Relocation

RELOCATION

What to Do when You are Lost, or Can’t Find What You are Looking for

A You’re near the Control, it should be somewhere around but you can’t see it.

1. Look all around including behind you.

2. Check the description, maybe its for example on the other side of the knoll or on top of the crag.

3. Move on 10 or 20 m, stopping too soon is a common mistake.

B You’ve done those steps and still no Control. Or you’ve lost track of yourself on the way to a control, anyway you don’t know where you are.

4. STOP

5. Orient the map.

6. Compare ground and map

a) what is the area like – runnable or slow, flat or sloping or hilly, etc. to get an idea whereabouts you might be.

b) can you see anything big, obvious, or distinctive to help find your location on the map.

c) look at the map, is there anything big, obvious, or distinctive you might be able to see.

7. If this gives you an idea where you may be but you’re not sure, go and check it out, see if other things fit, & remember you can see much better out in the open or from a hill.

8. None of the above works - look at the map, think back.

a) where were you last time you were sure of your location.

b) What have you done since then, what big or noticeable features have you passed.

c) What mistake might you have made, for example parallel error, veered off your direction, turned the wrong way on a path.

C You’ve tried all that, still don’t know where you are.

9. Get out! Running around in circles or spirals doesn’t work. Use your compass to go to something easy to find, a line feature or something very big you’ll see from a long way.

10. Make absolutely sure of your location before you start again, somewhere along a path for example is no use.

11. Repeat steps 7 and 8 as often as needed. But if possible try a different attack point each time, if you go from the same place you’re likely to make the same mistake.

12. If you can, retrace your route back to your last known position. Not always as easy as it sounds.

D Give up & go & find the Finish.

If its getting dark & you’re weak from hunger & getting hypothermia you’ve left it much too late to give up.

Note: younger juniors will often be told a safety bearing, older juniors & adults usually must work it out for themselves. A safety bearing is a direction which will bring you to safety (Finish or Assembly area), for example “go east until you get to the main road then turn left (north)”.

Notes

If you are using traffic light technique & attack points you won’t know exactly where you are a lot of the time, but you don’t need to know your exact position if you are expecting to see something definite later on.

If you’re expecting to see something but haven’t found it yet when do you decide you’re lost?

Have you gone too far, or gone in the wrong direction, or are you not lost at all but haven’t gone far enough? This is where awareness of distance is very important.

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RELOCATION – all you need to remember

A Near the control Check description, look around, move on a little

B Not sure of position STOP

Compare terrain and map.

Remember what you did.

C Can’t locate yourself Get out to something definite and start again.

D Can’t work it out, or very late. Go to the Finish, or use safety bearing.