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2torial #0434:
Learn2 Behave When Lost in the Woods
Lions and tigers and bears oh my!
It can happen to even an Eagle Scout: the
trail disappears, directions get confused, a sudden
turn in the weather forces you away from familiar
landmarks. All of a sudden the thin tether between
you and civilization has broken. You're not just
Getting Away From It All...you're lost.
But take heart: losing your way doesn't have to
mean losing your head. Follow the tips in this
2torial to minimize the danger to yourself, and to
keep yourself from getting even more lost. You'll
notice that the title of this 2torial is not
"Learn2 Get Un-Lost" but "Learn2 Behave When Lost
in the Woods"--the goal here is not to turn you
into a wilderness orientation expert (or a survival
expert), but to make it as easy as possible for
others to find you safe and sound.
"Be Prepared" is the Boy Scout motto, and if you
don't believe in making some kind of preparations
you have no business being out in the woods in the
first place. Being lost doesn't kill people; it's
the doing without (food, clothing, shelter, medical
attention) that does them in.
Whether packing for an afternoon picnic or a
weeklong trek, observe the Rule of Change: prepare
not only for the weather conditions that exist when
you start out, but for the weather that weather can
turn into. You don't need to take an umbrella when
you're hiking Death Valley (unless you want some
shade), but you should cram a rainhat in your pack
in Yosemite, even the forecast calls for sunshine.
You don't need a parka for that day trip, but your
clothing should add up to several layer: put them
on or peel them off as the temperature dictates.
You should always, always bring matches or a
lighter. Put them in your backpack right
now--go on, we'll wait--and don't take them out
when you clean out your pack (do, however, check to
make sure they're still serviceable).
Always bring more water than you expect to
drink--and don't drink it just because you have it.
If your mouth is parched, you can moisten it with a
single mouthful; you don't need to chug down the
bottle.
The best way to avoid getting lost is
(obviously) to keep to a trail, so resist the
temptation to tramp off into the virgin wild unless
you know exactly what you're doing. Besides being
environmentally unfriendly (it contributes to
erosion) and often illegal, straying from the trail
is flirting with danger. Just as you can drown in
an inch of water, you can get hopelessly lost in
five minutes of pathless tromping.
There's just one more inflexible rule: don't
leave for the outdoors unless there's someone
who'll notice you haven't returned. You don't
have to post a formal itinerary at the ranger's
office, but at least mention to a friend or family
member where you're going and when you expect to be
back. For the price of a phone call, you can keep
getting lost from becoming a permanent
disappearance.
 Don't Panic
First of all, get a grip on yourself. Take ten
slow, deep breaths (actually count them) if you do
feel panicky. It's normal to feel scared, but keep
in mind that all you've lost is a bit of
information. An unknown patch of forest isn't
inherently more dangerous than a known patch. It's
just unknown to you.
- Begin by acknowledging that you're
lost--or if you're with one or more other
people, by gently creating the consensus that
you're lost. Some folks tend to deny the
situation, right up to the point where they
march off a cliff. Don't let macho (or macha)
posturings endanger everyone.
- There are two common reactions you'll
want to avoid. One is panic, which usually
triggers the flight response in humans. Running
wildly around, even for a few minutes, could get
you irretrievably lost (if not injured).
The other reaction is overcompensation:
deciding that it's time to play Robinson Crusoe of
the Redwoods and trying to build a cabin, forage
for food, and lay in a cord of wood before
nightfall. You may end up spending a night or so in
the wild, but conserve your energy. Tired people
don't think as well as rested ones, and they
require more food and water to keep going.
 Assess the situation
Now that you're calm, collected and not in
denial, sit down and think things through. How long
have you been lost? Mentally trace your thoughts
back to the last point where you definitely knew
your location. How long ago was that? In what
general direction have you been travelling since
then?
- If you have a compass: Use it now to
give your directional sense some bearings: we
came from thataway and that's Northwest, but we
started walking South, so the trail must have
slowly looped... And so forth. Even if you
don't have a compass, try to approximate this
kind of location-sense while your memories are
fresh. If you don't have a compass, see Step
3.
Now you have some decisions to make.
- If you haven't been lost long and seem to
be in relatively safe terrain (not
surrounded by rockslides or thorn bushes, for
instance), you may decide to retrace your steps.
If so, skip to Step 3.
- If the circumstances suggest that further
wandering may be hazardous (night is
falling, cliff edges abound), then you may want
to stay put and wait for rescue. If so, skip to
Step 5
 Retrace your steps (if
appropriate)
If you've decided to try and undo your error,
then hike in the direction from which you came,
keeping careful track not only of orientation but
of time. If you've been lost for ten minutes but a
ten-minute walk doesn't return you to your trail,
you're just getting more lost. In such a case,
pause and return to your original location, then
try again.
- When retracing: Try tracking yourself: you weren't on
a trail, so you probably left tracks you can follow in reverse.
One handy trick is to frequently look over your shoulder as you're
retracing--the idea is to recreate the view you had when you were
walking there in the first place. Looking back might refresh your
memory of a particular landmark, or help you recognize familiar
terrain.
- If you don't have a compass: To be certain you won't
stray from your intended direction, line up three landmarks in
the direction you want to go, all following a straight line from
your line of sight. Then walk in a beeline (i.e., as straight
as possible), keeping the landmarks in sight. For a more detailed
response, see 2torial #0472 Improvise
a Compass (Day or Night)
- Leave a sign: As you go, it's a good idea to leave markers,
or a sign, to help potential rescuers locate you. Ways to leave
a sign include dragging a heavy stick, propping up sticks or rocks
in unnatural ways or making a flag from a stick and some trash
or a cloth.
 Try to pick up a trail (if
appropriate)
Can't find your trail? If you've opted to stay
mobile, you might want to pick up any old
trail...any path that probably leads to somewhere,
if only to a better path. In that case:
- Keep in mind that trails are usually in
logical places, i.e. where the land
will be more traversable. Search next to creeks
or rivers, on or below ridges, and across
meadows.
- Holding an eye to your present
location, wander around in the immediate
area, say 50 yards/meters in all directions.
Like looking over your shoulder (see Step
3), the change in perspective may jog your
memory. If you're not alone you can range even
further: designate one person as the stay-put
"anchor", and have the others wander around
within earshot. Have the anchor shout out
periodically--yelling out the time every minute
on the minute is a good idea.
 Stay put and signal
 If the situation makes
retracing and trailfinding difficult, you've got no
choice but to hunker down and wait for the
rescuers. You job is to 1.) stay in a fixed
position and 2.) give them something to fix upon.
- Create a physical signal. If weather
permits, seek out a clearing where you'll be
visible from the air. If there are sufficient
dead branches around, use them to spell out a
message: HELP, or SOS, or even just an X. If you
need shade or protection from the elements, add
a pointing arrow in the direction of your
shelter.
- Create a sound signal. Don't shout
yourself hoarse proclaiming how you are and the
fact that you're lost: just remember Three means
Help. The universal distress call is any kind of
signal repeated three times at frequent
intervals, like three shouts or whistles. So
sing out something like "Hey!Hey!Hey!," then
rest your throat a minute, then do it again.
- Sing, don't scream. Shout as loud as
possible--feel the strain on your throat? Now
sing a note, also as loud as possible (don't
worry about being in key). You should find that
you can sing as loud as you can scream, but
without taxing your vocal cords as much. A
scream is just a note with a bit of gargle
thrown in, and that'll wear you down quickly.
- Build a fire. Even if it's daytime.
But prepare the fire site with all the caution
you'd use for a regular campsite; you don't want
to cope with a raging forest fire as well as
being lost. Don't worry about sending smoke
signals--the smoke itself is a signal. If
possible, gather a good supply of wood before
lighting the fire; you don't want it to go out
(or spread) when you're off scavenging more
wood. See 2torial
#0438 Build a Campfire for more details.
- Insulate and wait. If you're
committed to sticking around, conserve your
energy and your food and water supply. Don't
move around more than you have to; wait until
your current food supply is almost exhausted
before foraging around for more. Bundle up and
try to relax--take slow, deep breaths, counting
ten breaths at a time; and don't eat or drink
just to pass the time.
-end-
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