Ashdown
Newbie
I recently had the good fortune to attend the Grayside Hunter/ Urban Tracker course from Greenside Training, hosted by the owner Freddy Osuna. My impetus for taking this class was mostly just out of an interest to learn some basic techniques that I could use in the event of people getting separated or lost from their outdoor groups. As a former board member of the Arizona Mountaineering Club I thought it could never be too late to learn some possibly life saving skills. I live at the base of the Superstition Mountain range, which has been known to claim a few lives annually. This class was held in my home state, and the chance to go down to Benson to learn how to advance my skills in tracking, and man-tracking in particular, was just too good to pass up. The course itself was a three day class with the vast majority of it being spent outside, getting your hands dirty. The only required gear was a notebook, a signal mirror, a tape measure, some hiking gear and a hydration bladder. A good, powerful flashlight came in handy too.
First let me just say that Freddy is genuinely a good guy, and gets really excited about teaching people his craft. You could tell from the initial class briefing that tracking was his passion, and it had served him well during his career as an active duty marine, and now a trainer of soldiers and civilians alike. As an ex-service member myself I appreciated the manner that the instruction was given, revolving around facts and hard data. On the other hand, the friends that attended the class with me who weren't ex-military felt comfortable with the dissemination of information as well.
The first day began with us all meeting in the back of a preparedness store called Evading Disaster. As a side note, the owner Mark has a lot of pretty cool kit in there and at reasonable prices. The back classroom area was spacious and comfortable, and could easily have handled thirty people. We got pretty lucky as this course had only five students, so we got quite a bit of personal instruction and attention. After the initial meet and greet and a briefing that lasted about an hour we were on our way out. We reconvened at an area known as St. David's Pitts, where we ran through a variety of drills. Freddy constructed an area known as a spoor pit, which is basically designed to leave laboratory grade tracks. In there we learned how to recognize various animal tracks that were local to us, and while not being a hunter myself I found the drill useful because as a backpacker and mountaineer I'd seen these tracks all over the state. One of the drills was known as a nail drill, which is used to gain a better understanding of the flow of tracks, and how they are affected through varied terrains.
With the morning behind us we broke for lunch then moved the class back into Benson. We did some more outdoor training in the spoor pits, learning to identify various man tracks. We learned to recognize individuals not just by shoe tread, but also by their weight, stride, gait, injury, etc. Obviously to describe all this in great detail could fill a book, and has filled many. Suffice it to say, we absorbed as much as we could. It was all put to the test when we split into two groups, with one tracking the other. My heart sank when my group tracked the other into a wash that crossed underneath a railroad trestle. There were no less than fifty different tracks in there! But, using the training that Freddy gave us and utilizing a technique known as "aging" we were able to isolate our quarry's tracks and get moving again. Got 'em. For the record, I'm fairly certain that everyone including my grandma wears Merrell's. Just saying.
The second day started off with us heading to the outskirts of Tombstone, not for a shootout (although being Arizona, I'm pretty sure everyone was carrying) but for immersion into another spoor pit. We ran another couple of drills, reinforcing and honing what we had learned the previous day. Then it was back to our two groups, tracking each other in the Arizona wilderness. This exercise is intensely fun. It builds a sense of cooperation and competition, with everyone eager to succeed in finding the opposing team. The excitement level was compounded with the usage of audio devices and trip wires. It was a good lesson in being aware of your surroundings rather than being too focused on just the tracks and direction of travel. After a few rounds of alternating prey and predator, it was time for the real test. We took our lunch on the trail, and the remaining part of the day was spent tracking Freddy.
We combined as one team, and with no one to guide us headed out to try to catch the trainer. Once on our own, immediately our sense of order broke down. Who was the main tracker, who was the second and who was controlling fell into disarray, despite our previous training. After a few minutes of banter we fell back into a team dynamic and began to make real progress. As a group it is important to understand that everyone has to play a role whether it is a role you choose to play or not. I think that concept can be difficult for some people, especially if they have never worked in a truly team based dynamic environment. Regardless, we got our shit together and after losing and re-acquiring the trail a few times, we finally found him. It took a few hours, and covered a few miles. His route included scaling a rock face, climbing a few hills, crossing a few washes and scampering over dry dam spillways. More appropriately, he got us as we were sniffing around the base of a tree he had climbed like we were a pack of bloodhounds. All in all we covered quite a few miles that day. Then it was on to the night training.
We broke for dinner then met up later that night outside the Benson KOA. Which, by the way, I would recommend if you have a camper or toy hauler. We renewed our training in darkness, learning about how various light sources affect vision. The colors of the spectrum also play an important role in interpretation, and Freddy had set up a demonstration of this in a spoor pit. We also did some GLINT (green laser index training) to better understand the use and techniques of employing lasers for tracking. All in all this was a great and eye-opening (literally) experience, and we closed the night down with a round of team tracking. Under the blanket of darkness this was just about the coolest thing ever. It was one heck of a long day, and we were all beat after this winner.
The final day started with us heading to downtown Tucson to begin tracking in an urban environment. We were given a scenario, and with our roles predetermined by us due to our cluster the previous day, we headed out. Let me say, urban tracking is tough. There were portions of it where we were tracking like pros, where we were finding prints in track traps or along railroad tracks and in other places we couldn't find a thing. We would find indications with direction of travel, lose it, then again re-acquire it two blocks later. Ultimately we found our quarry, and the exercise was both educational and humbling. It truly teaches you that not everything is always going to go your way, and sometimes you're going to lose the trail. Many a tracker have lost their prey, or have had to earn it at too high a cost. That's what I got out of the exercise anyway.
We closed the day with a late lunch at one of the best Mexican food places in the state on Freddy's dime. It got even better, as we were awarded a Greenside Training PVC patch with a Tracker tab. You can't buy the thing, you have to attend and pass the class to get one. Also, if it is ever lost or stolen, Freddy will replace it gratis. Not too shabby.
In closing, I have to say that this course has been some of the best money I have ever spent on training, and I have spent a lot of money on training. I went from knowing little to nothing about tracking to being able to isolate and find an individual in varying environments. The knowledge is invaluable, and I would highly recommend the class to anyone with even a rudimentary desire to learn it. I know I will be continuing my education in this lost art. If you're military, law enforcement, SAR, a hunter or outdoorsman you will easily see the value of tracking. If you're a concerned parent I would recommend it as well. This small investment now can save you a lot of heartache later.
First let me just say that Freddy is genuinely a good guy, and gets really excited about teaching people his craft. You could tell from the initial class briefing that tracking was his passion, and it had served him well during his career as an active duty marine, and now a trainer of soldiers and civilians alike. As an ex-service member myself I appreciated the manner that the instruction was given, revolving around facts and hard data. On the other hand, the friends that attended the class with me who weren't ex-military felt comfortable with the dissemination of information as well.
The first day began with us all meeting in the back of a preparedness store called Evading Disaster. As a side note, the owner Mark has a lot of pretty cool kit in there and at reasonable prices. The back classroom area was spacious and comfortable, and could easily have handled thirty people. We got pretty lucky as this course had only five students, so we got quite a bit of personal instruction and attention. After the initial meet and greet and a briefing that lasted about an hour we were on our way out. We reconvened at an area known as St. David's Pitts, where we ran through a variety of drills. Freddy constructed an area known as a spoor pit, which is basically designed to leave laboratory grade tracks. In there we learned how to recognize various animal tracks that were local to us, and while not being a hunter myself I found the drill useful because as a backpacker and mountaineer I'd seen these tracks all over the state. One of the drills was known as a nail drill, which is used to gain a better understanding of the flow of tracks, and how they are affected through varied terrains.
With the morning behind us we broke for lunch then moved the class back into Benson. We did some more outdoor training in the spoor pits, learning to identify various man tracks. We learned to recognize individuals not just by shoe tread, but also by their weight, stride, gait, injury, etc. Obviously to describe all this in great detail could fill a book, and has filled many. Suffice it to say, we absorbed as much as we could. It was all put to the test when we split into two groups, with one tracking the other. My heart sank when my group tracked the other into a wash that crossed underneath a railroad trestle. There were no less than fifty different tracks in there! But, using the training that Freddy gave us and utilizing a technique known as "aging" we were able to isolate our quarry's tracks and get moving again. Got 'em. For the record, I'm fairly certain that everyone including my grandma wears Merrell's. Just saying.
The second day started off with us heading to the outskirts of Tombstone, not for a shootout (although being Arizona, I'm pretty sure everyone was carrying) but for immersion into another spoor pit. We ran another couple of drills, reinforcing and honing what we had learned the previous day. Then it was back to our two groups, tracking each other in the Arizona wilderness. This exercise is intensely fun. It builds a sense of cooperation and competition, with everyone eager to succeed in finding the opposing team. The excitement level was compounded with the usage of audio devices and trip wires. It was a good lesson in being aware of your surroundings rather than being too focused on just the tracks and direction of travel. After a few rounds of alternating prey and predator, it was time for the real test. We took our lunch on the trail, and the remaining part of the day was spent tracking Freddy.
We combined as one team, and with no one to guide us headed out to try to catch the trainer. Once on our own, immediately our sense of order broke down. Who was the main tracker, who was the second and who was controlling fell into disarray, despite our previous training. After a few minutes of banter we fell back into a team dynamic and began to make real progress. As a group it is important to understand that everyone has to play a role whether it is a role you choose to play or not. I think that concept can be difficult for some people, especially if they have never worked in a truly team based dynamic environment. Regardless, we got our shit together and after losing and re-acquiring the trail a few times, we finally found him. It took a few hours, and covered a few miles. His route included scaling a rock face, climbing a few hills, crossing a few washes and scampering over dry dam spillways. More appropriately, he got us as we were sniffing around the base of a tree he had climbed like we were a pack of bloodhounds. All in all we covered quite a few miles that day. Then it was on to the night training.
We broke for dinner then met up later that night outside the Benson KOA. Which, by the way, I would recommend if you have a camper or toy hauler. We renewed our training in darkness, learning about how various light sources affect vision. The colors of the spectrum also play an important role in interpretation, and Freddy had set up a demonstration of this in a spoor pit. We also did some GLINT (green laser index training) to better understand the use and techniques of employing lasers for tracking. All in all this was a great and eye-opening (literally) experience, and we closed the night down with a round of team tracking. Under the blanket of darkness this was just about the coolest thing ever. It was one heck of a long day, and we were all beat after this winner.
The final day started with us heading to downtown Tucson to begin tracking in an urban environment. We were given a scenario, and with our roles predetermined by us due to our cluster the previous day, we headed out. Let me say, urban tracking is tough. There were portions of it where we were tracking like pros, where we were finding prints in track traps or along railroad tracks and in other places we couldn't find a thing. We would find indications with direction of travel, lose it, then again re-acquire it two blocks later. Ultimately we found our quarry, and the exercise was both educational and humbling. It truly teaches you that not everything is always going to go your way, and sometimes you're going to lose the trail. Many a tracker have lost their prey, or have had to earn it at too high a cost. That's what I got out of the exercise anyway.
We closed the day with a late lunch at one of the best Mexican food places in the state on Freddy's dime. It got even better, as we were awarded a Greenside Training PVC patch with a Tracker tab. You can't buy the thing, you have to attend and pass the class to get one. Also, if it is ever lost or stolen, Freddy will replace it gratis. Not too shabby.
In closing, I have to say that this course has been some of the best money I have ever spent on training, and I have spent a lot of money on training. I went from knowing little to nothing about tracking to being able to isolate and find an individual in varying environments. The knowledge is invaluable, and I would highly recommend the class to anyone with even a rudimentary desire to learn it. I know I will be continuing my education in this lost art. If you're military, law enforcement, SAR, a hunter or outdoorsman you will easily see the value of tracking. If you're a concerned parent I would recommend it as well. This small investment now can save you a lot of heartache later.