Learning Hand Signals

Traveling in a group requires communication. Make sure everyone in your group understands basic hand signals.

Don't Drink and Ride

Combining Speed and Alcohol

• When you do react, your speed, diminished judgment, and impaired physical condition further complicate a critical response.

  1. The faster your speed, the longer the braking distance.

  2. During a hard brake, your impaired condition could cause you to lose control of the vehicle.

• Under normal circumstances, you usually can handle hazardous situations before they become problems. If you were under the influence of alcohol, your vehicle’s speed creates grave consequences to such problems.

Your Vehicle and Your Gear

Your Environment

Be Considerate

• Ride only where permitted.

• Be considerate of others on the trail, and keep to the right.

• Always yield to uphill traffic. Such riders may have trouble starting after stopping.

• Announce your intention before passing.

• Slow down when someone is passing you.

• If you meet bikers, horses, and hikers coming from the opposite direction, slow down, pull over, and yield the right-of-way.

• If you stop to talk to other trail users, be courteous and remove your helmet. A helmet masks your features and can be intimidating.

• Be safe and considerate when you stop along the trail. Never stop side-by-side, in the middle of the trail, at the crest of a hill, or around a corner on the trail. Also never block an intersection. Remember to shut off your engine.

• Leave gates as you find them.

• Report downed trees and trail maintenance needs to land managers.

• Report illegal riding.

• Carry out what you carry in.

Encountering Horses on the Trail

The Tread Lightly! Program

Travel Responsibly

Travel responsibly on routes and trails or in permitted areas.

• Stay on designated routes. Don’t blaze a new trail or cut across switchbacks.

• Travel only in areas open to your type of vehicle.

• Drive over obstacles, instead of going around them, to avoid widening the trail.

• Cross streams only at designated crossings.

• If you must cross a soft or muddy area, go slowly to avoid spinning your wheels.

• Respect closed gates and regulatory signs. Do not exceed the posted speed limit.

Respect the Rights of Others

Respect the rights of others including private property owners and all recreational trail users, campers and others to allow them to enjoy their recreational activities undisturbed.

• Never cross private land without permission.

• Yield the right-of-way when you meet others on the trail.

• If you meet a horse and rider, turn off your engine to avoid spooking the animal.

• Stay clear of wild animals, and avoid disturbing livestock.

• Minimize noise. Keep your vehicle properly tuned, and do not rev your engine unnecessarily.

• Avoid creating dust, especially in residential areas.

Educate Yourself

Educate yourself by obtaining travel maps and regulations from public agencies, planning for your trip, taking recreation skills classes, and knowing how to use and operate your equipment safely.

• Get maps that show the area where you plan to ride.

• Learn about regulations governing off-road riding in the area.

Avoid Sensitive Areas

Avoid sensitive areas such as meadows, lakeshores, wetlands, and streams. Stay on designated routes.

• Avoid sensitive habitats, including living desert soils, tundra, and seasonal nesting or breeding areas.

• Keep out of historical, archaeological, or paleontological sites.

• Stay out of designated wilderness areas.

Do Your Part

Do your part by modeling appropriate behavior, leaving the area better than you found it, properly disposing of waste, minimizing the use of fire, avoiding the spread of invasive species, and restoring degraded areas.

• Equip your vehicle with a spark arrestor.

• Before and after a ride, wash your vehicle to reduce the spread of invasive species.

Avoid Riding Below the OHWM

The Ordinary High Water Mark (OHWM) is a stain on rocks and trees along the shoreline of a waterway, defining where the highest water level usually is.

• Areas below the OHWM, such as exposed shorelines and lake beds, are very important to ecosystems.

• Because vehicles can easily damage these vulnerable areas, you should never operate below the OHWM.

Don’t Spread Harmful Weeds

Be a Wise Energy User

• Drive slowly for the first few minutes to let the engine warm up.

• Operate at lower speeds to help conserve fuel.

• Keep your engine tuned correctly to get maximum mileage.

• Use trails closest to your home to minimize transportation costs.

Campground Guidelines

• Slow down in camping areas and around crowds.

• Practice minimum impact camping.

Types of Emergencies

PLAN Properly

Prepare for the trip and any problems you can anticipate.

• Decide how to deal with such problems. Consider terrain, location, weather, and other factors that could affect your trip.

Locate the area where you’ll be riding.

• Use a map to familiarize yourself with the area. If the area is remote, also purchase a topographic map and familiarize yourself with the terrain.

  1. If you own a GPS, take it along. If you don’t have one, consider buying one.

Assess your physical condition, your equipment, and safety rules.

• Analyze all of the logistics related to the trip.

• Based on this information, decide whether the timing of the trip is good.

Notify someone about where and with whom you’re riding and your expected return time.

• Leave a specific plan with a family member or friend.

What to Bring Along

Survival Kit: In addition to the items listed above, you should carry:

• Emergency blanket in cold weather

• Emergency food and water (enough for one or two extra days)

• Flashlight

• Hand axe or saw

• High-energy snacks such as candy bars

• Knife

• Nylon rope

• Plastic whistle

• Pocket mirror

• Signal flares

• Snowshoes in the winter

• Tarpaulin

• Water purification tablets

• Waterproof matches

Reading a Topographic Map

• • Contour lines show the elevation of the ground.

  • Contour intervals reveal how much vertical distance there is between each contour line. Closely spaced contour lines indicate very steep slopes.

  • Contour lines that are sharply tapered indicate an uphill direction.

  • Rounded contour lines typically indicate a downhill direction.

Selecting a Compass

Another Direction Finder

You can use an analog watch—the kind with hands—to find south. With the watch on a flat surface, rotate it to point the hour hand at the sun. South is the direction halfway between the hour hand and 12. (If the watch is set to daylight savings time, south is the direction halfway between the hour hand and 1.)

Understanding Declination

• Topographic maps are drawn to true north (North Pole). However, a compass points to magnetic north, which is in the Hudson Bay area. The difference between true north and magnetic north is called “declination.”

• When true north and magnetic north are aligned (0° declination), the compass needle points to true north. If you’re east or west of 0° declination, the compass is not in line with true north.

• A diagram on topographic maps shows whether magnetic north is to the east or west of true north and by how many degrees.

• You can correct for declination when you use a compass and a map to take a bearing, as described on the next page.

Using a Compass to Take a Bearing Visually

When visibility is subject to change, such as from hills or fog, take a bearing on your destination while you can see it. Then, when it’s out of sight, use the bearing to find your direction. To take a bearing:

• Hold the compass level, and point its direction-of-travel arrow toward your destination.

• Rotate the azimuth ring until the orienting arrow lines up with the magnetic needle. Be sure the north end of the needle (usually red) points to N, not S.

• Find where the degree markings around the azimuth ring line up with the direction-of-travel arrow. That degree mark is your bearing.

Important

Metal objects such as knives, gun barrels, and belt buckles will affect the magnetic needle of a compass.

Using a Compass and Map to Take a Bearing

If you know your current location on the map and want to travel to another mapped location:

• Lay out the map on a flat surface and remove any metal objects from the area.

• Place the flat edge of the compass (the side parallel to the direction-of-travel arrow) along the line between the two points. Be sure the direction-of-travel arrow points toward your destination.

• Orient the map to north.

• Without moving the compass, rotate the azimuth ring until the orienting arrow (indicated by N) and the orienting lines point northward on the map, as indicated by the map’s north arrow or vertical lines.

• Turn the map and compass together until the magnetic needle lines up with the orienting arrow.

• Correct for east or west declination.

  • Rotate the azimuth ring left or right using the direction and the number of degrees given on the map.

  • Do not rotate the compass itself. It’s okay if the magnetic needle does not line up with the orienting arrow.

• Find where the degree marking around the azimuth ring lines up with the direction-of-travel arrow. That’s the bearing to your destination.

“Red Fred in the Shed”: Using a Compass

Think of the rhyme “Red Fred in the Shed” to remember how to use a compass. As you perform the steps below, remember the following.

• Move your body—not the compass.

• Think of the red magnetic needle as “red Fred.”

• Think of the orienting arrow as the “shed.”

• To use the compass to follow a specific bearing, put “red Fred in the shed.” For example, if you want to travel at a bearing of 240°, follow these steps.

  • Turn the azimuth ring until the 240° mark is lined up with the direction-of-travel arrow.

  • Keep the compass level as you point the direction-of-travel arrow directly away from your waist.

  • Keeping the compass in the same position with your body, turn your body until the red needle lines up inside the orienting arrow (think of it as putting “red Fred in the shed”). You now are facing a bearing of 240°.

  • Move in the same direction that the direction-of-travel arrow points. Be sure to keep red Fred in the shed as you go.

Using a Global Positioning System

• The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a navigation system based on a network of 24 satellites. Users with a GPS unit can determine their exact location (latitude and longitude) in any weather conditions, all over the world, 24 hours a day.

• GPS satellites circle the earth twice a day and transmit information to the earth. GPS receivers use this information to calculate the user’s location by comparing the time a signal was transmitted by a satellite with the time it was received. The time difference tells the GPS receiver the distance the user is from the satellite. By calculating the distances from several satellites, the receiver can determine and display the user’s location on the GPS unit.

• Once the user’s position is determined, a GPS unit can calculate other information, including bearing, trip distance, distance to destination, and sunrise and sunset times.

• GPS receivers are accurate to within 15 meters (49 feet) on average. Certain atmospheric factors and other sources of error can affect the accuracy. Accuracy can be improved with a Differential GPS (DGPS) or Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS).

Some vehicles now come with a built-in GPS unit as an option

Benefits of Survival Training

Taking a formal class in survival skills can be invaluable if your riding environment is extreme in terms of terrain, climate, or remoteness. Some benefits include:

• The potential for saving your life or the life of one of your companions

• The ability to enjoy areas of the country that would be off-limits to adventurers equipped with less knowledge

• Greater respect for the environment and wildlife and for their collective risks

• Greater confidence in your own self-sufficiency, which will translate to other areas of your life

Survival training skills range from somewhat simple tasks to quite sophisticated medical procedures. A survival training class could include how to:

• Light a fire without a match.

• Set a fracture in the wild.

• Avoid encountering bears.

• And much more.

The wide scope of useful topics makes it impractical to attempt to cover survival training within this course.

Rules of Survival

• Tell someone where you’re going and when you plan to return.

• Don’t travel alone.

• Take enough food and water to last for at least two days in an emergency.

• Bring a map and compass, and always orient yourself before leaving.

• Wear layered clothing.

• Don’t panic if you become lost. Stay calm and wait for help.

Water is essential to your survival.

• Everyone needs two to four quarts of water daily.

• You can last only a few days without water.

• Clear water does not mean pure water. Mountain streams are often contaminated by parasites.

• The best way to purify water is by boiling it for five minutes.

• If boiling is impossible, use a chemical purifier or filter.

• Try to avoid complicating survival problems. Never drink unsafe water.

If you plan to visit a remote area, you must prepare for the possibility that your party may be stranded and must await rescue. If you are, you can take three steps to help you survive.

• Prepare a shelter.

• Build a fire, if necessary.

• Signal for help.

Preparing a Shelter

• Before dark, begin looking for a dry, well-drained site protected from the wind.

• Look for a natural shelter, such as a rock overhang or thicket of evergreens.

• Ideally, the site should be near fresh water and firewood, in case a fire is necessary.

• If no natural site is available, build a lean-to.

  • • Lean branches against a horizontal support to form a frame for a roof.

    • Orient the opening of the lean-to away from the wind.

    • Cover the frame with evergreen branches or a tarp to block out the weather.

    • Add side walls, if necessary.