26 DECEMBER 2013: Exploring unfamiliar trails in the Ocala National Forest provided the chance to work on navigation and terrain assessment. While the landscape, characterized by thick tangled brush, is very different than the desert, it had its own complications. The narrow passageways required lots of scouting ahead to make sure that we didn’t drive into anything that we couldn’t get out of. Made lots of great discoveries along the way, too… (Read the full feature: PATHFINDING ACROSS TERRA INCOGNITO)
25 DECEMBER 2013: The Ocala forest trails were generally easy driving, but a slippery tree trunk on a sandy trail had the Jeep temporarily hung up. Was a great opportunity to test the new Maxtrax in an unusual recovery scenario. Worked like a charm… (Read the full feature: PATHFINDING ACROSS TERRA INCOGNITO)
24 DECEMBER 2013: A holiday roadtrip to the Ocala National Forest in Florida presented the chance to explore some Jeep trails of a different kind. Here the terrain was flat and sandy with thick, tropical vegetation. The biggest challenge was navigational, with a lot of “trails” that just “ended” abruptly in a mass of tangled overgrown brush… (Read the full feature: PATHFINDING ACROSS TERRA INCOGNITO)
4 DECEMBER 2013: Working on compass skills in the Jardin Luxembourg, Paris 6eme, may seem a bit out of place, but gives us a chance to really concentrate on sighting points and following headings accurately. It is like playing a game of “treasure hunt” among the statues in a maze of footpaths in one of our favorite Paris parks…
2 DECEMBER 2013: Reviewing the rally maps and practicing plotting skills so that we can be as precise as possible in our navigation. We are also studying the terrain on google maps and in photographs from last year’s rally to try to get a sense of what we will be up against…
