People Naturally Walk in Circles (appeared in DIscovery )
Aug. 20, 2009 -- If you're lost in the woods and you feel like you're walking in circles, you probably are.
Without landmarks to guide us, people really do go around and around, found a new study.
The finding emphasizes the importance of being prepared if you're going to set off into the wilderness or even into a maze of city streets.
"Just walking in a straight line seems like such a simple and natural thing to do, but if you think about it, it's quite complicated thing going on in the brain," said Jan Souman, a psychologist at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tubingen, Germany.
"After these experiments, I would never go into a big forest or desert without a compass or GPS anymore."
Souman's project started when a German popular-science television show approached his group with a viewer question: Why do people walk in circles when they're lost?
At first, Souman wasn't sure if that common sensation was actually true. When lost, he suspected, people might veer to the left or right. But he didn't expect them to actually walk in true circles.
To find out, he instructed nine people to walk as straight as possible in one direction for several hours.
Six walkers forged through a flat, forested region of Germany. Three trekked through the Sahara desert in southern Tunisia. (A sand storm stopped further testing in the desert). All walkers wore GPS receivers so that the researchers could analyze their routes.
The results, published today in the journal Current Biology, showed that no matter how hard people tried to walk in a straight line, they often ended up going in circles without ever realizing that they were crossing their own paths.
But there was a twist.
Circular walking befell only the four forest walkers who had to walk in overcast conditions and the one desert walker who walked at night after the moon had set. Those who could see the sun or moon managed to travel fairly straight.
Previous studies have shown that bees, pigeons and a variety of other animals move in tight circles when orienting cues like the sun are missing. The new study suggests that, whether we're conscious of what we're doing or not, people are tuned into those types of environmental signals, too.
"People find it really hard to say what they did exactly," Souman said. "It's pretty clear from our data that they do use the sun somehow."
In a follow-up experiment, the researchers challenged 15 people to walk straight while blindfolded. When they couldn't see at all, the walkers ended up going in surprisingly small circles -- with a diameter of less than 66 feet.
In repeated attempts, blindfolded walkers circled in one direction sometimes and in the opposite direction other times.
The blindfold experiment dispelled one theory -- that people might walk in circles because one leg tends to be longer or stronger than the other. Instead, Souman suspects that little mistakes in brain add up until the sense of what's straight turns into something round.
The results aren't necessarily surprising, said Randy Gallistel, a cognitive neuroscientist at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Most dead hikers, after all, are found within a mile, if not 100 meters from where they got lost.
Still, he said, if you do get lost, it's important to know that your body might end up doing the opposite of what your brain intends.
To counter the tendency to spiral, Gallistel suggested that hikers learn some simple Boy Scout tricks. Moss grows on the north side of trees. There is less vegetation on the south-facing side of a valley than on its north-facing slopes. And the sun moves from east to west throughout the day.
Better yet, bring a map and compass or GPS device.
"If you are going to move, make sure you know how to move in a straight line," Gallistel said, adding that it's hard to find a spot in the continental United States that's more than 20 miles from a road. "Straight lines are helpful. Circles don't get you anywhere."
There goes the Bahiri Hillibillies ‘n’ Pop came the Ligament……Crashing.!!
The last time, I had the luxury of heading for a 2-3 day Sahyadri trek was way back in 2006; when we covered the stretch from Amboli to Ahupe in Malshej region. Ever since, all such plans have not seen light of day.
Rajmachi – Bhimashankar was one such trek route that was eluding us for a while; for want of team & time. Finally both the elements fell in place.
The team comprised Rahil, Piran & Pradeep. The blokes who missed out were Fulton, Vijay, Zenosh & Mallick.
Over the past 2-3 years, have managed to develop a good bond with both Rahil & Piran; primarily because, all of us were yearning for attempting new routes rather than the tried & tested. It was with this same motley group that we had managed to undertake Rajmachi – Dhaak trek; which in many ways bestowed in us the confidence to attempt un-chartered trails.
The first monsoon trek of the season to Rajmachi was made memorable thanks to the pit vipers lazing around the route. This was followed by treks to Nakhind and Ratangad.
The 2 day trek to Ratangad – Katrabai – Kumshet was meant to be a precursor to the 3 day trek. By end of the 2 day trek, we had re-christened it RATAN…..CHAKKAR:)for the obvious reason of having lost the way completely and going around in circles. Low visibility accompanied by lack of awareness of the route from Ratangad to KatrabaiCol and my unwillingness to accept the GPS findings meant, we had no clue where we were headed. By the end of it & after having reviewed the GPS findings on Google earth, we had managed to get a good grasp of the Ratangad – Katrabai terrain. The very thought of going in circles around Ratangad, left us in splits. The fallout of this trek; in spite of being thoroughly lost, it was the sense of excitement that was driving us. The Ratan ..Chakkar ..route..!!
The long weekend of August 15th was ideal for undertaking the 3 day trek. With the all consuming work screwing my happiness, it was midnight by when I had started packing up for the trek. As discussed with Rahil, the plan was to head for Karjat and start the trek from Sandshi. The route was to take us from Sandshi via Bahiri pinnacle to Kusur and from there on to Bhimahsankar.
After a brief sleep for 3 hrs, it was time to pack the sack & head for Dadar to catch the 7 am local for Karjat. All of us made it on time & we were well and truly on our way. It was gr8 to have Pradeep; who was joining us on a trek after ages.
From Karjat, we headed for Sandshi; an hours drive by tumtum – abt 5 kms from Kondivade.
After getting generic directions of the route from the village folks, we headed towards Bahiri. This was the first time any of us were attempting this route. Rahil – our Gadget Guru had mapped the possible route on his GPS. After the Ratanc Chakkar experience, I was not too inclined to question the GPS. After the initial bit of trail finding, we were finally on the ascent to Bahiri.
It was a good ascent, with gorgeous views of the region.On completion of this section, we would have completed all possible routes originating from the Rajmachi base. After an hours climb, we decided to take a break for refreshments.
It was here that I had decided to readjust by backpack. No sooner had we again hit the trail, I felt the sack to be in an awkward position. Expecting it to self adjust as the trek progressed, I carried on. No sooner had we covered the first corner, that I encountered a 2 feet depression along the path. It was an innocuous piece of depression; which I was to have covered without much fanfare.
Unfortunately, my left leg slipped at this point and landed in the messiest of positions. The excessive load that I as carrying probably aggravated the issue. A pop was all I heard as I lay on the ground; sending shivers through me. For it was about 4 years back, while running down from Bhimashankar, my right knee ligaments had Popped once 2 many. The thought of having ligs on both knees giving up on me was disastrous. The mood amongst the gang was palpable. I did make any effort to test my knee, but the instability of the knee meant, it was an internal injury and end of the road as far this trek was concerned. Felt sorry for rest of the blokes, since we were all expecting to have a gr8 3 days in the Hills. With some strapping done on the knee and exchanging sacks with Rahil, the plan was to descend to lower ground. Descending down was a terrible experience, but was happy to get over with thanks to the support of the junta.
During the descent, Rahil managed to slip and hurt his little finger which eventually turned black n blue.
Having reached flat ground, wanted these blokes to head back & complete the trek rather wind up for good. It was encouraging to see them look at the prospect of heading back up the trail to complete the trek. So, after a brief break for lunch, we decided to part ways. While I headed back for Sandshi; these blokes headed back for Bahiri. Due to this mess up, the team had lost valuable 3 hrs.
Finding my way back to Sandshi was not easy as I had imagined. The first 2 routes that I followed took may in a completely different direction forcing me to back track. Finally, decided to follow a narrow rivulet heading in general direction of Sandshi. It was an interesting stretch of trek; which eventually landed me in a paddy field.
From here, managed to drag my knee back to the village. After some refreshments, headed back for base. An extremely disappointing end to a weekend filled with high expectations.
However was eager to know if the junta had managed to crack the route to Kusur/ Kondeshwar / and beyond.
It was around 7.00 pm when the junta called. They had pitched camp just at the base of Bahiri caves. Looking forward to further details of the trek and route from the gang.
While for me, it is back to ice packs & MRI; before planning the next attempt at Rajmachi – Bhimashankar :)
Treks to Rajmachi have always been a pleasant experience.
With work taking its toll, Rajmachi was the perfect getaway to welcome the onset of monsoons.
This was the first time, I was hitting the trail just as the first drops began to sprinkle.
As with the World economy, the terrain was dry n arid ; awaiting the 'Green Shoots' to sprout ( a FEDonomic term )
It was meant to be a day trek; hoping to reach the top before dark.
However, as with all plans - we were 2 hrs behind schedule; starting the trek @ 6.15 pm. from the base village of Kondivade.
Since it was a 2 man team (self & Rahil), we had to make best of us of remaining daylight to cover as much. Treks in the dark tend to add a completely new dimension & neither of us were keen to push the limits. The mist & steady drizzle meant, it was a pleasant walk.
As circumstances would have it, we managed to cover 3/4th of the distance by 7.45 when darkness finally set in. With only the last patch of uphill to be covered, we took a much needed break; gorging on some juicy mangoes.
Earlier during the day, while scouring the market for food, didn't realise I had to replace torch batteries.. ( gross negligence I must say). Thankfully, Rahil had a powerful headlamp.
No sooner had we started the last patch, my dimming light managed to catch a Olive green creature that had beached itself right on the path. Sheer providence was it, for the torch light to illuminate the fellow sitting a foot length ahead. It took a moment to register; but from images shared earlier by my sis; it had to be a Pit Viper. Though very similar in appearance to a Vine snake, the diamond shaped head & the coiled body position gave it away.
By now, Rahil had joined in, & we were wondering .. what next. For the next few minutes, we were completely fixated at the sight below. The foliage on either side made it difficult to maneuver . Finally Rahil waded his way into the bhush, while I kept a tab on the creepy crawly. Having managed to reach around it, I followed. The bloke did show his irritation at the disturbance around him, but I guess his sights were fixed on a hearty meal (not us :) ).
By now, my torch resembled embers from a cigarette smoke. With the only functional headlamp, we had hardly managed a few steps when Rahil picked up another movement on a branch ahead. Damm ..another Viper, this time towards the edge of the route. As earlier, we had to wade into the bushes to avoid being in the firing line. In our excitement (read FEAR...!!) no snaps were clicked... only objective was to get our ass out. After seeing the second bloke, we were having visions of a Viper hanging from every branch... H1NI seemed like common cold, while we were in the midst of Viper Pandemic .....!!
Rest of the journey was uneventful and neither of us were complaining. We were just 2 zapped by the turn of events; only to be rejuvenate by the sumptuous dinner (Pithle bhakri, rice n dal )
Returned back the next day...hoping to complete the long planned Rajmachi - Bhimashankar - Ahupe trekathon; this season.
Encountering snakes during the day & at night .... seem to impact the psyche in unique ways. Rajmachi always for me will remain a fab destination .....as long as daylight exists :) else it is Trepidition time.... Did someone say.. trekkers have short term memory ;)
When one talks about human endurance; events like Tour de France, Ironman (Triathlon), the Full Marathon, NatGeo Eco- Challenge, strike a distinct chord. The very idea of humans endeavoring to break the Thought Barrier; relentlessly stretching the human mind & body at its hems to explore new vistas is reason enough for us to sit back & take notice of these Alpha Maniacs. In retrospect, these freaks of civilization have helped define the weekend wandering of a sizeable population who otherwise are stuck in the ritual rigmarole of 9-7 existence.
9-7 has never worked for me; but has had the displeasure of enduring it all these years. Freddie’s ‘I want 2 Break Free ‘is screaming with all its might; but is yet to hit the right nerve except over the weekend; when the Escapist within me awakens J
As the weekend enters its final lap, there is a sudden resurgence of Hope, Excitement & Passion. The otherwise fossilized fragments of an Alpha Maniac gene conjures up visions of Grist, Valor & Glory; all to be achieved in a day (Ain’t we asking for 2 much). Now isn’t that everybody is aspiring to achieve.. a certain level of Excitement to sustain energy levels for another grueling week… J
I guess, I have made a fair case of the reason why people look for eventful ways to roundup an otherwise uneventful week; though the knives are definitely out to split this theory apart.
To Hell with that …. !!
The following mishmash is about 5 blokes with dormant Alpha Maniac traits; who decided to push their luck on a dripping Sunday along the Rajmachi – Dhaak traverse!
a Left and a Right that (just about) made Rajmachi – Dhaak
Despite an erratic monsoon, hikes to Nakhind & Prabal over the previous weekends had exposed us to the hills adorned in effervescent Monsoon Couture. But these were small jaunts lasting no more than 3-4 hours; & thus came the thought of doing a full day trek. Rajmachi – Dhaak, Ahupe-Bhimashankar, Alang were the obvious ones. Rajmachi –Dhaak scored above the rest as the base village of Kondivade was easily approachable.
Rahil & Janaki were first to hit the trail.
Starting from Lonavala on Saturday night, they managed to beach themselves for the night @ Valvan (aka Olewande) village. Armed with tents & GPS, their positions were tracked by a constellation of satellites. Rahil was on a training binge to desperately shed the excess baggage a 9-7 existence had piled on him; courtesy ESP [read -Employee Stock (Saturated FAT) Options]. After a year spent in contemplation; finally mustered the courage to dump 9-7 for achieving self Preservation & Soul-lightenment (Lighting up the Soul… possible I guess!!). As for the graphic designer – Janaki, was meeting her for the first time. The MCP gene had usual apprehensions about her ability to keep pace with the group…
Piran, Mallikarjun &Selfstarted from Kondivade on Sunday morning
Snored our way to glory at Karjat ST stand, only to wake up in nick of time for the bus to Sandshi. We hit the trail from Kondivade by 7.30am after a few rounds of Chai. Going up Rajmachi was uneventful, as we reached the top by 10.00 am.
Piran, back from his 2 month stint with an NGO in Sikkim was adjusting to the reduced altitude & abundance of O2 ; ). Since me & Piran had done Rajmachi-Dhaak route last year, we were relaxed about finding our way (case of misplaced confidence).
Mallickarjun – sounded like a mythological character; when we first met on the Nariman Point cycling trip. The nervous energy, enthusiasm & high testosterone exuberance of this IITian was reason enough to invite him for the trek. There are some blokes with whom you can instantly connect without having to blink an eyelid. As the trek progressed, the New Kid On the Block with navigation skills of a Homing Pigeon, endeared to all of us.
Rajmachi (10.00 am)
The crowd on top drove home the message; weekends are definitely a big no for coming to this charming little hamlet. Met Suresh & his family for a while; where we tanked ourselves with Poha, Bhurji & Chai. Did manage to take a dip in the gorgeous pond; Mallik & Piran though decided to stay away from it.
It was 11.00am when we set off from Rajmachi) for the scheduled rendezvous with Rahil & Janaki. Fact that we were 2 hrs behind schedule was inconsequential; as we were anyways headed for Dhaak. 45 min into eth trek, we met up with Rahil & Janaki. From here on, it was push towards Kondeshwar Temple (our first halt). While Rajmachi – Valvan is a rather straightforward route; from there on to Kondeshwar is one of the prettiest walks that one can do in the Sahyadris. Last year with the Karvi in full bloom, there was a carpet of pink all over.
Kondeshwar Temple (2.00pm)
The temple is neatly tucked in the valley amidst waterfalls & thick foliage. In cloudy weather, identifying the temple becomes difficult. Thanks to Mallik’s homing instincts, we managed to locate the place. The place lies at the cusp of 2 mighty waterfalls. The temple was occupied by a bunch of trekkers / locals snuffing from their Chellam’s . Took a brief break before heading for base of Bahiri Caves. From Kondeshwar, one can walk towards Jambivili & take a bus for Kamshet . ST bus leaves Jambivili for Kamshet @ 5.30pm
Kondeshwar - Bahiri
Leaving Kondeshwar, we were lost for a while navigating the route for Bahiri. There is a small plateau where all the water drains. Here the route tends to get confusing; especially when the massif leading to Bahiri is not visible. We had to take help of a local family to guide us along the right path. The route leads in a N-W direction with the waterfall coming from Bahiri side on your left. After a brief climb, we cross over the waterfall & head towards Bahiri.
As we were approaching Bahiri, in my infinite wisdom I advised Mallik to move ahead & wait for us at the junction for Sandshi-Bahiri-Dhaak. As Mallik was putting up a fairy fast pace, I probably felt it would be better off, if he set the pace thereby allowing all of us to catch up with him.
base of Bahiri (4.30pm)
The above mentioned junction is tucked well inside the forest & is not easily identifiable. 20 min after Mallik had disappeared, Piran who was behind Mallik, looses track of him & takes a wrong turn. The drama begins….!!
For the next 1 hour, we are left blowing our vocal chords to smothers trying to trace Mallik. This scary incident gave us the jitters. Mallik on his part was waiting for us at the destine place. Though after a while we were able to hear each other’s faint voices, it was not clear from which direction it came. After some time spent retracing the steps, we finally managed to team up with Mallik to everybody’s relief. We had inadvertently missed the route & gone straight into the bushes; when we were supposed to take a LEFT..!!
Phew.. this incident let all of us drained.
It was 4.30 pm when we left the base of Bahiri for Dhaak
Bahiri base to Dhaak Village
We were now on the last leg which we had opined was also to be the most difficult to negotiate, if the cloud cover & low visibility persisted. True to our fears, the weather remained cloudy. It is important to get the orientations right while doing the Dhaak traverse. The massif of Dhaak fort on the left is a good reference. However, after semi circumnavigating along the plateau, the massif moves behind. From here, it would make sense to move along the tree line in a Westerly direction with the bushes to the left, until you hit a broad path going Right to the first village on the plateau.
At one point, we almost lost hope of negotiating this right. So much so, we did contemplate alternate options of camping for the night. It was nearing 6.00 & with another 45 min of daylight left, it was a stroke of good fortune that we found ourselves on the correct route leading to the village.
We finally managed to reach the first Dhaak village @ 6.30 pm
With no time to waste, it was decided to hire the services of a local to guide us to the exit for Vadap. He & his wife sensing an opportunity for making a fast buck, decided to charge 50 bucks for the 20 min jaunt + 50 bucks premium. The premium was at the insistence of the wife. The fellow was definitely high on spirits to ward off the chill; but kept us entertained with his breezy & deceptive talk.
After a brief break for refreshments, we headed for the irritating decent along rocky terrain to reach Vadap @ 8.30 pm.
To conclude, this was a brilliant & exhilarating trek which brought about a dose of varied emotions through the day. Pleased to have completed the route; with everybody in high spirits.
