the tao of navigation

Thu, Jan 10, 2008

I read a really nice article the other day by Lauren Webster about the Taoist principle of action and I thought about how this might be applied to navigating in the mountains. The principle basically states that to overcome obstacles in life, you have to be confident in your environment and your abilities. You have to believe in yourself. One of the traits of a good mountain leader is having the courage of your convictions. Many times I’ve been out in foul weather and someone has been making pronouncements on the way ahead while I have been studying the map and working out a safe descent route. More often than not, the compass shows the way that is not obvious from memory. The way down always looks obvious in the mist. It’s the route of least resistance but which can lead to a big drop or a swollen river. The wisdom of the compass is always hard for non-believers to trust.

Reading the article made me think about learning to navigate. You can’t really become a good navigator until you are confident in your movements within the environment. Be it an ankle breaking boulderfield, steep snow slopes or a rocky ridge descent. If you’re constantly worrying “what if”, you won’t be navigating properly. The “what ifs” should be reserved for the bigger picture and should be dealt with on the summit. “What if that river is too swollen to cross? Then I should take this route down and make for this area. But that crag might be a no-goer, so I’ll nip across here then make for the bridge”. Your initial “what ifs” will also be influenced by the group and their abilities but once you’ve made your decision stick to it. Have the courage of your convictions. Know your own abilities in your environment.

Too often our abilities are swamped and overwhelmed by what we perceive we should be, according to society. The ML award is achievable by most competent and experienced hillwalkers and although it can be maligned by those higher up the outdoors food chain, it still stands as a huge achievement in the life of a hill gangrel. You might never have the chance to navigate in a whiteout on Elbrus for fifteen hours or guide a party of novices in thick mist along the Cuillin ridge but you definitely have the skills, as an ML, to take groups of walkers safely across remote and wildly mountainous terrain. We all have our own strengths and weaknesses. We are all good at something. Remember that next time you’re questioning your judgement on the hill in bad weather with a tired and wet group following you.

Try to repress the background of society to concentrate on your own attributes. Get a feel for how you move on different terrain, how fast you walk, how quickly you tire without food, how many paces it takes to travel between map features in thick weather.

To put it in the context of the article. The group is your boat. The lake your mountain environment. You must become the diver.