Basic Navigation

Navigation (pandu arah) is an essential skill that every people who are involving in outdoor recreation activity must have. Navigation can be used either with equipment (compass) or with natural sources (sun). But certain level of navigation is using a combination of equipments and the nature.

The lowest level to determine the direction is using compass (walking in the woods) and the highest level of navigation is using a scientific calculation and sophisticated equipments (landing on the moon). From the beginning, people navigate and marked their destination with many methods until a civilization happen.

Wilderness navigation can be an invaluable skill when exploring the great outdoors. The best places to explore and go hiking have no roads and lots of vegetation, making it very easy to get lost. If you’ve ever been lost in the woods for any length of time, you’ll know that it’s a very humbling and unpleasant feeling. A little preparation and practice with a few simple navigation tools can help you stay on track and avoid getting lost.

Before you set out on your next walk in the woods, take the time to learn how to read a map, use a compass, operate a GPS, and use the sun and stars to guide you. Below are some of the essential wilderness navigation skills that you can use to survive a wrong turn in the woods.

Know the Major Landmarks
Research the area that you’re going into. Most parks and campgrounds have some known boundary points. For example, the area where we go has a highway on one border and a river on another side. Knowing where I’m supposed to be in relation to these landmarks can help you get back on track. When you’re lost, you often think that you’re headed in one direction…when in fact, you’re headed in the opposite direction. Take some time before your trip to familiarize your group with a map and the area that you’ll be in.

How to Read a Map
Map reading is one of the pillars of wilderness navigation, and like any skill, it gets easier with some practice. Being able to translate the symbols, lines and colors of the map to the actual terrain features in front of you can be confusing sometimes, but it gets much easier after you try it a few times. Most maps will have a legend or key that will show you the symbols used on the map and what they represent. The colors used on maps are pretty standard and represent different types of features, as follows:

* Black: Used for man-made features and cultural areas such as buildings, roads, railways, pipelines, and property boundaries.
* Brown: Used for topographic and surface features such as contour lines.
* Green: Used to show vegetation features, such as woods.
* Blue: Used for water features, such as rivers, streams, lakes, and swamps.
* Red: Used for main roads, such as highways. It can also be used to show special features like a tunnel or survey lines.


Contour Lines
Contour lines are used to connect points of equal elevation. Being able to decipher contour lines and translate them to a picture of the terrain is a handy wilderness navigation skill. Lines that are close together indicate a steep rise in elevation. Often times, maps will label the contour lines with their elevation above sea level. Below are a few examples of what a map will show relative to the actual terrain features that they represent:

The Map’s Scale
Another key element of map reading is the scale on the map. Often overlooked, this scale can help you estimate distances and better plan the timing and route of your hike. Most maps are in a scale of 1:24,000 (standard) or 1:25,000 (metric). For the 1:24,000 scale maps, one inch equals 2,000 feet. For the 1:25,000 maps, 5 centimeters equals 1,250 meters. Look at the scale of your map and use it to your advantage. Many maps will have grid-squares to help assist in estimating distances on your map. Knowing the scale of the map and your pace length can help you get back on track...and back to camp! See the pace counting section below.


Map Care
If you need a map for your next camping trip or hike, than taking care of your map should be a top priority. If your map is not water-proof, be sure to protect it in a plastic bag or case. When you fold your map, take the time to do it properly. If you fold your map a different way each time, the creases will become worn and rip and these areas of the map will be unreadable. Depending on your trip and the type of map that you have, it may be worth your while to have it laminated. Most of the larger office supply stores can do this at a reasonable price.


Pace Counting
If you’re participating in a wilderness navigation or orienteering course, you’ll need to plot and hike through a variety of bearings and checkpoints, and you’ll also need to gauge the distance that you’re covering between each to see if you’re on track. To do this, you’ll count your paces and compare it to the projected distance that you measured on your map.

To figure out your pace count, measure a 25 meter length on a sidewalk or path, and count your paces to cover that distance. Multiply this number by 4 to get number of paces per 100 meters. Using a set of simple pace beads (like below), count your paces for the first 100 meters and then slide the first bead down. When you reach 1,000 meters, you slide down one of the top beads and reset the lower beads. It may seam archaic…but it works really well! While the use of GPS units has made land navigation a forgotten skill, it’s nice to have a back-up plan for when the batteries die!

Using a Map with a Compass
A map is necessary in wilderness navigation, but it’s not very useful without a compass to orient yourself. Once you establish the position on the map where you are (Start) and the point where you’re going to stop (Finish), the line between them is your path (azimuth). You can take your straight-edge ruler and lightly sketch this path on your map. If you have a protractor, you can also measure the compass bearing from the angle of your new line and the map’s vertical north line. If not, don’t worry – there’s another way. Place your compass on the map and turn the map until the north arrow on the map lines up with the with the north arrow on the compass (both map and compass should be on a level and flat surface). If you place your compass at the start of your path, and the north arrow on the compass lines up with the vertical grid-north lines on the map, you should be able to look down and see what direction your path is with respect to your compass bearing. Look at the bearing on the compass that lines up with the direction of your path – this is your azimuth. In the picture below, the azimuth is approximately 330 degrees.

Now that you have your azimuth, you’ll want to correct it for declination. Declination is the angle between magnetic north and geographic north. Declination varies by geographic region and usually noted on topographic maps. As an example, the northeastern states of the US have a declination correction of 10-18 degrees, but the states along the Mississippi River have a declination near zero. To correct for declination you rotate the compass on your map to re-orient the north arrow with magnetic north. Many maps will show the magnetic north arrow and geographic north arrows together with the angle defined between them.

When you start your hike, take your compass and orient yourself and the map so that your facing your azimuth (direction of your path). If there’s no visible trail to follow, you’ll want to use your compass to get a landmark to walk towards, at which point you’ll take another bearing to the next landmark. Wilderness navigation can get tricky in thick vegetation or at night and will require patience and multiple bearing checks. Before you depart, remember your back azimuth (your path minus 180 degrees), as this is the bearing you’ll want to take back to the start.

Below is an example of what the compass sight picture would look like on a lensatic compass when taking a bearing on an object:

I hope that these wilderness navigation tips help you as you prepare for your trip. It doesn’t take much time to get better at map reading and compass use. With a little bit of practice, you’ll feel a lot more comfortable before you head out into the woods!

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Surviving a Flash Flood

Flood in Segamat, Johor on 31 Jan 2011

Floods and flash floods are a common occurrence in my area and are an almost daily fact of life. During unusually heavy rains, flash floods will often develop suddenly and unexpectedly catching many people unaware. Flash floods alone cause hundreds of deaths each year due to drowning. Most of these deaths are caused by people driving their cars into high water areas during the flooding and could have been avoided. While most property damage cannot be easily avoided, knowing a few basic facts about floods and the effects of moving water can drastically increase your chances of survival.

Flood Survival Tips

Flood Watch: Flooding is possible in your area.

Flash Flood Watch: Flash flooding is possible in your area.

Flood Warning: A flood is occurring or will happen soon as stream or river levels rise.

Flash Flood Warning: A flash flood is occurring. Move to higher ground immediately.

• Be alert to weather forecasts in your area during periods of excessive rainfall and know the terminology used to describe the hazard levels.
  
• Be aware of your flood risk and have an evacuation route planned in advance.
• Never cross a road or highway that has been flooded.
• Turn off the power to avoid possible electrocution hazards.
• Avoid contact with flood waters as they may be contaminated.
• Avoid driving your vehicle during flood conditions
• Abandon your vehicle immediately if it becomes flooded.
• Don’t walk through flood waters as it is difficult to judge water currents.
• If you are caught in flood waters, go over obstacles and keep your feet pointed downstream.
• If you are stranded above the flood waters, stay there till rescued.

a satellite image of the movement of hurricane

flood & fire

Know that driving your vehicle during flood conditions is extremely hazardous. The saying “Turn around, don’t drown!” if followed may save your life.

Always remember these simple facts:

Six inches of water can cause you to lose control of your vehicle.

Twelve inches of water can cause your vehicle to float.

Two feet of water can sweep your vehicle completely off the road.

Staying above the water line!

Risk Management for Outdoor Education Activities

“Take risks: if you win, you will be happy; if you lose, you will be wise.” –Unknown-

“Man must exist in a state of balance between risk and safety. Pure risk leads to self-destruction. Pure safety leads to stagnation. In between lies survival and progress.”- Unknown-

“There is no security on this earth. Only opportunity.” - Douglas Macarthur

The Principles

• RISK IDENTIFICATION
• RISK ASSESSMENT
• RISK REDUCTION
  - Avoidance
  - Reduction
  - Retention
  - Transference
  
  

Outdoor Activity Instructor Supervision

Facility & Field/Area Supervision

• Provide for overall facility supervision,
• including the safe arrival and departure of participants as well as a safety check of the field or facility.
• Keep an eye on the weather and don’t play during unsafe weather conditions.

Activity Supervision

• Recognize the hazards and potential injury
• Always try to have a good ratio of coaches to players for every activity.

Gender-Sensitive Supervision

• Learn how to prevent abusive situations from occurring.
• Establish procedures to handle cases when a player is stranded after an activity.
• Consider doing background checks on all coaches and volunteers in your organization.

Emergency Supervision

• Train coaches and volunteers on basic emergency procedures, how to handle an injury and how to get help
• Establish set procedures for your team and communicate them to your coaches.

Definition, Purpose & Goals of OE

During my first class for Outdoor Education (OE) course this semester, all my students were really pleased & enthusiastic to have me as their lecturer. I shared some of the my past experiences and encourage them to start develop their unexplored potential. I was also set a few main and minor goals for them to execute and achieve by the end of this semester.

OE Definitions

• the use of experiences in the outdoors for the education and development of the ‘whole person’ - The Outdoor Institute
• an experiential method of learning with the use of all senses. It takes place primarily, but not exclusively, through exposure to the natural environment. - Priest, 1990
• an international, experiential education phenomenon which engages people in adventurous activities for enhancement of the well-being of individuals, communities, and the environment - Neill, 2002

Purposes

According to Priest and Gass (1997):

• Recreational programs aim to change the way people feel. The purpose is leisure, fun and enjoyment, e.g., surfing for pleasure.
• Educational programs aim to change the way people feel and think. The purpose is to learn skills and/or information, e.g., learning how to surf classes or geography field trips.
• Developmental programs aim to to change way people feel, think and behave. The purpose is is to undergo personal growth, e.g., a surfing program in which the goal was to push personal limits, test endurance, develop personal goal setting, self-discipline, and build individual's self-esteem, etc.)
• Therapeutic / Redirectional programs aim to change the way people feel, think, behave, and resist. The purpose is correct an individual or group problem, e.g., a low security prison may conduct surfing classes and work on a beach habitat restoration program as part of a pre-release detention program for inmates)

Goals

• Physical goals include physical fitness, weight loss, balanced dietary intake, physical movement and physical and health well-being. Physical goals may be preventative, educational, developmental, and/or rehabilitative (therapeutic).
• Spiritual programs aim to help development of spiritual knowledge and experience (e.g., many Church and Religious groups conduct camps for young people with a combination of spiritual instruction and other goals, such as fun (recreation).
• Relationship / Family / Group / Community oriented programs aim to change the way a particular dyad, small group or community are functioning (as opposed to individual). The unit of interest/analysis in this case is not the individual. Team productivity and school climate are examples.
• Environmental goals include having a positive impact on a specific ecosystem (e.g., native vegetation regeneration), environmental education knowledge (e.g., local area knowledge through to awareness about global climate change), and environmental attitude.

May this post sharing can make my OE course this semester become more enjoyable and more successful.

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to campus life to my students especially the prospects who will be following Outdoor Education (SPR1832) course right here in UTM.

This semester, our class will be conducted on every Thursday 2:00pm. The mode of delivery including lecture, presentation by students and practical session. There were two main projects to be completed are Outdoor Recreation Coaching Course (Level 1) and an expedition to an island. Two other minor projects are Kayak STAR 1 course and Basic Outdoor Survival Test.

All the students must be prepare physically, mentally and financially to going through this course. Perhaps, there are a large number of student can achieve an A for this course in this semester!