Have You Ever Gotten Lost?

[HikerChick]

I once got lost while hiking down a hill. Recent rains had cut multiple "paths" into the ground and I wandered off the actual trail onto one of them...found myself at the top of a precipice and knew I was lost. Fortunately, I knew that I just needed to keep heading downhill to eventually hit my destination, so I carefully made my way down as safely as I good and everything turned out ok.

 

[Jobiwan]

I have done the same by wandering off the trail, actually many times but only for a few minutes so no worries. I did get lost when I was a teen while deer hunting in an unfamiliar area in northern Vermont (about 5 miles from the Canadian border) I came across some fresh tracks and decided to follow them without paying attention to my surroundings.(first mistake). They led me to a swamp where I soon lost the tracks. A fog decided to cover this swamp so I thought I would trek back (second mistake). After about two hours, the fog cleared and I realized I was lost. I made the choice to keep moving until I saw something that I might have recognized like my own tracks (third mistake) I eventually ended up on top of this hill where I saw a farm off in the distance so I headed towards it. After 7 hours of trying to get myself out of this situation I came across this road and my father just happened to be headed down it looking for me. Total miles that I walked was about 8-10 actually walking right into Canada and back into Vermont. When my father picked me up we were 23 road miles from where I started that day. I learned a buttload of lessons that day like bringing a compass and map, not wandering around aimlessly in a foggy wetland, the importance of carrying an emergency /survival kit and definitely research the area that I trek before I enter the area.

 

[Mysty1]

The first time we ever went hiking when we were young and inexperienced we wondered off the main trail and on to a lesser travel small trail which of course we got lost but lucky enough came across some pig hunters and no pigs that guided us out.

 

[Itchy_Ivy]

I have been pretty conservative in my walks. I keep to clearly marked paths. I have to admit that I am afraid of getting lost. Lately, a lot of people with experience have gotten in serious trouble. I don't want to risk it.

 

[Refrigerator]

Most of my true backpacking wilderness expeditions now are off trail. It does take careful planning and good gear including knowing how to navigate to make your off trail experience successful. I do however spend more miles on a trail and bag more nights backpacking trails. If your skill level is staying close to the trail that's is using good sense. They trust is earned and I would like to add to that by saying trusting yourself as well.

 

[HikerChick]

Jobiwan, that sounds like quite an experience and I'm glad that everything turned out ok! I'm not sure if I've ever hiked alone in a place unfamiliar enough that I wouldn't be able to have general idea of which direction to head in to reach civilization and help - but if I ever did, I know I'd be so nervous!

 

[Michael]

Yup. I've been pretty lost before.

In high school, a friend and I were out for a hike when it got dark. We just lost track of the time and didn't notice it was getting dark. We didn't have any flashlights on us, so we were forced to use the moon to be sure we were moving in a straight line.

We walked for maybe two hours before coming out on a street. It turns out that we walked to the next town over. In retrospect, we probably came very close to walking off the edge of a quarry (because we walked right by one without noticing it).

Less dramatically, last weekend I got lost while out hiking with my family. With the leaves down, we just walked off the trail without realizing it. We used the sun to be sure we were walking in the same direction and kept going until we found the trail again.

Getting lost doesn't have to be awful. Just keep your wits about you.

 

[oldsarge]

While supporting jungle training in Panama. I walked from my position in the jungle to the road and then to the local base to visit a friend who was attending a school there. After my visit, I misjudged my time and found myself getting back to the road junctions and trail head back as it was getting dark. I hopped on the trail back to my position when I realized I was on the wrong trail. Now it's dark and I have no gear with me at all. I tried to get back to the road only to find myself completely turned around and totally lost. During training in a tactical environment, there's no fires or loud talking. When it gets dark, half of the group stays awake pulling security while the other half sleeps. So there I am in pitch blackness and total silence except for the usual jungle sounds. I couldn't see the ground I was standing on, so I used my feet to clear an area away to sit down in, hoping it wasn't an ant mound. I sat down, then laid down and tried to sleep but ended up tossing and turning the whole night fighting off creepy crawlies and getting freaked out by every little noise. It was one of the longest night of my life. I'm glad it didn't rain! At first light I stood up and off in the distance I thought I heard a voice. I headed over a small ridge line and I could hear people moving about and faint sounds of talking. Over then next little rise was my position less than 50 meters away from where I slept the previous night. No one knew I hadn't made it back last night. When I told my squad leader of what happened he almost had a heart attack! Till this day, I never venture off anywhere hiking without at least the basics in a back pack.

 

[Grandpa]

"Me not lost, Teepee lost". No, I have never been lost in the woods. In the city, Yes!!

Having never been lost, I have made error calls and ran into unplanned situations that caused me to experience unplanned nights out, including in snow and wind. I knew where I was, and I knew where camp was, but too dangerous to try for camp in the dark so I found spots to "hunker down" and wait for morning. The worst part of doing this? Trying to calm a fellow hiker down who is on the verge of hysteria. That is why friends and family call me "experienced". An "experienced" hiker is one who has survived his mistakes.

The first time a freak snowstorm stranded a couple of 16 year old kids. We were just too dumb to know how much danger we were in so we dealt with the problem and really had a good time. (plenty of extra food, and clothes in our day packs made that freak blizzard a fun memory instead of a tragedy) The next time, deep in the Frank Church, a secondary trail on the map turned out to be unmaintained. Too much deadfall to try getting the horses through in the dark resulted in a night out in two feet of snow with a howling wind, Again, good clothes, extra food and a "fritzed out" hunting companion who just knew he was going to freeze to death so he stayed up all night tending the fire while I slept. (Yes, I tried to get him to take my place but he was too worried to sleep)
Afterward, he told me his only link to sanity was watching me curl right up and go to sleep.

For those "in the know", you will see two trends in my stories. One, we were prepared for way beyond what we planned, and two, we knew our own talents and capabilities which kept the hysteria away. Fear? sure, it would be stupid not to be a little afraid but confidence in abilities kept the fear/respect in the forefront and hysteria in the rear.

 

[wvbreamfisherman]

Never been so lost that I couldn't have put a finger on the map within say 1/4 mile of my actual position.

I've been pretty well turned around a few times to the point that I had a tough time orienting myself. (one particular time, in the flat woods of northern lower Michigan on a cloudy day, I had no idea whatsoever of which direction the car was in. I managed to backtrack myself far enough to pick out something that passed for a landmark.)

It's helpless feeling for sure- having a small survival kit with the basics sure gives you a lot more confidence. The hardest thing to do is STOP, sit down and actually think things through, and make a plan. The alternative "When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout" method isn't helpful.

 

[ppine]

I have been unsure of my exact location countless times, but usually for not more than a few hours. Working in the field rarely involves any trails. Hiking in the desert and lots of forest land outside parks and wilderness areas have few trails. Forestry rarely involves trails. Many people seem to be lost without them. Many here talk about wandering off the trail and getting lost. Many hunters get lost because they are used to relying on trails.

A topographic map and compass are the main way to stay found. That and using landmarks. Sometimes flagging is very useful like a hunting trip where you need to find an exact location later. Just make sure to take the flagging with you when you leave

There are plenty of tricks to stay found. One of the best is shown in an example. Say you are camped near a creek and you return from a long day and get back to the creek. Which way to get to camp before dark? Navigate your way well above or below camp and then the direction is obvious.

I can remember a few times hunting deer and elk and staying out until dark in a good spot and losing my way. I would fire off a round and the family members would return a shot or two to hone in on camp.

 

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


Nope, never got 'lost', but did find myself driving for several miles in the wrong direction, after taking the wrong exit off of a LARGE traffic circle in Winnipeg, I think. After seeing I was going into more and more of a rural area, I turned around and finally got on the right highway. Did lose some driving time, though...!!

 

[ponderosa]

I've been temporarily off the mark, but never so badly that I had to be found by someone else, or spend an unexpected night out. I have arrived at my intended destination several hours later than planned a couple of times due to time spent getting reoriented/backtracking. I've also had to stop and camp a few miles short of the intended location a couple of times, but both of those times I'd figured out where I was by then, but just didn't have enough daylight to push on that evening.

 

[charley]

I have been misplaced or turned around not sure of which way to go on an interstate highway. I have been turned around in the woods before. Once my friend and I were getting ready to spend the night cause we just couldn't find the road after a long walk while hunting. Then a vehicle came down the road about 25 yards away.

 

[Atehequa]

Never lost, just bewildered.

 

[mccallum]

ME Lost no! I knew where I was or wasn't!! Trail (place I was wanting to be) lost yes!
Or the other way I have put it; momentarily miss directed. I went to go check on some deer stands a friend and I had built a few years before; wandered about two or three maybe four miles; pretty sure I got off the guys property the stands were on! SO, I was not lost but those tree stands still are!!

 

[eco-lite]

I once got lost in the third cave at Morrison Springs in Ponce de Leon.
You have very little time to figure it out... Lost for 10 seconds, but worrisome and lost none the less
Cave diving back in 1973 was a lot more dangerous/foolish than it is today.
The third cave has been closed for decades and to dive the first two, you now have to be certified as a cave diver..

 

[ppine]

Some of the toughest experiences have been totally known locations, but wishing I was some place else.

 

[dinosaur]

I've been lost my entire life. My past girlfriends told me it was my fear of commitment. They may have been right. I'd rather see what's over the next rise than hunker down and wait for the end. I follow the philosophy of Buckaroo Banzai: "Wherever you go, there you are."

I think I'm one of the original "Lost Boys". What do you think of that one, Captain Hook?

 

[Bojib]

As Daniel Boone once supposedly said:

"I've never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks."