Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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For blind people who love camping: how do yall navigate the camp groumd without getting hopelessly lost? I went camping and struggled with navigation and I have good cane skills. (self.Blind)
submitted by WittiePenguin
TrailMomKat 22 points 1y ago
I'm still partially sighted (albeit what sight I have is awful) and my husband is actually preparing for this. Started going blind a little over two months ago, and that man's already carving me a sturdy wooden cane for hills and whatnot. I just started with the cane so my skills aren't great, though.
My advice as an avid hiker and camper before all this started: use your cane to map the area around the tent, including the fire pit and how to get to the designated bathroom area/outhouse/portapotty.
Have someone you implicitly trust to lead you in the woods-- there is a LOT of shit you can trip over, and Mother Nature just loves to drop more in a dedicated, previously clear path to trip you up.
Have a way to communicate with whomever is leading you in case you get separated: phone, sat phone, telepathy, or just more cowbell.
Bring an extra cane that is sturdy the won't just snap or easily get hung in underbrush or brambles.
Wear something durable on your arms, because if you do get hit by brambles (they're EVERYWHERE where I live) or poison ivy, your sleeve gets hit/tore up instead of you.
Wear a hat!!! Ticks are bad, but they're pretty bad this year, just like last year! Also, have the person with you check you over for them, and check your privates carefully in the shower! I found one on my outer labia the other day during a routine check. They're sneaky bastards!
Last two but not least, and these go hand in hand: carry your own day or two supply of food and water while hiking, and in the very unlikely event your guide croaks and you are now lost, SIT DOWN AND STAY PUT. Know what trail head you started at so you can tell someone if your phone has service. Yell, call out, and conserve your phone's battery. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR SPOT. If you have to move for whatever reason, LEAVE A TRAIL. By a trail, I mean ignore the rule of "leave nothing behind." Now is the time to be a litter bug. Leave any food wrappers, scraps of cloth, or whatever, so someone knows you were there and can find you. And KEEP YELLING.
I hope this helps, my husband and kids and I will be experiencing my first summer of blind hiking and camping. Have fun, but always be safe!
My advice as an avid hiker and camper before all this started: use your cane to map the area around the tent, including the fire pit and how to get to the designated bathroom area/outhouse/portapotty.
Have someone you implicitly trust to lead you in the woods-- there is a LOT of shit you can trip over, and Mother Nature just loves to drop more in a dedicated, previously clear path to trip you up.
Have a way to communicate with whomever is leading you in case you get separated: phone, sat phone, telepathy, or just more cowbell.
Bring an extra cane that is sturdy the won't just snap or easily get hung in underbrush or brambles.
Wear something durable on your arms, because if you do get hit by brambles (they're EVERYWHERE where I live) or poison ivy, your sleeve gets hit/tore up instead of you.
Wear a hat!!! Ticks are bad, but they're pretty bad this year, just like last year! Also, have the person with you check you over for them, and check your privates carefully in the shower! I found one on my outer labia the other day during a routine check. They're sneaky bastards!
Last two but not least, and these go hand in hand: carry your own day or two supply of food and water while hiking, and in the very unlikely event your guide croaks and you are now lost, SIT DOWN AND STAY PUT. Know what trail head you started at so you can tell someone if your phone has service. Yell, call out, and conserve your phone's battery. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR SPOT. If you have to move for whatever reason, LEAVE A TRAIL. By a trail, I mean ignore the rule of "leave nothing behind." Now is the time to be a litter bug. Leave any food wrappers, scraps of cloth, or whatever, so someone knows you were there and can find you. And KEEP YELLING.
I hope this helps, my husband and kids and I will be experiencing my first summer of blind hiking and camping. Have fun, but always be safe!
Biking_dude 13 points 1y ago
This is awesome advice. One slight tweak - make sure you have one or two whistles instead of relying on your voice. It'll carry further and louder, take less energy, and your voice will only last for so long.
TrailMomKat 7 points 1y ago
Lol why did I not think of whistles!? Probably because I was still chuckling at my more cowbell joke haha -- I'll definitely get a couple whistles for when we go hiking, thanks for thinking of it!
Biking_dude 6 points 1y ago
Ha, welcome!
If you happen to have acorns along your hiking path, you can use the "caps" as a whistle in a pinch. Use your two thumbs to form a "v" while covering most of the "cup" of the top and blowing into it like blowing over a bottle. Hard to describe, but insanely loud when you get it right.
If you happen to have acorns along your hiking path, you can use the "caps" as a whistle in a pinch. Use your two thumbs to form a "v" while covering most of the "cup" of the top and blowing into it like blowing over a bottle. Hard to describe, but insanely loud when you get it right.
TrailMomKat 3 points 1y ago
Hey, my mother taught me that as a kid! I can also use grass, or just stick my fingers in my mouth, alternatively, since we really ain't got a lot of oaks on our trails. It's mostly conifers, maple, and some ash and birch and hickory, maybe an oak once in awhile.
WittiePenguin [OP] 5 points 1y ago
Thank you this is very helpful, our campsite was across the campground close to the hiking trails, but far away from the bathhouse of course… And I felt like a little kid having to ask a sighted person to help me to the bathroom because I could not for the life of me figure out the way there and back without accidentally going into someone else’s campsite lol. And I know what you mean about mother nature, because I was forever tripping on roots. It was ridiculous! Thank goodness I didn’t get any ticks, my friend wasn’t so lucky, her and her dog both got a tick, and next time I will map out where the fire pit is and things like that in the beginning.
TrailMomKat 4 points 1y ago
Oh man that sucks about the bathrooms. Next time call the campgrounds ahead of time and ask if you can have a campsite closer to the bathroom. Explain that you're blind. Tell them what happened this last time if you need to in order to explain. Any reasonable person working there should and would listen and try their best to accommodate you!
Glad you didn't get any ticks! I forgot to add that you can coat your jacket/pants/whatever you want to in DEET and it'll repel ticks and mosquitos!
Glad you didn't get any ticks! I forgot to add that you can coat your jacket/pants/whatever you want to in DEET and it'll repel ticks and mosquitos!
WittiePenguin [OP] 2 points 1y ago
This is good to know i’m forever getting eaten alive when I go camping. Never had a tick though, knock on wood. :)
TrailMomKat 3 points 1y ago
Just don't put it on your skin, make sure you only put it on your clothes!
And with ticks, give it time lol, the more you go out in the woods, the more likely it'll happen! It's not a big deal though, as long as you remove them within a couple of hours and remove them properly.
And with ticks, give it time lol, the more you go out in the woods, the more likely it'll happen! It's not a big deal though, as long as you remove them within a couple of hours and remove them properly.
DannyMTZ956 7 points 1y ago
I used a lluetooth speaker that stayed on while I went to grab something to eat. When I came into range the speeker activated with my phone. I raised the volume high and heard voice over in the distance or a song I played.
NoConfidence_2192 1 points 1y ago
That is brilliant and good for more than camping. I am glad I cam across this and am adopting this technique. Thank you for the tip!
WittiePenguin [OP] 1 points 1y ago
Tis is helpful, I will keep this in mind for next time.
potato_rock_bandit 5 points 1y ago
I have vision left but get disoriented very easily. To differentiate between my little cubicle or whtever and everyone else's, I put a landmark near to it. There are collabsible safety cones some VIPs (visually impaired persons) use when they are doing yard work or if they go to a park for recreation. Not saying make the campground look like a student driver test route, but if you can pin or place or hangb something for you to feel / tap by your site, that is what I would consider.
Also, very very much consider learning to wolf whistle, you know that super loud whistle people do by putting their fingers in their mouth. Got that advice from Les Stroud's survivor shows. He always travels with a whistle and some Clif bars and maybe some packets of apple sauce for hydration and energy iirc. So even if he loses or breaks his whistle, he can still make a super loud noise.
Also, very very much consider learning to wolf whistle, you know that super loud whistle people do by putting their fingers in their mouth. Got that advice from Les Stroud's survivor shows. He always travels with a whistle and some Clif bars and maybe some packets of apple sauce for hydration and energy iirc. So even if he loses or breaks his whistle, he can still make a super loud noise.
WittiePenguin [OP] 2 points 1y ago
I can’t even regular whistle, I’ve been working on that since I saw Snow White when I was three. Lol i’m in my late 20s now… I’ve always given up on trying to figure out how to whistle.
BenandGracie 3 points 1y ago
When I go camping with my parents, I usually have my cane with me, and we usually have a radio on, and I use the sound to find my way back. I don’t usually go too far away from our site on my own. I can also listen for the sound of my dog’s tags to find the site if I need too.
BaBaBroke 3 points 1y ago
You can use walkie talkies if cell service is iffy. I would carry one of those emergency blankets also for hypothermia. You have to tell someone that is not going where you are going and when you will be back. I don't know how well it works in the woods, but you can share your location with someone with Google maps. I know there are unpaved roads on Google maps, not sure about trails.
There is also an app what3words that gives your location with 3 different words for every 100 square foot or so and you can share the location with someone. I see they have an accessibility feature but I have not used the app to test it. I just looked at it and can see me in my house on what I think is a Google Earth overlay.
Also don't forget 9 1 1 if you are lost. Most towers will get a very good location on you for the call taker. You should be able to text them also.
I have an ambutech cane and can change out the marshmallow tip with a wheel type tip for trails.
You can get an external battery that you can plug into your phone to keep it going. If you go to purchase one, the more milli amp hours (mah) the better. Don't forget your charger cord. Happy trails.
There is also an app what3words that gives your location with 3 different words for every 100 square foot or so and you can share the location with someone. I see they have an accessibility feature but I have not used the app to test it. I just looked at it and can see me in my house on what I think is a Google Earth overlay.
Also don't forget 9 1 1 if you are lost. Most towers will get a very good location on you for the call taker. You should be able to text them also.
I have an ambutech cane and can change out the marshmallow tip with a wheel type tip for trails.
You can get an external battery that you can plug into your phone to keep it going. If you go to purchase one, the more milli amp hours (mah) the better. Don't forget your charger cord. Happy trails.
kescba 3 points 1y ago
If you are an Iphone user, you can use Blindsquare and save the diffrent locations, if you keep coming to the same camping place, it could help you :-)
WittiePenguin [OP] 3 points 1y ago
This helps in places where my phone actually has service. However I don’t want to rely too much on my phone because it won’t always have service and I want to be able to conserve as much battery as possible. I appreciate the tip though. :)
retrolental_morose 6 points 1y ago
Both soundscape and loadstone GPS work on a phone without any service. I used loadstone in particular to map roots through the woods and was quite happy walking between 3 and 5 miles or so when I had a dog big enough to need that exercise. the GPS satellites are what your phone talks to here, not cell towers. Sure you'll need data to get street names, traffic and turn-by-turn but rolling your own map is fine even if you're in the middle of nowhere. pack a couple of battery packs and you're good to go.
WittiePenguin [OP] 1 points 1y ago
Thank you, I do have Soundscape, I will try that for next time. I didn’t even think of that.
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