to
verify the accuracy of his heading. At that time I thought, “I could
navigate like that!” Now I wondered if I really could. I pointed my
watch’s hour hand towards the sun and holding it in this position, I drew
an imaginary line midway between the hour hand and 1200-hour. This
imaginary line represented a southern heading. Another line drawn
perpendicular to this one made it possible to determine N/S/E/W. Using
landmarks to stay on my heading, I spent most of the day walking and
basting in the sun. Taking a break during the midday sun, I thought
about how I could use my watch if I was in the Southern Hemisphere (see
illustration). There, I would point the watch’s 1200-hour symbol towards
the sun and holding the watch in this position, I would draw an imaginary
line midway between the 1200-hour symbol and the hour hand. This imaginary
line provides an approximate northern heading. Another line drawn
perpendicular to the original one makes it possible to determine N/S/E/W.
While taking my break, I noticed hundreds of ants on a nearby log. I
killed as many as I could and immediately ate them. They tasted like lemon
drops. Wanting more, I broke the log open and to my surprise, I saw a
thick, wormlike larva. I was hungry, but could I eat this? As I bit into
it, I could feel it moving and I quickly chewed and swallowed it. I
thought, “Not bad but not something I’d want to do everyday.”_files/NWATCH.gif)
_files/SWATCH.jpg)
I washed my lunch down with the water from a nearby
stream and continued on my northern heading. As nightfall advanced, I
noticed the sky was clear. Tonight I could use Polaris (North Star) to
determine my direction of travel.
Constellations It was a spectacular evening. The moon, stars,
and planets all glistened as if to say, “We’re here to help.” Since I was
in the Northern Hemisphere, my eyes searched for Cassiopeia or the Big
Dipper. I knew that these constellations would help me find my northern
heading. Finally, I spotted the Big Dipper. It was to my right,
partially upside down, and with the cup end higher than its ladle. As I
looked at it, I remembered how when I was a kid my Dad would say, “If the
cup’s upside down, it’s fixing to rain.” I paused and prayed for sun.
To my left was Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia’s five stars formed a large W
with its opening facing the Big Dipper. Half way between these
constellations, I saw Polaris (the North Star). It was at the very end of the
Little Dipper’s handle. I’d always thought it would be the brightest star
in the sky, but instead, it was dull and uninviting. I kept it directly in
front of me as I continued my trek, and when the trees obscured the star
from view, I used the moon in the same way I had the sun. As I
traveled, I thought about what I would have done if south of the equator.
Since Polaris wouldn’t be visible, I would need to use the Southern Cross
(four stars forming a cross) and the Pointer Stars. I wondered if I
would be able to identify the Southern Cross or if I would mix it up with
the False Cross that is close by, less bright, and with its stars more
widely spaced. Knowing that the southern and eastern arms of the actual
Southern Cross were two of the brightest stars in the sky made me feel
confident that I would be able to recognize it. _files/south.jpg) The Pointer Stars would be easy to identify. They
are simply two stars, side by side, and in close proximity to the Southern
Cross. To establish a southern heading, I’d extend an imaginary line (from
the top towards the bottom) out of the bottom of the cross. In addition,
I’d draw an imaginary line perpendicular to the center of the Pointer
stars. At the point where the lines intersect, I’d draw a third line
straight down towards the ground and this line would represent a southern
direction. As the night wore on, I became tired and decided to
establish a camp. I found a nice root buttress that required very little
modification. This time I gathered wood and started a fire before settling
in for the evening. I paid close attention to my fire placement to insure
it would not ignite any roots and to increase the benefit of the fire’s
heat; I placed a reflector so the fire was between it and my shelter. I
managed to sleep most of the night.
_files/constnor.gif)
I awoke to the sound of rain pounding the ground around me. The sun was
gone. I became nervous as the glum of the overcast sky seemed to engulf
me. I felt sick, empty, and depressed. It was as if all my hopes were
evaporating into the surrounding mist. I wasn’t suicidal but I did fear
for my mortality. I sat up and under my breath I mumbled, “how will I get
home now?” I realized the limits on my ability to navigate. In addition,
how would I stay dry and warm during the day? I was still in rough
mountainous terrain. I pulled out the family photo that I had hidden
away inside my wallet. There was Annie, my wife, and my two daughters
Rebecca and Dawn. I remembered how I’d felt at having to get dressed up
for that picture. I wanted to wear blue jeans and a t-shirt. I had told
Annie, “It’s stupid to get dressed up and it’s not me!” We had a big fight
about it. She won but I complained throughout the whole sitting. At this
moment, I’d gladly wear a Tux for a week just to spend a minute with my
family. I missed them! As I held the picture, I felt a tingle go up my
spine. The same tingle I would get before a football game when the
National Anthem played. The thought of my family rejuvenated my will to
press on, no matter what. I grabbed the dry duff I used to sleep on and
put it between the layers of my clothing. I knew it would provide
additional insulation and help keep me warm. I then sat down and used the
STOP acronym to help me work through my navigation dilemma. When
done, I had decided to try using a magnetized needle.
Using a Magnetized Needle Although I knew I could use a
magnetized needle to tell a northern heading, how would I get my needle
magnetized? I wasn’t wearing anything silk, and I didn’t have a magnet.
Fortunately, I had magnetized my knife before I’d left by rubbing it on my
stereo speaker magnet. Would this work? I decided I’d try it. I
stroked one end of the needle on my knife. Next, I looked for a stump with
standing water in the center. I laid the needle on a maple leaf and placed
it into the water. It took about 2 minutes for the leaf to stop moving and
when it stopped, the needle was on a north south direction. Since I did
not know which end of the magnet I had used, I could only ascertain that
the needle pointed north and south but not which way was north. Knowing I
was on a northern heading when I entered camp helped me determine which
way to go. Although this method allowed me to continue traveling, I had to
stop every 15 to 30 minutes to re-orient myself. The rain was a real
pain! I stopped at midday, built a big fire and began to dry myself out. I
placed the fire next to a treewell that protected me from the downpour. In
addition, the overhanging branches sheltered my fire from the rain. I
sat down, took my boots and socks off, and began massaging my feet. While
doing this, I saw a big black slug on the ground. I had eaten a grub
already, but a slug? Slugs were something I used to pour salt on and watch
as they melted into the ground. I was so hungry! When I picked it up my
stomach started to tighten as if someone had just hit me while I wasn’t
looking. As I bit into it, a liquid paste squirted into my mouth causing
waves of nausea like I’d only had when stricken with a bad stomach flu. It
took all my willpower to continue chewing on the film-coated meal. I
swallowed the slug as fast as I could and tried to get the taste out of my
mouth by drinking lots of water. Unfortunately, No matter how much I
drank, I couldn’t get that glue-like substance to go away. I got dressed
and pressed on. After another hour of travel, the sun came out and it
felt so good! It reached down and touched my wet shoulders, creating a
mist of hope. The accompanying rainbow was spectacular and its myriad of
colors crescendoed over the mountain tops. It was as if it pointed towards
my very own pot of gold, my home. As my spirits lifted, I began to
whistle and for the first time since my fall in the creek, I knew I would
make it. I scrambled up a scree patch and into a saddle where I decided to
stop, rest, and dry myself out. While lying next to the newly built fire,
I decided to eat pine needles and inner bark from the Lodge Pole Pine tree
that I was sitting under. The needles tasted tart and reminded me of
oranges but the inner bark was bitter, as I envisioned turpentine would
be. Since the sun was out, I went back to using my watch to navigate. I
figured I had at least one more day of travel before I would hit the road
I was looking for. You can imagine my surprise as I crested the next hill
and saw a paved road less then one-kilometer away. I felt like a kid who
had just found a five-dollar bill in front of the candy store. I
picked up my pace and began whistling and singing stupid songs, which I
made up and could never remember, as I headed down the hill. I thought
about how good it would be to see my family again._files/trk.gif)
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