Trail Marking

Trail marking makes it easier to find your way over unknown terrain and can also help keep you on a true course.  Walking in a straight line is not as easy as it sounds.  We all have a predominant leg just as we all have a preferred hand.  This will cause anybody and everybody to walk in a large circle unless you use a compass or landmarks to keep yourself on track.  In cities and towns the roads and buildings allow us to make the tiny corrections unconsciously that keep us walking that straight line with ease and trail marking is done with street signs.  In the wilderness, you have to make your own signs.  A GPS back track personal locator would make trail marking a whole lot easier and could keep you from becoming lost in the woods (or any unfamiliar area).


 Bushnell 360053 GPS Back Track Personal Locator

Image of Bushnell BackTrack Personal Locator
  • Stores up to 3 locations
  • Weather resistant
  • Fits easily in pocket or purse
  • Operates on 2 AAA batteries
  • Lanyard included for easy attachments

$34.99 - $103.72
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demonstration video

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In any wilderness situation be very observant of your surroundings, always on the look out for water, food, and danger.  Pay attention to the weather and seek shelter if it looks bad.  Conserve your energy and stay hydrated.  Always keep the risk of personal injury in mind.  You may have limited resources and no help in the wilderness.
 
Traditional ways of trail marking in the wilderness include:
  • Piling or arranging stones
  • Arranging sticks in symbols or patterns
  • Tying live tufts of grass and bending them to point in a particular direction
  • Pieces of flag tape tied in appropriate places.
  • Cutting a blaze mark on a tree (learn how)
Survival tip for trail marking

The more out of place your trail markings look, the easier they will be to spot.
Landmarks in the natural terrain, such as hills, distant peaks, or a notch on the horizon can all be used with other trail marking techniques.  Be creative when marking your trail and keep each mark within viewing distance of the previous two to keep yourself going in a straight line towards your goal and making it easier to return if you need to.

Image of glo-orange flag tape for trailmarking.
Glo-Orange plastic flag tape can be seen year round in all types of terrain.  A roll or two of this in your survival kit will minimize any damage you may have to do when trailmarking.  This is the same stuff that surveyors use.
  • Roll is 200' x 1"
  • Remains pliable in cold weather
$1.92  Image of Buy Now button.

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The natural features of wild country conspire to get the unwary or unobservant off track.  In densely wooded areas, this is particularly true.  The use of trail marking makes the task of orientation fairly simple and a decent pair of binoculars will make spotting your trail and land marks easier to see at a distance.

Bushnell 10 x 42 Binoculars
Image of Bushnell binoculars
  • 100% waterproof / fogproof
  • Multi coated optics
  • Fold-down or twist-up eye cups
  • Non-slip rubber armor
  • Center focus wheel
$157.95     $94.00
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Why bother marking a trail if you are just trying to get back to civilization?  You might need to go back to bring help to someone or to retrieve valuable equipment you had to leave behind or possibly leave a trail for someone following you.  If rescue comes you would want them to know in which direction you had gone so that help can find you.  Whatever your reasons for trail marking, go as easy on mother nature as you can.
 
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