Tactical Tracking (Video)

I notice the track as soon as I emerge from the forest. 

I’m standing on a lonely ridge 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean.  Yet the ancient sandstone looks like someone carried the distant beach, scoop by scoop, and deposited it close to 2,000 feet above sea level.  Sand Chaparral is an environment unique to the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The sand is the perfect medium for tracking.  Yet I’m surprised to see a boot print in front of me.  The park has just opened after being shut down due to Coronavirus.  Park officials decided on a “soft opening.”  They did not advertise the park is open.  This gives them an extra day or so to see that their social distancing precautions work for the few stragglers who happen into the park. 

I am surveying this trail for fallen trees.  Once I communicate their positions to headquarters, a trail crew will remove the hazardous ones before visitors arrive en masse.

 

I Lose the Trail

The edges of the boot print are sharp.  I estimate it is no more than four hours old.  But my sluggish mind fails to grasp the significance.  I am standing in the rain at 9:00 in the morning.  This means the person would have passed this remote point at 5:00 am.  Instead of revising my estimate of the track’s age, I begin to follow the trail. 

The heel of the boot intrigues me.  The teardrop shaped lugs tell me it is not a Vibram sole.  I suspect it’s a cheaper one, custom produced by the boot manufacturer.

I make a mental measurement of the length of the track and multiply by six.  The hiker is just under six feet tall.

The boot prints are easy to follow.  And I trace them to Ocean View Summit.  This hilltop commands a view 15 miles to the ocean.  But not today.  Visibility is close to zero.  The rain makes a quiet pitter-patter sound as it splashes off the hood of my rain jacket.  

I bypass the summit trail as I head for the shelter of a nearby tree.  I plan to eat my morning snack in relative comfort.  As I pass the summit the footprints disappear.  But the rain has worn away my patience.  I am hungry.  So I abandon the mystery hiker’s trail in favor of food and drink.

 

Sudden Surprise

I munch my snack and rise to leave.  As I pack my gear, I’m startled by a sudden movement in the corner of my eye.  A slender man in his mid-twenties rushes past.  He’s about 5’10” tall and wears a black jacket barely appropriate for the falling rain.  He must be eager to be somewhere dry.

I’m annoyed that I let someone sneak up on me.  It is early morning and the place is so quiet and remote.  I assumed I was alone.

As I rejoin the trail, I give a surprised start.  In front of me are fresh tracks with teardrop shaped lugs in the heel.  I have solved the identity of the mystery hiker.  He must have been minutes ahead of me and detoured to Ocean View Summit before I arrived.  I walked by unaware of his presence.  I did not heed what the tracks were telling me.

 

Tactical Tracking

Tactical tracking, also called “man tracking”, is a useful skill.  It’s used to find people by search and rescue, law enforcement, and the military.  Many times the subjects of the search desperately want to be found.  Other times… not so much.

It’s also a great way for all of us to practice tracking.  The famous bushcraft instructor Ray Mears practiced his craft when he was young by tracking people through urban parks.  Tactical tracking relies on many of the same skills animal trackers use.  And there is always quarry around to hone your skills.

 

Tactical Tracking Videos

Below are five videos (a five-part series) that put you in the mind of military tracker, Boris Voss.  Boris runs the LEAD Ranger Program that trains rangers in Africa to use tracking for conservation and to catch poachers.  Follow Boris and his team as they hunt suspects on the run. 

These videos are marvelous, suspenseful, and educational.  They show you the skills used by tactical trackers.  Take advantage of the video player’s controls to watch them full-screen.  They are very cinematic.  And it is easier to see the sign that Boris points out.

The story has an unexpected ending.  But keep watching.  Boris concludes the series by talking about tracking and suggesting books for further reading.  I will post links to the resources at the bottom of this article.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Part 5:

Further Reading

Boris recommends these books at the end of the story.

These are affiliate links…

The SAS Guide to Tracking, Bob Carss

Tracking:  A Blueprint for Learning How, Jack Kearney

Tracking Humans, David Diaz

 

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