So, I strongly recommend starting with easy terrain, like the already mentioned “Track Traps”. If you can find a good area in which you can see clearly tracks, then you can start learning your first techniques in this art and also learn how you can interpret the track line you are looking at.
Speaking of human footprints, on easy ground. Soft ground is very useful for collecting information you can’t get elsewhere:
⁃ The size of a given track (measurable from the heel to the toe). It reveals if the subject is male or a woman, but don’t make assumptions: I once met a girl who wore a size 8!
⁃ The type of pattern the person was wearing (flat shoes, classic or boots). No doubt it can tell us if the person was wearing the appropriate type of shoes for a hike. If not, this should put us on alert.
⁃ The stride – the distance the heel to heel of a set of tracks – right and left and vice versa – or from to toe to toe or, again, from heel to toe. This measurement can allow us to understand if the person was walking, running, the approximate age – elderly people have a shorter stride – or if he/she was carrying a load.
⁃ The straddle – the distance between the two tracks taken from the middle axis of each one. Often underrated, this assessment can report any flaw in deambulation, which can be due to a wound, any inborn deformity or any heavy freight.
In addition to that, a Track Trap terrain can clearly indicate to us the direction of travel, and if the person we are tracking was passing through an area alone or along with other individuals.
Last but not least, the over-impression of other tracks, as well as a sudden change of weather conditions, or the transition of wildlife let us identify the time frame in which the tracks have been left, as we will see more deeply in the next articles.
We will talk also about the light angle – a valuable factor to consider once you are on a determined Trackline.
I can’t stress enough the fact that only experience can turn you into a proficient tracker. The successful application of your skills will enable you not only to track properly men or animals but will also allow you to gain a more conscious level of situational awareness, turning you into a more focused individual in each one of your daily activities.