Tracking - Aging of Sign

One of the harder things to do in a climate that lacks noticeable changes, such as desert environments without moisture or substantial winds, is the Aging of Tracks. There are various factors and components of nature that will help in the Aging of Tracks which would provide discernible changes observable to the tracker  usually in degradation of sharp edges and the changing of the color. Some of these natural factors include:



Moisture such as Fog or Dew - will usually fluff up the topsoil (as the soil absorbs moisture and expands) and make the track appear spongy.

Rain will wash away tracks beginning with the sharp edges, however compressed tracks may leave darker areas where the moisture ran to the lowest part of the compression. Light rain may dimple or pock mark the pressure release. Rain can deliver a timeline for the tracker.

The Wind will erase gradual edges and soften sharp edges. Take note of your environment and judge accordingly.

Heat. Dries out the moisture (providing discoloration) in the ground and combined with gravity, cause the edges to crumble.

Gravity. Causes sharp, regular edges, alongside the compression of tracks/sign to deteriorate over time.

Thumb Test. The tracker, using his thumb, presses down into the soil to produce a sample that he can use to judge age of the track compared to the impression, edges, and coloration of his thumb print.

Cold. Slows down the aging process by retaining moisture.

Animal Tracks. Consider the animal traffic in the area and apply it to the analysis of evaluating the age of the sign.  In the desert during the hottest months, often lizard tracks across other ground sign indicate that the ground sign was presented no later tha the early morning hours, providing a time line to the ground sign. 

Print A at Right is 36 hours old. Note rounding or smoothing of edges defining the track. Light wind has made distinguishing print marks of the footwear very difficult to read.

Print B is 4 hours old. Note the print has retained the sharp edges of the track. With a light wind and time, this track's sharp edges will round and the depression caused by the pressure release will fill in.

One of the best things you can do is to find an area that will not be disturbed, lay your own sign each day and check the changes as it relates to the weather and environment.

Mantracking - Reading Deceptive Print, Walking Backwards

Continuing on with some short videos on Mantracking, I am depicting what it looks like for someone to be deceptive and walking backwards to throw off the tracker.

The three biggest indications of someone walking backwards trying to make you think he is moving in one direction when actually moving in another, are:

Absence of Toe Dirt. When moving forward, the toe of the footwear will drag dirt and debris forward creating what we call "toe dirt" indicating direction of travel. When walking backwards there is no forward momentum to create the natural plume of dirt in front of the toe.

Light Pressure Release in the Heel. Because when the individual is walking backwards, a lot of pressure is taken off the heel and in effect the walker becomes a toe walker.

Shorter Stride. The stride length,....distance between the toe and the subsequent heel,...are greatly reduced when walking backwards, sometimes as much as half - even more when the individual is carrying a heavy load like a rucksack.

To a lesser obvious extent, the pressure release in the toe of the boot is deeper and as the foot rolls from the toe to the heel, the ball of the footwear creates a good readable pressure release on the ball of the footwear.

If the individual is trying to walk backwards fast, there will normally be some dirt dragged by the heel as it rocks off the ground and is pulled backwards. This can help identify the deceptive practice of walking backwards and the direction of travel.