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3.
The elements of step-by-step tracking
Trackers will be working close together in uncomfortable positions, terrain and conditions. Good honest, communication, and a positive attitude can be critical to working well as a team.
What to Look For
A footprint in the woods might consist of the curved impression of a
"heel strike" on some decaying leaves, an area of
"compression" including some tiny plants that are crushed, broken or
bruised, a pebble dislodged from where it sat for years, or a little bit of soil
churned up from a toe scraping the ground as it moved forward towards the next
step. Observe the shadows in the footprint photograph above and then look at the
direction of the sun diagram (right). Looking towards the light source will help
you to see a small ridge that might otherwise be difficult to see looking more
from the side of the light source. This concept is most important when tracking
at night with a hand-held flashlight. Oblique lighting a the process whereby a
flashlight is held horizontally and parallel to the ground while shining the
beam at the suspected track. The light angle is moved to accentuate the sign
detail by creating artificial shadows
With the aid of flashlights, night tracking becomes an easy extension of tracking during the day. A flashlight can be readily used to highlight the features of a track by holding it close to the ground and at a low angle. This allows the small features of the track to throw shadows which causes them to stand out as well or better than low angle sunlight. The flashlight needs to be a low density light with a broad beam which will not wear out the eyes as the tracker will be starring at the beams spot for quite some time. Today's flashlights are designed for various specific functions, most of which offer a bright adjustable beam of white light that will illuminate objects at a distance. The ideal flashlight for night tracking is a common cheap flashlight that will cast a soft light without the shadow ring often found with brighter lights. A three "D" cell flashlight will last in the field longer and is preferred. Head lamps, while useful for walking trails at night, are not to be used for tracking while mounted on your head, this would offer the worst light angle for identifying tracks. A hand held flashlight gives the user control over the beam and can be held at a much lower angle to the track. Care needs to be taken when using a flashlight in the vicinity of other members of the tracking team. Waving the beam around will invariably wind up zapping one or more of your team members, causing not only intense discomfort but rendering them unable to see for quite some time. Only the point person should have a light in the vicinity of the prime sign area, this allows everyone on the team to focus in the prime sign area together. The light must always be kept low to the ground and moved slowly over the prime sign area. Jerky movement causes confusion and leads to premature eye fatigue. Frequent rests with all lights off are needed if the team is to make it through the night. One of the prime benefits of night tracking is that the subject may stop moving, allowing the teams to catch up. Also going out at night may give the tracking team a head start over other search resources which ordinarily wait for daylight. This will give the teams access to the search area before other searchers have a chance to trample over sign. Our thanks to Bob Brady of Snohomish County Search and Rescue |
The
point person swings their tracking stick to the next likely location of a track
and the team works to identify a footprint. Some prints will be obvious and
others are not. Each time the team agrees that they have a print then one of the
flankers tears a piece of flagging tape and marks the heel of the print by
pressing the tape into the ground. The team then moves forward in search of the
next print, taking care not to damage the last marked track. The team should
periodically rotate the person on point to provide a change of pace and a change
of position. It can get tiring holding the tracking stick and anyone on the team
who needs a break should speak up as your eyes will need a break now and then
too.
Unless
a footprint happens to fall on a slightly moist patch of perfectly flat, bare
earth – which is just about non-existent in an Adirondack forest – you'll
find that a footprint in the woods rarely looks anything like the idea of a
footprint that you have in your mind right now. It took some work fluffing up
the soil in this picture (Right) to make a full, easily seen footprint. Put that
perfect footprint out of your mind. That's not how they look in the field.