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How to Use Urban Natural Navigation to Find Your Way in the City

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It’s vacation time and you're traveling with your family. You put in a full day of driving and arrive late at your hotel. The day was long but you made it. You’re looking forward to a couple of hours of shut eye before continuing onto your final destination. Because 

you’ve been in the car all day you haven’t had a chance to catch the news about the unplanned riots that have started just a couple of blocks down from your hotel. As you get out of your car and walk toward the lobby, you hear sirens in the distance but see no obvious issues. You look at your wife and you can see just how tired her and the kids are. They just want to check in and go to bed. Once checked in you ask the clerk what is going on with the sirens and they look up from their phone long enough to shrug their shoulders and say “beats me.” 

You get up to your room, you turn on the TV and there’s nothing about the riots yet. You decide to stay, take a shower and get some rest. About half way through the shower, you hear your wife yelling for you. 



What was a small protest a couple of minutes ago has turned into a full scale riot and spilled out into the street. You look out of your window at the parking lot and there’s now hundreds of people in the parking lot, trying to flip cars, breaking windows and pushing forward into the front lobby of the hotel. It’s clear that they are hell bent on causing maximum damage to both the hotel and the vehicles in the parking lot. Most vehicles have already been broken into and others are on fire or rolled over. Rioters have entered the hotel and are pounding on doors of the lower floors. Smoke and what appears to be possibly CS gas from outside is filling the area including the hotel hallways. There’s a very heavy police presence, but they aren’t winning. 


At this point the decision to stay and shelter in place versus leaving has likely already been made. It’s no longer safe to stay, it’s time to move. Time to bug out, but where, how and which way? 


There are no good answers here, only bad and worse options. Your car and most of your belongings at this point are either stolen or on fire. There’s no way to safely reach the car. You have what you have in the hotel room with you which hopefully includes your phone and some things to improve your odds. You’re already learning some hard lessons and likely regretting not being more prepared. There are so many questions to be answered, and not enough time to debate them all. Are you wearing appropriate clothing if you need to evacuate? Do you have the right footwear? Your feet are now your primary means of transportation and escape. Wearing sandals or flip flops, while comfortable, won't be the best choice when you’ll be going potentially long distances over broken glass and riot debris. It’s worth noting here that a lot of places that I’ve been while serving with the military overseas, especially in forward operating bases, they forbid the wearing of open toed shoes of any type. This makes a lot of sense when you think about it. If you’re attacked, rocketed or need to run then wearing footgear that is functional is everything. Granted, we aren’t in a combat zone but the same rules should apply here. 


What about your EDC? Does it include a compass? Do you have a plan? Now that you have to move, what are your next steps? What’s the weather like? Where are the winds coming from? Will the CS gas dispersed affect our escape route? If I make the wrong move am I making things worse by putting my family into the smoke and gas? 


An often overlooked skill of preparedness is navigation. Many have become so dependent on GPS and our phones that we have almost completely lost the once basic skill of navigating. What was once a skill everyone knew has become archaic. Recent news reminds us that 75,000 AT&T consumers lost their cell service for hours and a large riot that is happening locally will certainly affect the cell towers around you. Losing those caused thousands to have lost their main way of route finding. Cities, especially large cities, are notorious for spotty cell coverage. In a large-scale disaster cell phone towers will often be overloaded and not efficient. Small rural towns may have very limited coverage to begin with which makes navigation a challenge. Even if you can use your phone, how long will the battery last without a charger? What if you find yourself on foot and on the run, family in tow, with a rapidly moving riot like the scenario noted above? Could you navigate your way to safety, on your own without the use of GPS? Can you pick a cardinal direction and stick with it without the aid of a phone or GPS? 


Over the years teaching land navigation we have found that one very crucial mistake is made time and time again. Whether it’s hunters lost in the woods, experienced climbers in new terrain, nature lovers out for a walk in a park or a military convoy cutting across terrain, they can make the mistake of not looking at a satellite or overhead view of where they are and where they’ll be going before they head out. For example, look at the image below. It’s a broad area but if you look to the south, the west and the east there are distinct features that you couldn’t miss if you were on foot or in a vehicle. To the west Lake Michigan, to the south another small river/ lake and to the east is US 31, a four lane highway. None of which can be missed if you get close to them. These are known in navigation terms as “handrails.”



A handrail is a feature that is fixed, and is easy to follow and can serve as a guide to staying found. Handrails can be roads, waterways, power lines, buildings, rivers, streams or clear cuts. If you know which cardinal direction your hand rail lies, then you’re truly never lost. For instance, if your hand rail is to your west, you can roam anywhere, then head west to find it again. It has its limitations but it's always a tool to keep you from getting lost. When we teach “lost proofing” classes, this is lesson one. Technology has provided us with a birds eye view of the terrain we are going to be in. Handrails can provide peace of mind and a safe escape. 


In the scenario above a great course of action could be to look at the overhead view, find a handrail and navigate using it. It’s fast and can get you out of harm's way quickly. 

The basics of navigation remain the stalwarts, the sun is still the best tool to use if available. Stars will work too but are hard to see with all the light pollution in a city setting. Of course there are limitations, cloudy skies, nighttime, not knowing the time of day and obscured vision due to buildings are just a few. At the time of writing this we are heading into spring. As the earth spins the sun rises north of due east, traverses across the southern sky and is due south around noon then just north of due west as it sets.



Even if the sun is obscured or it’s nighttime it can still be used for wayfinding. Solar panels are now very much ubiquitous. There are many types and sizes but the one main commonality to solar panels is that they all face south. They are on rooftops, on signs, I’ve seen them on flagpoles, on the sides of buildings. Look for them and instantly know which way is south and north.


(Solar panels facing south) 

Similar to solar panels, TV satellite dishes are easy to spot and are very common in both rural and urban areas. The satellites that are used for TV entertainment are in a geosynchronous equatorial orbit. Which means the satellite dishes in the northern hemisphere must point south to receive a signal. You can go to satellite provider’s websites and get their true bearings for any given zip code in the U.S. All are going to point to the southern sky, but you can really get a great idea of exactly where they are pointing by doing a minute's worth of research.


(West Michigan satellite dishes facing SSW


Cemeteries, stadiums, soccer pitches and tennis courts can all be used as a compass. It’s a very good bet that if you see a stadium or a soccer field, it’s facing north south. Christian cemeteries are almost always aligned in an east/west configuration. The tombstones are to the west facing the east. 


The picture below shows both a stadium and a Christian cemetery. Both will help confirm direction. Have a go at what direction you are facing (answer below). The picture below was taken about 3 pm during daylight savings which puts the sun in a SSW direction.


(A Christian cemetery and college football stadium) 


A great tip we’ve all learned from our professional lives as paramedics is to recognize how addresses are configured in the towns we operate in. For example, the county we live and work in, whether it’s a house or business, the north and west sides of streets have odd numbered addresses and the south and east sides of streets have even numbered addresses. It varies from city to city and county to county but can be a helpful tip. In a lot of cities and rural areas the roads we travel are laid out in a grid fashion. The actual names of the roads aren't as important as how the roads are labeled, i.e. streets or avenues. Get to know which travels in which direction. While it changes depending on the region, it generally remains fairly consistent. Research this prior to or even on the fly and it can be a helpful navigational tool. 


Major interstates in the U.S. are numbered very similarly. Odd numbered interstates run north/south and start out west. Interstate 5 all the way to the east coast where you’ll find Interstate 95. The same goes for even numbered interstates starting from the south going to the north. I-10 in the south to I-90 all the way up north.


In many ways rivers can be utilized as navigational aids. While doing your homework for the area that you will be staying, note the waterways and which direction they flow. Even in the dark, with no light at all, if you know the direction of the flow or where the lowest point in the city is, just dropping a stick in the water and watching it float away will give you a great reference point. 


So when you’re traveling, stay safe, have a great time but have a plan. In Mike Glover’s excellent book “Prepared”, he refers to the practice of being situationally aware as developing a new habit that becomes automatic and efficient and as a result, less 

obtrusive. In other words something that runs in the background but is always on. It’s there but not obvious, you eventually get to the point where you see a satellite dish and you naturally orient yourself. I see a solar panel, I’m facing it. I know I am looking north. 

No one wants to spend their travel time or vacation time constantly worrying about things so take the time to train your awareness level. Do the work ahead of time so that the down time is relaxing. If you’re reading this, then likely you are the sheepdog of your family, the provider, the one that has a plan when things go bad. This is just another tool in your toolbox. 


As far as planning routes go, your phone will usually work quite well. I’m certainly no Luddite, I use the GPS mapping systems frequently but always try to have a back up plan. When traveling to an unfamiliar area I have a stand alone GPS system as well. 

One that isn’t cell tower dependent and can get you out of a jam if you lose cell service. I try to always have paper maps, yes paper maps or an atlas as well. Mike and I will cover PACE plans in a future blog but for now remember to have redundancy built into your plans for any contingencies that may arise. 


I also try to look at various routes. If one ends up blocked or impassable for whatever reason, I want to be able to quickly adjust. If I do the work ahead of time, it can be a smooth transition. 


Do the research into the area or town you’ll be heading to. Look at crime reports. Are there any events or protests listed that could go south quickly? If so, does it cross or impede your route? There’s no way of knowing everything but at least have a plan. What would you do if a protest was heading right for you? Think it through now, play the what if game, do the research. A frequent tactic lately is to block major thoroughfares. Having a plan and the ability to see an overhead view and find escape routes could save your property or even your life.



Once at your hotel take the time to know the route to the stairs if you’re not on the ground floor. Avoid the elevators if at all possible. It’s probably not enough to just look at a diagram posted in your room. Physically walk to them, just like the scenario listed above, if there's smoke or it’s dark or there’s chaos, having walked the route earlier is vital. 

I carry a bag with me to my room that has my tablet, phone etc. I have attached a small button type compass to one of the straps as a backup to my phone’s navigation systems. I also have a small survival kit with the ability to start fires, treat water, signal for help and provide some shelter. In addition, I have a Suunto Compass and maybe more importantly, I know how to use it. 


Navigation is often an overlooked skill when it comes to preparedness. To be proficient you have to work on it. It’s not a skill that can easily be picked up by watching videos or reading books. It can be daunting at first but we are here to help. Please reach out to us at the Raven Strategic Group if you would like help with your navigational skills. We can tailor the classes to meet your needs 


Happy Navigation! 



Answer: You are looking north. Both the cemetery and the football stadium confirm you are looking either north or south. The tombstones on the west sides of the graves facing east confirm we are looking north

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