I can’t blame Mari Carmen. It is the same reaction I get just about every time I head out into unknown mountain terrain. We were packing for a 30-mile mountain run on a route neither of us had done before. She burst out laughing when she saw me pack a map and compass, pointing to her trusty Garmin on her wrist. My reply was the same as always, “Map and compass don’t have batteries that can go flat.”
How to navigate new trails as a trail runner? Before venturing out onto any new trails make sure you have and use a map of the nature area where you will be running. After that, a GPS unit and compass are the next important pieces of navigation kit that are vital.
Navigating your way back to safety in a freak storm or whiteout conditions is something that I hope none of you will ever have to cope with. That said, knowing what to do should things go wrong will give you massive peace of mind every time you hit the trails for a run. This holds true irrespective of whether you are in a group or on your own.
1. Technology Can Fail You
Now that mobile phones have GPS technology it has made GPS reliant mountain navigation accessible to everyone. This
Running the GPS function on your phone constantly puts a big strain on your battery life. If the weather suddenly changes you can find yourself in trouble very easily. Cold, as in below freezing, conditions kill battery power astoundingly quickly. That is why my mountaineering sleeping bag has a pouch on the inside so that I can store my head torch and spare batteries in a warm place.
When the weather in the mountains suddenly changes, as can so easily happen, you need to conserve your phone battery power for any potential emergency call.
Electronic devices can so easily slip from hands and smash, disappear over a cliff, or land in a puddle or creek.
I have often seen that when the weather moves in with heavy cloud and fog, my GPS watch starts losing signal.
Having mountain navigation skills will reduce your reliance on the electronic gadgets that have the possibility to fail you when you need them the most.
2. Recognize The Warnings of Weather Changes
Speak to any mountaineer or backcountry skier and you will quickly learn that mountains have a tendency to create their own weather patterns. The higher the mountains the more dramatic and rapid the weather fluctuations.
A key part of mountain navigation skills is the ability to read cloud formations so that you can gauge the wind strength along mountain ridges and whether you are at risk of being covered in thick fog reducing your ability to see landmarks.
For instance, a Foehn Wall may look very similar to a Lenticular cloud, but they indicate different weather patterns.
3. Coping With a Whiteout
Spend enough time running in the mountains and you will experience whiteout conditions at some stage.
Back when I was in high school we had a hiking club. The teacher in charge was an experienced mountaineer who knew our local mountains like the back of his hand.
Whenever the autumn weather forecast showed low cloud and rain he would hastily organize an outing with a group of school kids. We would deliberately head up into the swirling fog. Our group would be divided into trios with each trio taking turns to lead the entire group through the whiteout.
Our teacher’s theory was that the only way for us to be experienced mountaineers was to learn to cope with bad weather through action. Only heading out in calm and sunny weather would not teach us to cope with things going wrong.
4. Factor Navigation Into Your Planning
When you are planning a run in a new area your navigation skill will help you with route planning. Planning that will allow you to recognize topographical features even if you are there for the first time.
A good way to practice is to create a route card with estimated times at various key points and trail intersections on a trail system that you know. Then test yourself against your route plan. It will give you a sense of the time it will take you to cover different types of terrain based on your map reading.
5. Trail Markers
If you are out running on an established trail, no doubt you will have seen trail markers painted onto rocks, trees, or even planted wooden stakes.
Under normal circumstances. trail markers are supposed to be painted every 500 to 1000 feet. In truth, I have often been on trails that have half a mile or more between trail markers. Though when there are large gaps between trail markers it is because you are on a section of trail that is very distinct.
Where there are options between different trails I will expect to see as little as 100 feet between trail markers. If you have covered a mile without seeing a marker or get to an intersection of trails without seeing a marker then the chances are that you have gotten off route and need to retrace your steps.
There are two additional factors to bear in mind. Often trails are intended to be run in a single direction, so trail markers will be painted on only one side of trees and rocks. This means that they will not be visible when approached from the opposite direction.
Likewise, if you are on an out and back trail, remember the position of as many trail markers as you can
6. Trail Signs
Running along most trails, you will come across trail signs. These are always great features to find along the way. Sure, you will have been following trail markers along the way. However, finding a trail sign gives you reassurance that you have been following trail markers along the correct trail.
Trail signs are often engraved and painted wooden signs affixed to wooden posts. However, I have also seen plenty of metal trail signs as well.
Most of the time trail signs will be at the intersection of two or more trails. That way multiple trail signs can be affixed to a single post – very useful for those that carry the weight of the signs and posts up the trail.
Trail signs will indicate the destination point of that trail. They will also indicate the distance and sometimes the expected time to that destination. Remember that the timestamps will be for a reasonably fit hiker with a 20lb to 30lb backpack depending on whether the trail is a short loop or part of a long distance trail.
I am by far not a fast runner so I normally set myself a target of 40% quicker than the indicated time on a trail sign.
Another hidden benefit of coming across trail signs is that sometimes they can give you ideas of other trail destinations for you to plan a new exploration adventure the next time you are out in that area.
7. Cairns
A cairn is a sort of neatly stacked pile of stones that is recognized the world over as a trail marker.
At the same time, it will be unusual to see cairns along very obvious, clear and well-established trails. However, when you ascend of traverse a large scree slope cairns every fifty yards or so are the norm rather than the exception.
Spotting a cairn always lifts my spirits when jogging across a patch of mountainside devoid of a clear path. It gives me reassurance that the line that I am following will land me back on the trail at the far end of the rock scree.
Stone cairns often get toppled by the wind and weather or by animals. For this reason, it is common courtesy among mountain to take a couple of seconds needed to put a toppled cairn back together for the benefit of others.
8. Carry The Right Tools For The Job (And Know How To Use Them)
The tools that I am referring to are the combination of map, compass, GPS, and route finder cards.
Each of these has its place within the overall scope of navigation. Take the time to learn how to use each of these individually. This can be done by reading up and practicing or by taking a course.
Once you can use each of these navigation tools you will be able to seamlessly switch between them as needs dictate.
9. Maps
Having a map with you is arguably your most important piece of navigation kit. Even if you are on a well-marked trail, take a map with you.
There have been plenty of times that I have been on a trail and come across a section that has been washed away or obliterated by a rock fall. In those
One of the first things that you need to learn is how to “see” the hills and valleys based on the contour lines that are on the map. Once you can get a mental picture of the shapes that the contour lines tell you, you will be able to recognize those same shapes in the hills and valleys around you.
Keeping my bearings and knowing where I am on my map is also useful in the case of a mountain accident and I need to be able to explain to a rescue team exactly where to go.
When working with a map in the mountains it is always important to start by orientating the map to match the physical terrain where you are. That way you can get a bearing of what direction you need to travel so you can reach your target destination.
10. Compass
The next most important piece of mountain navigation kit is your compass. The first thing that you need to learn to do well and do quickly is to use your compass to orientate your map correctly.
This has proved more useful to me than you can imagine. When the weather is clear it is relatively simple to orientate your map based on the direction to various hills around you.
However, when the weather, clouds and mist roll in you can no longer get your bearings from the topography around you. That is when your compass comes into its own, allowing you to orientate your map quickly and get a bearing on the direction you need to move.
When the weather is bad the longer it takes you to get your bearings the colder you will get. Therefore being skillful enough to act quickly is vital.
The next compass skill will be learning how to obtain a magnetic bearing to your target point from your map and then following that bearing on your compass.
11. Practice Till You Trust Your Compass
I think it was Gary Veynerchuk that said you can read as much as you want about doing push-ups but until you start actually doing push-ups you will never get good at them or reap any of the rewards of doing push-ups.
In the same way, the only way to become proficient in using your compass is to practice with it as often as you can.
If you spend enough time in the mountains the day will come when you will need to use your compass to navigate your way to safety. When that happens you will appreciate all the times you practiced using your compass when conditions were good.
12. GPS Device
A GPS device of some sort is likely to be the most common piece of kit you own other than shoes and a hydration system when you venture out into the mountains.
The vast majority of runners have a GPS watch with which they record each and every workout. However, very few ever use their GPS watch as a navigation tool.
The challenge with GPS watches is that besides the tiny screen, their battery life is too short to be able to do any serious navigation.
Therefore if you plan to do longer excursions into remote backcountry, having a robust GPS unit with up to date maps is a wise investment.
13. Learn The Features of Your GPS
Having a GPS unit is one thing. Knowing how to use it beyond the simple Record and Position buttons is another matter altogether.
The chances are that your trusty GPS unit has more features and functions than you are even aware of. At the very least you should download the user manual and learn what your GPS can do. Alternatively, enroll in a course.
Just like what I said about using a compass, it is not enough to just learn about what your GPS can do. You should practice with your GPS too. That way when you do get trapped in whiteout conditions you will be able to navigate your way out of potential danger with ease.
14. Willow Wands
Willow wands are most commonly used on out and back mountaineering excursions to snow covered peaks. Willow wands are usually bright orange so that they stand out in contrast to the surrounding snow.
The principle is that it is easier to navigate around cliffs, crevasses and avalanche risks on the way up the mountain than down. Also, snow tends to cover many navigation features such as cairns that would be easily visible in melted, dry conditions.
As a trail runner, if you plan to do a fast winter ascent of a snow-covered peak, willow wands will at the very least save you a lot of time. On your way up, plant a wand every couple of hundred feet and retrieve them on your way back down from the summit.
15. Footprints
I have used footprints as a navigation tool more times than I can remember. If it is my first time out on a well-used trail, I will maintain awareness of the footprints on the trail ahead of me.
More than once I have backtracked when I suddenly notice an absence of footprints only to find that I had run past a trail turnoff. Most often it is when I am flying down a wide fire trail and bomb straight past where the single track turns off.
I find that I need to be more acutely aware of footprints when I am heading downhill. That is likely because I am so much slower when I run or power hike uphill that I can see the footprints more easily.
16. Natural Landmarks
Using natural landmarks is something that I learned to do many years ago.
This holds true when you are doing an out and back trail. What I do is periodically stop and look at certain rock outcrops or lone trees to see what they look like from the reverse angle.
That way when I head back down the trail I know what to keep an eye out for. It has helped me make plenty of quick decisions while heading down the trail ahead of encroaching bad weather.
Other natural landmarks that you can use for navigation once you have studied your map can be rivers, ridgelines, and hills.
17. Sun
Generally speaking, the sun is a useful way to get your general sense of direction.
If you are in the northern hemisphere the sun will be crossing the sky to your south. At 12 noon the sun will be due south of you. Conversely, it crosses to your north if you are in the southern hemisphere. At 12 noon the sun will be due north of you.
18. Stars
Navigating by the sun is all good and well during the day. But what are your options if you haven’t reached your target destination by nightfall?
The answer is you use the same navigation tool that sailors and explorers have used for centuries… The stars.
In the northern hemisphere learn to recognize the Big Dipper. It should be vertically overhead at 8 pm. Though in many countries the sun is still up at 8 pm during summer. From the Big
In the southern hemisphere, you need to find the Southern Cross and two Pointers. In combination, these will enable you to see where is due south.
19. Nature
This particular navigation trick applies almost exclusively to the northern hemisphere where the climate is a lot wetter.
The first is checking for moss. In the northern hemisphere, moss tends to be greener and thicker on the southern side of tree trunks where there is more light.
In the northern hemisphere, you will notice that tree bark has the tendency to be duller in color on the north side of the tree.
You will also likely see that tree branches grow up more vertically in search of light on the north side of a tree.
From personal experience, I wouldn’t take a single one of these factors as being definitive. I would check multiple trees and if all three factors present over a number of trees all showing the same north/south directions I would use that as a basis for navigation.
20. Keep Tabs On Your Position
Even when the weather is stunning and you have clear visibility all around you keep tabs on where you are. Sure, taking out your compass may be excessive most of the time, but check your map regularly so that you can get a sense of where you are in relation to the hills, ridges, and valleys around you.
If bad weather does suddenly move in you will do far better having a rough sense of where you are to start with.
Knowing where you is a vital aspect of mountaineering.
21. Be Aware Of Nearby Hazards
This follows on from knowing where you are on the map that I mentioned just a moment ago. Your map will likely alert you to a number of potential hazards. At the same time, you need to be aware of other hazards around you that might not be indicated on your map.
When you know the potential hazards then you better avoid their perils should the weather or daylight deteriorate.
Here are six examples of the type of hazards that you need to keep aware of:
- Cliff edges.
- Watercourses and ravines that can rise in heavy rain or be subject to flash floods from rain as much as a hundred miles away.
- Loose scree slopes.
- Very steep and rocky ground.
- Avalanche prone snow slopes during winter and early spring.
- Cornices during winter and early spring.
On the subject of the last mentioned, I can remember doing a winter ascent of a 7000ft peak with a buddy. We sat down for a rest at the summit with our backs to the cliff edge and he pegged his ice-axe into the snow just behind us.
As we were getting up to move on he pulled up his ice-axe. We had a clear line of sight to the base of the 600ft cliff through the hole that his ice-axe had punched through the cornice. With alarm, we realized that we had been sitting on the cornice. That experience has made me extra vigilant of cornices ever since.
22. Know What To Do When The Weather Changes
When bad weather moves in the first order of business will be to stop and regroup, making sure that you have a full head count with no stragglers.
Next will be a discussion of exactly where you are, comparing notes with each other. Get out and orientate your map so that you can weigh up your best options based on the abilities of the weakest runner in your group.
Before you start running again sort your group into a specific order and keep that order until you are clear of the bad weather. Place your best mountain navigator at the front of the group. Sort the remaining runners from slowest to fastest. The slowest runner will be immediately behind the navigator and the fastest runner will be at the back.
This will be the easiest way to ensure that your group stays together when visibility is bad. It is more important to get everyone off the mountain safely than what time you get on any STRAVA segment.
23. Know How To Keep A Direction Bearing In Poor Visibility
The method for keeping to a direct bearing in poor visibility is simple but slow. The worse the visibility, the slower the process.
Start by orientating your map so that you can calculate the compass bearing to your intended target.
Once you have done that, set your compass bearing and look for a landmark that you can see along the line of that bearing. Make your way to that landmark. When you reach your landmark set your compass bearing and look for a fresh landmark. Continue like this till you reach your target destination or are clear of the poor visibility.
24. Use Handrails
In the world of mountain navigation, handrails may not quite mean the same as the first thing you will think about. You will not find physical handrails magically appearing when you lose visibility in the mountains.
To explain the concept in a metaphorical way, imagine that you are approaching the top of a staircase in the pitch dark. You will not walk at full pace straight at the top of the flight of stairs. You will move to the side until you touch the wall. Then feel for the handrail. And finally, use the handrail to guide your way safely down the dark flight of stairs.
In the same way, if you are at the top of the hill with zero visibility. At the base of the is an emergency shelter that you are aiming for. However, just beyond the shelter is a river flowing past from right to left from your perspective.
The obvious choice would be to take a bearing straight at the emergency shelter as that will be the shortest possible route. However, what if you get your bearings a little off and end up missing the shelter and arrive at the river. You know that the shelter is on the same side of the river as you are. But do you follow the river upstream or downstream?
This is where handrailing comes into its own. What I would do is take a bearing a spot about a half mile upstream from the shelter. Then when I reach the river I will use the river as my handrail and let it guide me downstream to the shelter.
25. Measure Distance With Pacing
The original pioneer of pacing and a tool to measure distance was the Scottish mountaineer William W. Naismith back in 1892.
He used the simple formula for walking in the mountains where a fit person would cover three miles in an hour on the flat and need an extra hour for each 2000ft of ascent. Under Naismith’s rule descent is on average at the same pace as walking on the flat.
So by Naismith’s calculations if you have four and a half miles to a trail junction that would take you an hour and a half. If there were to be 1000ft of accumulated ascent you add an extra 30 minutes to that time for a total of two hours. Then as you are walking you can simply check your watch for how close you are to your trail junction.
While Naismith’s rule does work for walking in the mountains, it cannot be applied to running. It would be great if someone could come up with a formula that simple for running even though none of us runs at the same pace.
Thankfully back in 2008, the Professor of Applied Statistics at the University of Salford, Prof Philip Scarf did just that. Scarf’s equivalence of Naismith’s rule converts elevation gain to additional horizontal distance.
The simple formula states that for every 500 feet of elevation gain, add a mile of distance to your run. So a 10 mile run with 1500 feet of elevation gain will have a Scarf value of 13 miles. You then apply the pace that you are able to hold on the flat to the 13-mile Scarf value to get the time that it will take you to complete the 10 miles of trail.
Practice this on your runs often. You will be amazed how accurately you can plot your distance progress along a trail and time remaining to your destination.
For those of you who work with a metric system apply a ratio of 1:10. In other words, add a kilometer to your run distance for every hundred meters of elevation gain to calculate your Scarf value distance in kilometers.
26. Stay Calm
Just about the worst thing you can do if bad weather or poor visibility suddenly closes in on you is to panic about your situation.
You need to remain calm and focused so that you can assess your situation in a logical manner. The conditions and terrain will dictate which navigation techniques will be the best ones to use.
With enough practice, you will be able to navigate your way over very complex terrain in the worst possible weather.
Related Questions
How to run off-trail? The most important aspect of learning to run off trail is the skill of mountain navigation. Gain experience by running on wide open slopes and gentle hillsides. Only venture onto technical off-trail terrain once you are experienced.
How to navigate in fell running? Because fell running has an absence of trails and route markings you need to be adept at using your map and compass. If not you will find yourself at the top of the wrong fell, as others have done before you. Then you must learn Naismith’s rule so that you can judge distance by elapsed time.
What is trail running navigation? Trail running navigation is the ability to find your way around a network of trails out in nature and get back safely without getting lost. Trail running navigation is the skill that will enable you to retreat safely from the mountains when the weather turns bad and you lose visibility.
How to navigate mountain running? The way to navigate mountain running is to not only have the key navigation tools of map, compass, and GPS at your disposal but also knowing how to use them. You need to first know exactly where you are in the mountains so that you can plot your route to your destination.