Self Mapping, Self Rescue, Advanced Navigation Skills

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and as always....
Stay in the Woods,
Dan

[@samstewart4444]

In the 1930s or 40s, a book was published titled "Northwest Passage", authored by Kennth Roberts. It was historical fiction, in that it described historical events from the perspective of a fictional character. Half the book described the raid on Saint Francis, by rangers lead by Major Robert Rogers (this happened during the French and Indian war). During the march to Saint Francis, Rogers had a secretary (the fictional character in the book) travel with him and who recorded compass headings, pace counts, and landmarks (like a stream crossing or a big tree.) I read this book in high school and later used this process to record locations of marten and lynx tracks in the snow when trapping in the Indian peaks wilderness. Now I use this technique to set out and retrieve wildlife cams.

[@0Hillbilly]

The techniques used and developed by Roger's and his Rangers are still used today for land nav in the Army. They are also used to develop sand tables to brief troops in an operations order prior to a patrol.

[@txdean1166]

Have it . awesome read sir.

[@marcyfox9508]

I am an old lady who loves to be in the woods with my dogs. I am so thankful for your content. I got very upset about the G Largay case. If she had some basic skills she might be alive today. I have gotten lost [quite a few copperheads-had to go around] a few times. It got dark, but we were prepared-got back to the truck. It is a sobering experience though. Your content is enjoyable to watch and has helped a few times now.

[@roger7767]

Fantastic! I never really comment because everyone has already said what I'm thinking but your short, enthusiastic and well-informed videos never cease to entertain and educate. Thank you for adding so much to mine and my son's enjoyment of getting out into the woods.

[@eYeOfXaxaar]

Carrying a few wooden skewers comes in handy for this method. They could also be used for other purposes.

[@timothyrothrock4173]

Don't forget your pick up sticks 😉 Thanks Dan 😊

[@cww922]

This one of the best explanations and demonstration of navigation Ive seen! Thank you Dan, great job!

[@KrisKArnold]

I love the PAUL method as well, but something that I haven't seen often discussed is when building your map make sure that your string wraps around, and comes off the SAME SIDE of your peg each time and that you lay your compass againt the same side of the string each time. This is especially important if your waypoint distances are not that far apart, and your measurement scale is small, the angle of the string switching sides of the peg can make a significant difference in your bearing. Multiply that over say, 12 legs in a trek and you could easily end up with a "return to home" bearing that is WAY off of what it should be. Great video! Keep up the good work!

[@SpamMusubi308]

Ah ha so if I wrap each peg in the same direction, say clock-wise, it should help mitigate drift?

[@KrisKArnold]

Not drift necessarily , but it will ensure that the bearing in degrees that your compass displays when you lay it on he ground next to your string map is accurate. If you wrap one peg clockwise, and then the next peg counter clockwise, your string does not travel in a straight line from one peg to the next. It actually travels on a very slight angle. If you then lay your compass next to this angled string your bearing will not be correct. If you record this as your "heading" in your log book and take off walking 500 meters or more on the wrong azimuth you will be off course. If you then repeat this process of being off a degree or two over 8 or 9 legs you might end up WAY off course, and when you try to figure out your reverse "go home" azimuth you might get an incorrect reading. If you then take off for home using this bad info you could miss your mark and end up lost.

[@randybeeson3424]

Pink surveyors tape is what I use for waypoints. In fall your bandana would blend in with foliage. Great vid thanks.

[@shawnscotchman3761]

I love this and I seen this done with Pathfinder School KZbin. I saved this in my Nav page. Thank you so much.

[@douglasmaccullagh1267]

Now grab a large sheet of paper, pin it to a board, and draw a North arrow. Use the compass to orient the paper, pick a starting point, and transfer the notes to the paper just like the legs in the ground. You have the beginnings of a serviceable paper map.

[@Exodus26.13Pi]

Men like this make America great.

[@gxlorp]

White ones

[@Exodus26.13Pi]

@@gxlorp Only statistically per capita.

[@unholyprognosis2636]

@@gxlorp why you gotta bring race into this. Nobody mentioned it. Get the fuck outta here.

[@omecronrodneydheel349]

@@gxlorp underwhelmed by that ignorant comment.

[@SavageVoyageur]

Great video Matt, thanks. I will be adding this method to my outdoor journal.

[@mikerogers9711]

That is how we did it back before GPS. I have a topo map book of the state of Maine that I drew roads on, that was not on the map. Now going down the same roads it is pretty damn close. You sir are spot on.

[@MK-mp1ku]

Thank you sir! Long time subscriber here. I appreciate what you do.

[@francoisbelangerboisclair]

I like the idea. But you can push it a little more. From a map, you can compute the azimut and distance from a few major highly visible features to a reference point you choose like the rangers station or the national park entrance. Write them down! When you have all your data, you can stamp everything on a 3 inch brass valve tag prior to the trip. You can write a lot of stuff on a 3 inch brass valve tag using a 2mm stamping set. I use a spring-loaded punch for making the dot. You can even write the mag declination for a specific year and the yearly deviation on it... Being in brass, it's non-magnetic, easy to tie to your compass, 100% waterproof and to a certain point fire resistant. If your compass survive, that will survive. If you can find a place to see two or three major features... Having those point, you can recreate a map using the Paul technique on the ground and triangulate your position. That will give you a bearing to safety. It won't beat a good topographic map but as a last ditch tool...

[@502deth]

i love navigating with map and compass and have been doing it for years, but i have never seen this whole stick and string thing before. awesome video, cant wait to give it a shot.

[@rrcaniglia]

When I learned this technique, we used our own stride length as a ‘step’. No conversion to meters required since we were not referencing a paper map. Works just the same, but simpler.

[@josephinegibbs3902]

I suppose the transition to meters or feet would become important if someone else with a different stride length were going to use the map. If it were only for ones own use skipping the conversion step makes sense to me!

[@TalonsNewAdventures]

This is very well presented! I look forward to using it on my first hunting excursion. I’ll use my GPS as my gage of accuracy to determine just how well I do.

[@WillSpires]

Fantastic teaching video!! Thanks Dan!!

[@steveshea6148]

Looks like a handy way to bust around in the woods. I'm gonna try it. Thanks. Without paper I would make the map on the ground and take a picture of it with my phone.

[@daveburrell7024]

Great video, looking forward for more!thanks

[@drbrown1970]

Brilliant, thank you. Have two kids who got that concept straight away with that explanation. Need some beads for the pace counting now!

[@jathmarjames855]

I rally want one of those Coalcracker Bushcraft orange waypoint flags.... Looks like it may be a handy pot-holder as well. lol Fantastic video.

[@michaelmccoy7429]

This is a very good technique. But I am in a wheelchair so pace count is out for me. And trekking is tough. But still love watching these instructions

[@jonathanhamilton1366]

I learned a lot of this kind of stuff in Boy Scouts. But this is a much better explanation on how to navigate through the woods. This is a great video and I would definitely suggest this to anybody out hiking and camping in the woods.

[@jamesfleming555]

Thanks, that was informative. I've done the pacing and bearing stuff; but hadn't seen making that ground map concept before. I like that idea.

[@chadlitteral5080]

I want to get out and try this! Thank you!

[@canesser1]

"You should be able to walk at least 50 meters, or even 100 without it getting too thick" . . . unless you live in the Northern Boreal of Canada lol.

[@jaycimbak7781]

Amazing!!! Simply amazing!!!

[@rdaugherty52]

I've seen this before and forgot it but seeing it again just brings a smile when you layed out that last way point and you could see how easy it would be to go back to your base point love it thanks Dan you the man.

[@bowdiersackett6433]

Thanks...you made it simple to understand

[@davidrobins4025]

Thank you for the very clear and complete instruction. This is one I have never seen until today so I really appreciate the practicality of it.

[@micheloff-grid4248]

Zthank you Dan

[@sully4875]

thanks big guy 💪👍🏻

[@BioBazrad]

Thanks so very much, Teacher. I've been looking for a written/video guide to making maps for a while now, and haven't been able to find anything, but this guide was exactly what I was looking for.

[@WillieMakeit]

Thanks!

[@MrFreeGman]

I imagine the percentage of the human population who knows how to do this is dwindling by the day. One step closer to being ready for the apocalypse.

[@PaulStephenOutdoors]

Great description. I'm definitely going to try this method. Many thanks from Scotland. Keep it up. Cheers

[@eddieserna5494]

Dude that is pretty freaking sick man!.. definitely going to try this

[@jls191]

That was very cool! Thank you Dan.

[@shariris]

I finally understood this!!! Thank you very much!!!

[@SpamMusubi308]

Now this is something I can sink my teeth into! Very clear explanation , had one of those "light dawns on marble head" moments adding this to my watch later its for future reference thanks Dan!

[@realpapamorty]

This is awesome! Thanks for sharing man.

[@christopher6435]

I can't wait to try this out! awesome video Dan, Thanks!

[@joefennell7535]

Good stuff bro.

[@TravelingAnvil]

Great information. Going outside was always fun but thanks to you and your great lessons I can practice real skills in that environment as well. Thanks for the knowledge, thanks for the entertainment, thanks for taking something we all love and giving it another interesting level.

[@schtoppwhiteflight3137]

High value viewing right here. Thanks

[@philhorne3293]

Your navigation videos are excellent. I've learned a lot from them. Thank you!

[@ldsphotodude49]

Excellent Dan! I'm going to practice this in my new haunts, here in GA

[@GadgetMan222]

Great Video. I learned something today.

[@willkeppler2408]

really awesome!! thanks

[@unojuno3023]

Amazing Video

[@DiscoverArt]

Awesome, always wanted to dive into the woods without the fear of being lost...I got lost few times and it's not fun...my very first night out in the wood, I went outside my camp not fare only 50 steps(during night time)...and my light went off and I was so lost...tips in a wood don't wonder outside your camp during the night😅. Basic beginner mistake! Found my camp again as my light went on again after 5 minutes😅 but the worse 5 minutes I experienced... thanks for the tips love it🤘

[@BxCortez2050]

luv it makes perfect sense

[@skschmidt1376]

GOOD GOOD video. VERY well done. Loved this class!!!

[@281covfefe5]

Awesome explanation !! Thnxs for uploading and sharing this on land navigation !! 👍🏻🇺🇸

[@zeroalpha_nz6674]

Thanks for the lesson, I'll teaching this to my daughter. Much respect from New Zealand. Subbed

[@wolfconley6516]

great video i will try this during the week

[@menkfranceart]

so clear and simple...terrific..thanks, Dan

[@BushcraftRidge]

Good stuff!

[@larryharlson8490]

Thank you for the demonstration it is very good.

[@mathewhenderson5757]

Solid video. Great content for the community. Excellent period of instruction

[@duanebrower7896]

Awesome video 👍 thank you

[@HeyCurtis]

Super awesome way of explaining this! I'm trying it this weekend!

[@ProfessorKitchen]

Brilliant!

[@jordanmaccauley8660]

This was a really cool video it’s something that I’ve wanted to do for years and this teaches me how. Thanks

[@TheMrRockysmith]

Awesome class

[@johnnorton7861]

Great info and presentation. I'll being come this hunting season

[@austennickerson3190]

Wow that was a great technique. Subscribed too you and adding this too my survival knowledge. Thank you.

[@backdoor5993]

Good explanation, thanks!

[@1noryb]

Is this Lewis and Coalcracker, or Lewis and Clark? Nice explanation of using basic surveying techniques for navigation.

[@rc6147]

Excellent

[@everydaypatriot1083]

Very good explanation of basic land navigation using waypoints. Thanks....

[@Ghost_Os]

Very nice. Did you ever find Mr. Wheelhouse?

[@WillieMakeit]

Thanks man

[@LucaCanali]

Very good video and very good tips i don't knew this method 💪

[@dougcline8371]

Great explanation of the P.A.U.L. method! Could you build the map on paper/in your notebook using the straight edge and measurement marks on the compass? Of course you'd have to set a North arrow on the page at the start. This was an excellent video!

[@justindawson3428]

I make mine on paper all the time, this means you can carry it with you.

[@eYeOfXaxaar]

You don't have to orient your paper north because when making the first line from point A to point B you then can orient the paper to your first bearing.

[@davidclark7584]

A civil engineer's scale would be a good thing to have for this exercise. Only weighs a few ounces.

[@eamoncrawford]

Interesting! I am going to have to watch the video a couple of times (it's obviously me not the instructor). If I were in your navigation class I might need some 1 on 1 help or a "special" class if that were an option. Damnit, I thought the feelings of inadequacy derived from being in a classroom would be over after receiving a formal education. This is very important for me to learn!

[@pnyarrow]

Hi Dan - Brilliant but inches and meters combined but hey if it works it works! Thanks for sharing. ATB. Nigel

[@karlsmith8872]

Vector addition.

[@justindawson3428]

I also do this on paper so you have a map you can carry with you. I also find if you are by yourself it is easier to make the map in paces not meters or feet, of course if the is others that need to use the map you need to convert.

[@DenverLoveless]

I do this on paper also and note North (the top) at my starting point for orienting it for later use. A small ruler can then be used for scale as well.

[@terrystephenson984]

How are you keeping track of the distance you travel? Are you counting steps?

[@44mag772]

Is the technique that you explained the same thing if you wanted to dig a tunnel underground since you can't keep an eye on your bearing. Is this where the pace counter comes in?

[@josephinegibbs3902]

Why is it called the Paul method? Is it an acronym? If so, what does it stand for?

[@filcanucks]

all your videos are very well done... I want u to be my friend :))))

[@burstfireno1617]

Can one use this method in urban/city environment?? :) Btw, you can use your fingers width as a measuring device ;) you always have them with you and they weigh nothing :). Eventually Grab a stick and put you fingers on it sideways then mark the increments with fx a knife :)

[@ShihabdeentheCyclist]

What about in hilly area with backpack weigh

[@susanrivard3959]

This fascinates me. I still dont follow it one hndred perceent but i'd like to attempt it one day. With someone else who does not have a math learning disability LOL And I always wondered what a Way Point was and now I know. thanks

[@susanrivard3959]

@SnJnPreps Thank you for your kind words and encouragement.

[@Cheeseslice55]

What does needle in the doghouse mean? I am unfamiliar so forgive my ignorance

[@janetwithers7427]

Well, I would just be lost. Ha. What a complex system. Good info to know tho. 👍

[@outdoordauber]

Janet Withers - it's actually quite simple. Think of it as dropping breadcrumbs in your notebook instead of on the ground.

[@Tsiri09]

Great information - thank you so much!

[@joeallen2354]

How do you keep pace ascending and descending steep hills and traversing terrain obstacles, such as ravines that require climbing or rappelling, or crossing rivers etc?

[@mikedendooven4490]

Uncle Randy For pacing. Count how many paces for ascending. Count how many paces for descending. Count how many paces on level ground. Add up the paces for all 3. Then divide by 3. That will give an average for all 3 terrains. Be sure to write the different pace counts and average, in your notebook. The others I’m not positive.

[@billmazzocco5275]

Does the declination matter with this method? I woukd think not

[@randyschuck6582]

Hello Dan Greetings for the Pacific NW Great video as always. is this the way an 18th or early 19th century woodsman would have navigated? I am into historical reenacting and practice both modern and primitive bush craft and I am always very interested when the two are the same. I know they 18th century woodsman would not have had a sunto mc2 compus ( which I do carry always ) how would this method translate to 18th century tec i know they had compuses but I am not sure did they have degree marking similar to todays more modern versions. Thank you for the info Randy S

[@samstewart4444]

See my other post in this comment section.

[@randyschuck6582]

@@samstewart4444 thank you Sam i will check that book out it sound like a book right up my alley

[@BH-hk8qm]

Is filson the brand of pants you always wear? Where do you get them. Thanks man

[@coalcracker]

Schmidt pants. 20$ at tractor supply.

[@outdoordauber]

@@coalcracker Holy Schmidt, that's a deal! 😁 See you next week at Uitwaaien...I'll bring the mead.

[@fergusrb]

I think I am missing something. You had 5 way point markers, so 2 don't count as they are start and stop, but there are 3 other markers out in the forest. If you used bandannas don't you have to go back to get them? If you used tape and left them you would have markers out there the next time you went out that you were not using. Like I said I think I missed something. Bruce from the city of Orange in Orange county Calif.

[@coalcracker]

No they are just for that area you take them with you when you move

[@fergusrb]

@@coalcracker That was the point I was missing. You set your marker then go exploring, come back to your marker, take a new bearing and put your marker in your pocket and walk to the next spot and reuse your marker and go exploring again. Sorry missed it the first time. seems simple and logic now. Thanks.

[@Dariet88]

great!!!! no more stupid units :D

[@jessicaneidlinger6353]

Should probably nail it to the tree just in case of wind.

[@kidbach]

nothing says, "Advanced Navigation" like a shameless product plug. thanks, Prof.

[@angelgarcia4848]

The look back at the camera cracked me up