Hello my friend and welcome back! Many people have to travel out-of-town for work, and with modern-day electronic gadgets, it’s pretty easy. But what if those gadgets suddenly didn’t work, would you know how to get home in a SHTF situation? This is the subject of today’s post, so grab a cup of coffee and have a seat while we visit.
Modern day GPS is great, but unfortunately, many people are becoming dependent on them to get back if stuck away from home. While there is nothing wrong with using a GPS or having them in your preps at all, you must know how to navigate without them should you need to.
A single EMP device could take them all out and leave you stuck out-of-town, with no real idea of how to get home. You need to carry a Compass. Of course, if you don’t know how to use one then you will really have troubles. Every true Prepper should know how to use a Compass and a map to navigate where they need to go. Take the time and learn now.
Being caught out-of-town without transportation and no way to navigate is every Preppers nightmare. Of course there are many other ways to navigate back home. If you have a map, then you could use the street signs to navigate back home. Of course, that’s assuming you want to travel on a road? In the event of an EMP or other such devastating disaster, the roads will be the last place you should be.
In such an event, all of the unprepared and the repressed criminals in society will be on the roads hoping to find what they need and taking it by force if necessary. Thieves, Rapist, Murderers and a few that are just plain crazy with fear, thirst and hunger. Avoid the roads at all cost if possible. There will only be two kind of people on the road, opportunist and victims and you don’t want to be either.
So how else could you travel home if you can’t use the roads? My next choice would be to find a railroad track headed in the direction I needed to go and walk it. It would provide you with a flat place to walk with no obstruction and because most railroad tracks are surrounded by forest, you would be able to hunt for food along the way. Your chances of running into others travelling on the railroad tracks are much less than that of traveling a road.
OK, let’s say you’re on foot, the roads are full of people, and you’re not comfortable traveling the railroad tracks, so what other options are there? One of the main forms of transportation that many settlers used and many people won’t think of is travelling the rivers in a boat. Simply use a map to locate a river that is heading in your direction and grab an unused boat and head down stream. No one will be able to get close to you without you knowing it and you can fish for food along the way. There are also a lot of edible plants that grow along the banks of most rivers.
The only drawback that I can see for this mode of travel will be passing under bridges. This would become very dangerous as time went on. A large brick dropped from a bridge would sink many boats, and then you would also be a sitting duck for anyone with a gun who decides they want what you have. Its only advantage is that it would be safer than walking on a road.
Your only two other options would be to cut across the back country on foot or horseback to get home and try to avoid others along the way. In fact, this may be the safest way to travel after SHTF. When SHTF hits, and if cars are no longer working, we will have no choice but to return to the ways of our ancestors and use horses and wagons. People who have never ridden a long ride on a horse may think it sounds like fun, trust me it’s not!
SO what can you do now to improve your chance of getting home safely if caught out-of-town when it all goes wrong? The most important thing is to keep a get home bag with you at all times. Keep it packed with food and water containers and a water purifier, these are a must. Be sure to have a map that covers the entire area between home and where you are going. Many people us an atlas for this. You want one which shows the train tracks, rivers and streams as well as topographical information if possible.
Your get home bag should also include several pairs of good thick socks, as well as some mole skin for any blisters you may get. Don’t forget a good fixed blade knife as well as tools for building a fire. Whenever the world falls apart, there will be people caught away from home, and if you are one of those, your chance to improve your ability to get home safely will depend on what you do now. Take the time to plan for worst case scenarios and you will be ready for whatever comes your way.
Well that’s it for today and I hoped you have enjoyed this post, so until next time, stay safe, stay strong, and stay prepared. God Bless America!
-Sarge-
In the arid southwestern US, power lines, railroads and river beds offer pathways. If using unmanaged rivers, always watch the weather. In AZ and NM, walking in the primary floodplain but above any flows of rivers like the Gilda, Colorado (obviously not in the Grand Canyon!) and Rio Grande could be advantageous during certain times of year.
Power line trails are clear straight paths and occasionally have paved right-of-way trails. http://www.pedestrians.org/topics/row-gallery.htm
Walking the railroad tracks might be advantageous in some parts of the country – but in the Midwest RR tracks are elevated above the farm fields and have towns spaced every 5-10 miles in some cases – throw in any pinch points like bridges and tunnels – you have one dangerous route …
I recommend pages of your area from a detailed road map atlas like McNally or Delorme – stick to the smaller county gravel roads – avoid the towns – forage and camp as you go – cultivate some assist from the individual farms ….