Stay Alive -- Find Your Way Back eShort by John McCann

Author:John McCann [McCann, John D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4402-3539-9
Publisher: F+W Media
Published: 2012-03-14T16:00:00+00:00

Lateral drift

When traveling using a compass, make short runs from one known point to another if at all possible. When you site your compass on a known object, it is easier to accurately travel to that point. It is more accurate than trying to travel in a straight line with a known bearing but nothing to site on.

It is easier to maintain a straight line if you can see both your starting point and the point you are traveling towards. A back bearing, as discussed above, is a good way to check that you are traveling in a straight line, and prevents lateral drift. If you can mark your starting point with a stick in the ground or another object that you can see from a distance once you start moving, you can use it to determine if you have traveled straight forward. If you are not traveling alone, the best option is to leave a person at the starting point. As you travel from the starting point, turn around, being careful that you remain on your line of travel. Using a back bearing, determine if you are pointing directly at your starting stick, object, or person left behind. If you are, you are moving straight ahead. If you are not, lateral drift has occurred, you have drifted to the left or right of the line of travel.

If lateral drift has occurred, there is one of two things you can do. The first is return to your last known point and re-shoot your bearing, aiming on an object directly in the bearings path, and try again to travel towards that target without drifting left or right. Another way, which is not as accurate, is to shuffle left or right of the direction of travel line until your back-bearing is aimed directly at the last starting point. Then carefully turn around and continue on the original bearing.

Even though you remain on the designated bearing, if you are careless and allow lateral drift to occur you will not end up at the desired destination. Even though the original bearing keeps you in a straight line forward, lateral drift takes you on a parallel course which does not lead to where you want to be.

Keep in mind that the more often you check your back bearing, the less likely you are to drift.

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