Mosby Primitive Navigation For Practical Preparedness, Part 5: Sands and Snow, or Finding Your...

Deserts, whether the heated wastelands of the Sahara, or the frigid Arctic Barrens, are commonly viewed as just that—barren wastelands, bereft of human, animal, and plant life. Despite this lack of life though, the clues that can be utilized for navigation are nowhere near as rare as animals or people in those regions.

Indigenous populations in desert regions learn to explore and navigate from a very young age, even without the convenience of compasses, maps, or GPS. This is achieved by learning to read the differences in landscape features that are missed by most civilized people unaccustomed to the vastness of the desert expanses. As with most indigenous skills, in any region of the world, these are typically learned very organically, rather than through formalized programs of tuition and instruction. I’ve known desert cowboys who were raised hunting semi-feral cattle in Arizona and New Mexico, and even in northern Nevada and Oregon, who cannot begin to explain HOW they find their way, but they manage to do so, nevertheless. Asking them how they find their way home, after spending a day, or a week, in the saddle, is like asking them how they walk from the bunkhouse to the corral. Absent serious introspection, they can’t explain it, because it’s simply what they do.

When there is no wind-blown sand—or snow—visibility in these uninhabited regions tends to be exemplary, so the perspective to see is based mostly on height above the surrounding terrain. Even something as simple as getting up in the saddle, dramatically changes your perspective, and allows you to see much more, from the lay of the land ahead, to cattle partially hidden in low spots in the “tabletop” terrain.

The reality is, time spent in these remote regions allows a closer proximity, and thus familiarity, than life in suburbia. For the survivor who will open his mind and observation to the experience, it is the pinnacle of fieldcraft educational opportunities. The vast, open spaces allow for unfettered access to two of the most predominant aids to natural navigation: the sun in daylight, and the entirety of the night sky. While deserts can be among the most harsh, unforgiving environments on Earth, for the survivor with some basic fieldcraft skills, they are actually friendly regions, with ease of navigation being among the foremost of the assets available.

On long traverses of open desert regions, using your own shadow as a navigational aid quickly becomes second nature, if you’re aware enough of basic skills to consider it as an option.


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