I did a lot of exploring tunnels and drains while I was in high school. On several occasions, I've come pretty close to getting lost, or losing track of where I was. As soon as the snow and ice melts, and the water level decreases, I plan on exploring a drain system under my university. As I've been kind of mapping it out above ground, taking notes of where all the drains are and which direction the water in them is flowing, I've noticed that it is far more complex than anything I've ever explored before, and I'm slightly worried about getting lost.

Has anybody here ever gotten lost before? How do you keep track of where you are in complex tunnel systems? What do you do if you do get lost and there is no cell phone signal underground?

Start at the outfall. If you're lost, go downhill with the flow of water.

My sense of direction is patently awful so I have absolutely no tips about keeping track of where you are while you're actually underground. However, I would strongly recommend telling someone you trust where you're going and when you're expecting to be back/check in with them. That way, if something happens and you don't come out, then they can get help for you. Any trouble you might land in with the authorities has got to be better than getting hurt or stuck for days and/or ever.

Posted by Vectored Approach Start at the outfall. If you're lost, go downhill with the flow of water.

Problem is, I have no idea where the outfall is. For all I know, it could be 20 miles away at Lake Erie. I only know the one way in. I think that it's probably in the database though because it lists a short tunnel upstream from this one in a public location and alludes to batter one downstream.

I should probably just wait until I have full membership to explore this.

You could always carefully pop a manhole from underneath, if necessary.

Posted by relik You could always carefully pop a manhole from underneath, if necessary.

"Always" isn't the best word here.

I've gotten lost in subway tunnels, but not drains. Once we went down a vent and picked the wrong direction to go, only discovering our error when we reached a dead end. I also got locked inside a vent chamber once and had to call a friend for help.

Bring sticks of bright colored sidewalk chalk with you.

I would recommend using spray paint to make little arrows, but that stuff smells pretty funky, and I'm pretty sure that the fumes are flammable, and you are in a confined space, so probably not the best idea. Maybe you could get those plastic stars that light up in the dark and stick them to the wall so you'd end up having a pretty SPACED OUT drain, ye?

I always take a compass and a whistle with me when I head underground. I have been known to get turned around so a compass can help get me pointed back in the correct direction. The whistle is an emergency communication device in case I get lost (assuming someone else is with me but we are separated) or when a shaft is too deep for voice communication.

Progressive exploring is a method that might help. The first time you go there, learn the area close to the exit. Next time explore a bit further, but really keep track of where you have gone. Each time go a bit further, learning small chunks each time. It sounds tedious, but it works. I have learned my way around some pretty complex mines using this technique. We often find different routes to the same place just because we have developed a mental map of how everything ties together.

Sometimes we use an "always left" or "always right" technique. Every time we come to a branch we choose the same direction. After exploring that branch, we return to the junction and explore the opposite branch. This systematic method helps keep you orientated and helps develop the mental map.

Oh yeah, always look backwards every few minutes. The route out often looks very different from the route in.

Abby Normal

bring a roll of duct tape and mark every turn you make. pull them off on your way out

Posted by NotQuiteHuman bring a roll of duct tape and mark every turn you make. pull them off on your way out

ive been using this trick for years

Posted by Trackrunner spray paint to make little arrows

Yeah, don't. I've been in places where every corner had 30 arrows in each possible direction, fucking up my pictures too. What does work is make it a system and make sure later visitors know how to use it. In France, many tunnels and quarries are numbered by the army. The higher the number, the deeper you are in the tunnel complex, with number 1 being the entrance/exit. Unfortunately they did it with fluo orange spray paint so it still fucks up your pictures, but it's a foolproof way of finding the way out.

Posted by NotQuiteHuman bring a roll of duct tape and mark every turn you make. pull them off on your way out

This is awesome! I love creative ideas like this

Posted by Benedicted Bring sticks of bright colored sidewalk chalk with you.

I was actually gonna post this, +1. Definitely not paint. I like the duct tape idea, but have only used chalk. It's not permanent, and you can mark down where you've been with little signs. The thing to remember if you think you'll get lost later in the tunnel is to make small arrows or something as you go. If you wait until you realize you're lost, well, chalk won't do much good, now will it? ;p

Also, what Crows said, that's actually pretty high up on the list for me. I always make sure someone I trust knows where I will be and has a general idea of when I'll be back. Hell, exploring in a small group doesn't hurt, either, at least one person might have a decent idea of where to go.

EDIT: Because iPad keyboard

In a very complex system like a mine, I'll try to make a map as I go.

But that can be hard if the place looks like this:




Marking the return path is also good. The duct tape idea works (as long as your surface is dry), or that neon flagging tape that surveyors use can be tied to things. In Alaska that stuff is everywhere including underground, so make sure you know your color or leave it in a recognizable pattern. The most common ones you'll see are orange, yellow, and sometimes green.

https://www.google...:official&tbm=shop

Posted by Freak In a very complex system like a mine, I'll try to make a map as I go. But that can be hard if the place looks like this: http://dfgis.dyndn...8080/maps/AJ2a.jpg Marking the return path is also good. The duct tape idea works (as long as your surface is dry), or that neon flagging tape that surveyors use can be tied to things. In Alaska that stuff is everywhere including underground, so make sure you know your color or leave it in a recognizable pattern. The most common ones you'll see are orange, yellow, and sometimes green. https://www.google...:official&tbm=shop

Is that a map you created? That is really sweet. What did you use to create this?

There was that girl in Ukraine that got lost in a tunnel and turned into jelly...

Posted by Freak In a very complex system like a mine, I'll try to make a map as I go. But that can be hard if the place looks like this: http://dfgis.dyndn...8080/maps/AJ2a.jpg Marking the return path is also good. The duct tape idea works (as long as your surface is dry), or that neon flagging tape that surveyors use can be tied to things. In Alaska that stuff is everywhere including underground, so make sure you know your color or leave it in a recognizable pattern. The most common ones you'll see are orange, yellow, and sometimes green. https://www.google...:official&tbm=shop

I would also like to learn how.

In a stormdrain...
Follow the flow until you see the glow.

Unless the outlet is under water... or grilled off.

I've been lost a few times after getting out and trying to find my way back to my car (before Google Maps on the mobile phone).

I wasn't lost, but the minute I entered the quarries under Paris I had no idea where I was going.

As our fine exploring comrade mentioned earlier, mines can be a real bastard.
We were in one system and dropped through a hole in the floor into another tunnel below. The tunnel was low & required stoop so by the time we'd explored this system (about an hour) we walked under the entrance into the other system 3 or 4 times. We didn't panic but this was NOT the best mine to get lost in.

Cheers

When it happens to me, it's usually when I'm drinking beers and bullshitting, just walking forward and not paying attention. The tunnels under KPPC are a bitch if you do that.

Posted by Freak In a very complex system like a mine, I'll try to make a map as I go. But that can be hard if the place looks like this: http://dfgis.dyndn...8080/maps/AJ2a.jpg Marking the return path is also good. The duct tape idea works (as long as your surface is dry), or that neon flagging tape that surveyors use can be tied to things. In Alaska that stuff is everywhere including underground, so make sure you know your color or leave it in a recognizable pattern. The most common ones you'll see are orange, yellow, and sometimes green. https://www.google...:official&tbm=shop

Great map! Kinda looks like CAD? Is this to scale?