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English Stu
10-24-2015, 09:17
I have this with me an aide memoir.

Things to do if lost -possible rescue situation

Stop
Think
Orientate
Plan

Put on warm gear.
Climb higher to orientate better.
Find shelter-under tree branches, next to a rock. Put up a stuff sack, or similar, as flag.
Make a signal fire in a raised position, make smoke during day, flames at night.
On the trail make a triangle sign (the international rescue signal)i.e A bandana in triangle with three rocks, also three twigs straight/parallel with trail with a direction of travel arrow.

I am reading an old US bushcraft book i,e Trappers; who speaks of walking in a 200yd circle to recover a trail.Not sure how to keep the circle.On the AT I did come across a guy who had lost the trail and said he quartered it to find it again.Not sure how that works either.

Kookork
10-24-2015, 09:52
Using that whistle we have been carrying all our hiking lives and never used it is another step. The SOS (save our souls) signal . . . - - - . . . can be performed by a whistle or a headlamp or torch during the dark hours but I am not sure about the percentage of ordinary people who can distinguish SOS code . I personally think three sharp whistle is a good start.

I also start to take notes of my surrounding in a note book and try to have a schematic sketch of my surrounding and my route to remember for backtrack if the salvation plan does not work and I am still lost.

Slo-go'en
10-24-2015, 10:23
Of course, the trick is not to get too lost.

Lets assume you were on a hiking trail to start with and then made a wrong turn. That can happen for a number of reasons, but usually because you missed a turn. The quicker you realize your going the wrong way, the easier it is to correct the mistake.

Lets also assume your on a well marked and trodden trail like the AT. If you got off onto some side trail or herd path, the "feel" and "look" of the trail along with the lack of blazes should clue you in before long your no longer on the AT. Once that happens, turn around and go back the way you came! No doubt you were on some kind of path or you wouldn't have followed it. Once it starts to peter out, you don't just keep going the same way, you go back while there is still something to follow.

Case in point. One day the trail in Virginia was following the ridge line on an old forest road. At some point the road started to go down the side of the ridge, but the trail continued straight ahead. Unfortunately, a big bush had grown up in front of the tree with the blaze on it and also obscured the path. It looked like the trail continued to follow the road, which is of course what I did. But after about 100 yards I said "this doesn't feel right" and went back to the top of the ridge and then discovered my mistake. And then hacked away at the bush so others behind me wouldn't make the same mistake. Now another hiker who I knew was ahead of me that day later showed up behind me while I was taking a break. Turns out he made that same mistake of following the woods road, but didn't realize his mistake for like 2 miles!

As for making distress signs or fires, those aren't really helpful unless you know someone is looking for you. That will only happen if you use a SPOT, make a call or have been missing for so long someone gets worried about you. Climbing higher probably isn't a good idea in most cases. That can just get you into more trouble. Except in some of the more remote wilderness areas along the AT, following a stream down hill will more often then not bring you out to a road.

rafe
10-24-2015, 11:07
Second what Slo is saying, I think. Use your senses to stay on the path. If it doesn't feel right, or if you haven't seen a blaze in some time, deal with that sooner rather than later. Stop and think: when was the last time I saw a blaze?

If there's the slightest doubt in my mind about being on the trail, I look at my watch and mark the time. I allow myself X minutes of forward movement to see the next blaze -- if I don't see a blaze in those next X minutes, I turn around and retrace my steps until I do.

During those X minutes I turn around frequently in hopes of seeing a blaze meant for those coming the other way.

Under certain conditions, I might mark the time when I do see a blaze.

It's smart to hone your dead-reckoning skills at every opportunity. That kinda stuff can come in handy.

BirdBrain
10-24-2015, 11:39
It is very easy to give bad advice on subjects like this. As such, I will limit my comments and look forward to learning something from this thread.

There is a truth that I learned in school as a young boy that applies. "Know your audience". It is a tortured comparison, but it applies. Another way to say it is something my grandfather would say. "If you don't know where you are when you go in, you are already lost". The point is that you should know the exits before entering. As an example, my exit plan for the Long Trail was east or west. The trail runs north and south. Seldom are you more than a few miles from a road that runs north and south. My plan was to assess each day by the maps and look at the worst case scenario. If I am hopelessly lost this day, how far is it east or west to the main road? Pick a direction and hold a course. Who knows? I might hit the trail. If not, I will hit a road. That is an over simplified case. Each day there are major landmarks where I hike. I know those landmarks before I take a step. Those landmarks are used to assess a bail out plan. If I get hopelessly lost, I hold a course based on those landmarks until I reach a man made destination.

The previous is the worst case scenario based on my life of walking in the woods in Maine. Until I hiked on the AT, I had never walked on a trail in the woods more than a mile or two. Almost all of my walking was many miles through hilly wooded tracts will no paths. Decades of this type of activity taught me the importance of knowing where I was going in, where the landmarks were, and holding a course based on those landmarks. I will let others explain how to hold an accurate course. The short of that discussion is that one does not plow a straight furrow by knowing what is behind. My point is more about knowing how to choose a direction. It is useless to be able to hold an accurate course if you don't have a plan for determining a course.

Because I am a OCD driven planner, I have only felt lost once in my life. I was about 15 years old and several miles from any road, making my own path through the woods. I came across a massive marshy area. It was a foggy morning with no wind. I paused at the edge of it. I was headed east (without a compass). I knew what was on the other side. I underestimated the size of the swamp. Half way through, I started questioning my course. It was not a good feeling. I stopped and wrestled with myself for 10 minutes or so. In the end, I abandoned the walk, turned around, and followed my tracks back out. When I got out of the marsh, I backtracked to my starting point. Lesson learned. Always carry a compass. I did not have one.

What is the point of that example? If you do not know where you are going, backtrack until you know where you are. This only works if you lay pride aside. On the AT, it is pretty easy to know you are not on a trail. There are many places where numerous people have made the mistake you just made. There are many places where a path seems to be a path and soon does not look like a path. I have taken a few of those wrong turns. The second I question direction, I turn around and look for a blaze. If I see one, I go back to that blaze and assess the situation. If I do not see one, I walk back until I see where I took the wrong turn. Every step you let pride or schedule or what ever delay that decision, your odds of a worst case scenario increase.

Okay. I step aside now and listen to those with formal training. I never had any. My training was in the woods, by myself. No sarcasm intended. I am certain there are things I can learn.

English Stu
10-24-2015, 11:46
Yes, fortunately I know that off trail feeling. Keeping track of the blazes I found essential. I also picked up the habit of making directional arrows for my own use if you go a little off track for camp or meal, or down for a shelter.

JohnHuth
10-24-2015, 12:01
Any advice requires more specifics - from the original post, it seems like it's a not-so-dire case of being lost. You still have the means to orient yourself. One habit is to periodically stop and look back at where you've been coming from. That makes it easier to backtrack - this is particularly true if you reach an ambiguous fork. If you proceed, there should be a 'caution' light in your mind that you may have to backtrack to the spot where you thought things looked ambiguous.

If you know something about the trail, this can aid in regaining it - eg. it follows a ridge line or a lake shore. Carry a map and be able to use a compass to triangulate landmarks. I do this often when bushwhacking - which, in a sense, by definition a person is off-trail.

If you develop some skill in tracking, you can track your own prints backward as well. I did this once to find a knife I'd lost when I had to do number two in an off-trail area.

There's the more serious case of being lost with no means to reorient yourself. There staying put is a good idea. Typically, give someone you know an itinerary of where you're going and when - check in periodically. Give them some idea of when it would be appropriate to call the authorities to initiate a search and rescue. I know people who have gone so far as to use aluminum foil to get a boot print and leave it with their car to aid trackers.

In this extreme case, you can do some things to aid possible SAR teams - carry surveyor's tape and if you're trying to move, put up some tape at eye-height and use a marker to give information of the direction of motion. That way, a SAR team can find a line and follow the line rather than to find a point in the woods. At some point, stay put, and make a fire, hopefully in an open area - this also aids a SAR team, and provides warmth and keeps your mind focused on something other than panic.

Mags
10-24-2015, 12:01
Play some solitaire....

Eventually some busybody will come by and tell you which cards to play and that you are doing it wrong.

Feral Bill
10-24-2015, 12:16
On the not-to-do list: If you miss a fork, don't take supposed shortcut to the desired trail. It will surely be more work than backtracking, and possibly dangerous.

nsherry61
10-24-2015, 12:27
. . . If you miss a fork, don't take supposed shortcut to the desired trail. It will surely be more work than backtracking, and possibly dangerous.
Yeah, but backtracking isn't nearly as much fun or adventure. ;)

Feral Bill
10-24-2015, 12:55
Yeah, but backtracking isn't nearly as much fun or adventure. ;) Not as much adventure, sure, but not always fun.

Uriah
10-24-2015, 13:03
Play some solitaire...Eventually some busybody will come by and tell you which cards to play and that you are doing it wrong.

Ah, the ol' Team Solitaire! One of my only strengths in this world! Please allow me to help you! "You're doing it all wrong!"

Back on topic, I find that in our ever-shrinking "wilderness," at least what we think of wilderness here in the Lower-48, it is more and more difficult to get lost. (And goodness knows I've tried.) This is too bad. More roads, more extraction-exploration, more cattle, more trails, more fences, more footprints, more humans.

Rolex
10-24-2015, 13:20
I have this with me an aide memoir.

Things to do if lost -possible rescue situation

Stop
Think
Orientate
Plan

Put on warm gear.
Climb higher to orientate better.
Find shelter-under tree branches, next to a rock. Put up a stuff sack, or similar, as flag.
Make a signal fire in a raised position, make smoke during day, flames at night.
On the trail make a triangle sign (the international rescue signal)i.e A bandana in triangle with three rocks, also three twigs straight/parallel with trail with a direction of travel arrow.

I am reading an old US bushcraft book i,e Trappers; who speaks of walking in a 200yd circle to recover a trail.Not sure how to keep the circle.On the AT I did come across a guy who had lost the trail and said he quartered it to find it again.Not sure how that works either.

May I offer a couple of items.
1. Look back behind you occasionally to get a view of where you have been. If you get turned around or are trying to backtrack, then this might help you regain your bearings quicker.

That about item on recovering a trail. In short. Put or mark something somehow that you can see from a distance. Ie bright cloth tied up in tree or another person that can yell or whistle to communicate with.
Look out best guess direction which should be the one you just came from and find an object to walk STRAIGHT toward whil maintaining a visual on your starting point. Nothing after walking to limits of visibility or communication? Turn around and go back to starting point and repeat as necessary.
none of them worked? Leave a note and arrow pointing direction you are heading. Then at limit of visibility mark again with a new arrow pointing direction. If you are looked for by SAR then they have an idea which way to look by following bread crumbs.

No plan,can't find anything, injured? No compass, map or idea where you now are. Now you're officially Lost.
Sit your ass down. Start worrying about survival until someone comes to you. Whistle, signals, bright objects to catch airplane or foot searchers eyes from a distance. It is harder to hit a moving target. Don't be one.

Coffee
10-24-2015, 14:19
This is kind of embarrassing, but was a learning experience so I'll go ahead and write about it.

On Day 2 of my Foothills Trail thru hike this past February, I sat down on a bench to take a break for lunch. The bench was located slightly above the tread of the trail next to a switchback, but the grading wasn't steep so effectively I was sitting down at a spot looking at a "U" in the trail. It was a nice day, I took my time eating, and then took a bunch of photos in the general vicinity leaving my pack at the bench. I then picked up my pack and started walking.

Well, I walked in the wrong direction! I had a funny sense that something was "off" a few times and after an hour passed and I didn't get to a landmark that I was expecting, I thought something must be really off. Being stubborn I just hiked on and, eventually, reached a road junction that made my mistake painfully obvious. It was around 3-4 miles from the bench.

The story doesn't end there. I turned around and started walking in the correct direction, pissed off at myself for being stupid and stubborn. As I walked somehow I got the idea that maybe I hadn't made a mistake but got diverted onto some side trail and eventually rejoined the main trail in the wrong direction. So I got back to the bench and then started looking around to see if there was a logical reason for my mistake other than just stupidly turning myself around. My mind started messing with me but eventually I proceeded on the correct course. The trail was deserted and I saw no one else that day or I might have realized my error sooner.

My new rule after this incident is that whenever I stop, I take a minute to take a mental picture of my bearings and then I put my trekking pole down with the tip pointing in the direction of my travel. I do this obsessively now even though it may seem stupid.

My guess is that I'm not the first hiker to turn himself around like this. While not lost or in danger, it did suck.

Dogwood
10-24-2015, 14:31
There is an infinite variety of "being lost" even in backpacking.


First and foremost, don't panic! Stay calm. Maintain your ability to respond intelligently. You do not need to fear the unknown or unexpected. The unexpected can be a great teacher and opportunity for adventure and exploration. Maintain a positive, energetic, and resourceful disposition.

rafe
10-24-2015, 15:35
My new rule after this incident is that whenever I stop, I take a minute to take a mental picture of my bearings and then I put my trekking pole down with the tip pointing in the direction of my travel. I do this obsessively now even though it may seem stupid.

My guess is that I'm not the first hiker to turn himself around like this. While not lost or in danger, it did suck.

I have made the same mistake, more than once, I think. And I have used the same trick of laying down my trekking poles to point in the direction I should go. And then when I start up again, I get up, put the poles in my hands, and forget which way they were pointed before I picked them up.

The mind plays tricks, especially on a cloudy day in Connecticut woods.

ocourse
10-24-2015, 17:14
[QUOTE=English Stu;2013957]I have this with me an aide memoir.

Things to do if lost -possible rescue situation

Stop
Think
Orientate
Plan

Put on warm gear.
Climb higher to orientate better.
Find shelter-under tree branches, next to a rock. Put up a stuff sack, or similar, as flag.
Make a signal fire in a raised position, make smoke during day, flames at night.
On the trail make a triangle sign (the international rescue signal)i.e A bandana in triangle with three rocks, also three twigs straight/parallel with trail with a direction of travel arrow.

I am reading an old US bushcraft book i,e Trappers; who speaks of walking in a 200yd circle to recover a trail.Not sure how to keep the circle.On the AT I did come across a guy who had lost the trail and said he quartered it to find it again.Not sure how that works either.

A lot of information is needed for any specific "lost" scenario.
Putting on warm gear may or may not be necessary.
Climbing higher might deplete your remaining energy and take you farther away from help. Also, trails downhill would eventually strike civilization, while hiking up would probably not provide any clue to a hiker who is already lost. Truly lost usually means your best chance is to stay put.
Near a rock? Not sure what that would mean unless it means warmth from a reflected fire.
Finally, "on the trail", leaving a sign wouldn't be necessary since you know where the trail is.
So, there are many definitions of "lost", and your source of information isn't complete.

4eyedbuzzard
10-24-2015, 18:24
Well, there's "turned around" - and there's "lost". Most of us get turned around from time to time, following a false trail and then having to backtrack, getting disoriented gathering wood, water, or even answering the call.

You'll know when you're really lost because it will be one of the few times in life you'll be happy to hear the words, "Hello, we're the government and we're here to help."

Zach ADK
10-24-2015, 19:38
One factor to consider is how frequently traveled the area you are lost in may be. Fires, triangles and such will only help if someone comes near enough to see them. Staying put is a good idea in some cases but may not be in others. The story of David Boomhower is illustrative of this problem. He decided he was lost while traveling on a side trail off the Northville-Placid Trail and set up camp waiting to be rescued. No one happened to go down that side trail for several months, by which time he had, sadly, died. He was only a few miles from the NP trail and from a state campground in the other direction, but he just sat there for several weeks until it was too late.
Zach

imscotty
10-24-2015, 20:44
I looked up the David Boomhower story. Wow, that is incredibly sad. I hope that is not what happened in Inchworm's case.

Fredt4
10-24-2015, 20:51
You're not having fun if you never get lost.

Put on clothes?
Build a fire?

No, that's for boy scouts, being lost isn't automatically a life or death situation. You have the gear necessary to survive on your back. Getting lost may mean a few more miles but rarely is it a disaster unless you make it one. Don't swim across an open body of water unless you know what you're doing, don't try to climb up or down a cliff, don't panic and injure yourself. Just consider it an unexpected alternative plan. Prior knowledge of the area is helpful, a GPS phone with maps us helpful, knowledge of how natural features work (water runs down stream, usually towards civilization) is helpful.
Taking a good night's rest is probably better than trying to hike out in the dark. Be very careful following a stream as stream beds can be very slippery. Being lost isn't necessarily a situation that requires a rescue, so having a Spot isn't something that you necessarily should use. Sort if like LNT, you packed your self in, you pack yourself out.

Chair-man
10-24-2015, 22:17
a GPS phone with maps us helpful

I know the first thing I reach for if i become lost is my smartphone GPS app. As mentioned in other threads, YOU DO NOT NEED CELL SIGNAL FOR A GPS APP TO WORK. This is only partially true, YOU MUST HAVE THE MAPS DOWNLOADED INTO YOUR PHONE. For example, if you try to use your google map app it will not work unless you have cell signal because the google maps load from the cell towers. On the other hand if you have an app like Guthooks A.T. app those maps are in your phone and will work without cell signal showing your exact location.

I have Guthooks FL Trail app and it works great even in moderate to heavy tree cover.

Dogwood
10-25-2015, 02:18
You're not having fun if you never get lost.

..being lost isn't automatically a life or death situation. You have the gear necessary to survive on your back(MAYBE!). Getting lost may mean a few more miles but rarely is it a disaster unless(MAYBE!)....consider it an unexpected alternative plan. Taking a good night's rest is probably better than trying to hike out in the dark....Being lost isn't necessarily a situation that requires a rescue... ...you packed your self in, you pack yourself out(MAYBE!).


Got to keep your spirits up. Best asset you have is that piece of gear between your ears. Use it...without giving into rampant fear.

wormer
10-25-2015, 05:29
Make a good mental map in your head and be mindful of white blazes

rafe
10-25-2015, 08:25
There's "lost" and there's "lost." So maybe the first thing is to try to figure out just how lost (or what kind of lost) you are and respond accordingly.

JohnHuth
10-25-2015, 09:57
Regarding the Boomhower story - you have to make some judgement as to whether people will be searching for you in the right places.

We had a lecture by Robert Koester on Lost Person Behavior - here's a link to it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE1B6JOu2R8

Having some idea of how SAR teams look for lost persons can help you make more informed decisions.

Shutterbug
10-25-2015, 10:17
A button compass is still a valuable tool. The last time I got lost was when a sudden snow storm caught me. Within minutes, the snow had completely covered the trail and the snow prevented me from seeing any landmarks. I knew I was north of a road that ran east and west. I used the compass to keep heading south until I reached the road.

Fredt4
10-25-2015, 10:50
I know the first thing I reach for if i become lost is my smartphone GPS app. As mentioned in other threads, YOU DO NOT NEED CELL SIGNAL FOR A GPS APP TO WORK. This is only partially true, YOU MUST HAVE THE MAPS DOWNLOADED INTO YOUR PHONE. For example, if you try to use your google map app it will not work unless you have cell signal because the google maps load from the cell towers. On the other hand if you have an app like Guthooks A.T. app those maps are in your phone and will work without cell signal showing your exact location.

I have Guthooks FL Trail app and it works great even in moderate to heavy tree cover.


Nice that you're pushing that particular app, I favor Backcountry navigator. But neither automatically downloads the relevant maps. Google Maps is almost worthless for offline use because it map cache is nearly impossible to control. Technically Google Maps has allowed offline maps since June of 2011, but it's unreliable. Nearly all new cellphones GPS works "even in moderate to heavy tree cover", though I'm sure someone will manage to buy one that doesn't.

The biggest advantage of smartphone apps over GPS devices is that hopefully you're familiar with their use, but many times I've seen hikers that don't know how to use either their GPS device or their app.

Some will have a app and drive into the ocean (Google Maps), which shows that even if the app works you need to have a head on your shoulder.

Coffee
10-25-2015, 10:57
Apps are a good tool but not to be relied on. I used Guthook's PCT app a couple of times to verify where I was in relation to a snow covered trail. I corrected course once in a spot where I was tempted to follow a different course. I think that I would have been OK without it, however, as I had maps and a compass. But it is a nice tool when it works. Notably, smart phones don't work that well in freezing weather especially with precipitation. Some gloves allow for use without taking the glove off but I found that any moisture on the screen reduced tracking. Also battery drain is very high in cold temperatures. Smart phones should not be relied on.

TexasBob
10-25-2015, 12:41
Regarding the Boomhower story - you have to make some judgement as to whether people will be searching for you in the right places.

We had a lecture by Robert Koester on Lost Person Behavior - here's a link to it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE1B6JOu2R8

Having some idea of how SAR teams look for lost persons can help you make more informed decisions.

http://www.smcmsar.org/downloads/Lost%20Person%20Behavior.pdf

Here is another interesting read about lost person behavior and goes into some more depth about what Mr. Koester discussed and uses real cases to illustrate the points. It is interesting that some of the posts on this thread about what to do when you are lost could be used to illustrate how people make the right choices and the wrong choices when they are lost according to this article.

rocketsocks
10-25-2015, 12:50
What to do when lost
...eat my lunch.

illabelle
10-26-2015, 10:42
We met a guy recently who got lost in the Smokies in late February several years ago. Even though he was experienced in off-trail exploration, he relied too much on his GPS, got turned around, and his 2-3 hour dayhike became four days characterized by panic, despair, hypothermia, exhaustion, hunger, hallucinations, etc. His blog post is linked below.

http://gosmokies.knoxnews.com/profiles/blogs/bewildered-and-misplaced

JohnHuth
10-26-2015, 11:03
It's important to understand that GPS units are not totally reliable. Local conditions, both weather and terrain can give false readings. The signal-to-noise ratio is very poor, and the receivers can degrade over time from exposure. Finally, they're only as good as the data entered. If you google the phrase "your GPS is wrong", you'll see a lot of road signs that are the result of bad data.

This is not to say that topo maps are impeccable either. Often times trails will get rerouted to help with erosion, sometimes features will get misplaced. I was once bushwhacking and my topo had a stream flowing east, when it was really flowing south. This threw me off, but I finally caught the problem by using other features to figure out where I was.

It's difficult to give bulletproof advice - but regularly updating your position on a map, and having a "what if I get lost" plan going are good habits.

BirdBrain
10-26-2015, 11:06
For many, discussing what lost means is sorta like discussing when King Arthur is coming back. It is an ever moving benchmark based on outcome. I view it entirely different. How many people have been "lost" while driving? If the driver is "lost", where does that leave the passenger that is asleep? If they find their way out of the situation, were they ever "lost"? I do not view "lost" as an outcome based word. I would contend that if you do not know where you are, you are lost. To say it another way, if your ability to make it to your destination requires following another person or their efforts, you do not know where you are and are lost. When it comes to hiking, you are following the works of other people. If the trail is your only plan to make it to your destination, you are lost and are playing hiking roulette. What happens when that trail disappears? When the trail disappears, reality becomes apparent. You are lost. I am certain this nuance will be lost on the average hiker. Those same people likely have never done a 5 mile bushwhack through area they have never seen before. I love walking on the AT. It still feels a little weird though. I was an adult before I realized long manmade trails like this ever existed. I always thought hiking was what I was doing as a child and thought everyone that hiked did so without trails. I thought trails were tourist traps. They still feel that way to me. I say my grandfather was right when he said "If you don't know where you are when you go in, you are already lost". All many hikers know is that they are following a trail... and that is a very bad plan. They are already lost, but don't know it yet. So... what should you do when you are lost? Make a better plan, be prepared, know the area you are going into, know where to go if you "lose" your way, and then step into the woods.

rafe
10-26-2015, 11:14
BB: how does being OCD square with bushwhacking? You've said (in other posts, on other fora) that you know exactly where you're going to be at the end of every day of hiking. I can't think of a hiker who leaves less to chance than you. (At least, less than you claim.)

BirdBrain
10-26-2015, 11:28
BB: how does being OCD square with bushwhacking? You've said (in other posts, on other fora) that you know exactly where you're going to be at the end of every day of hiking. I can't think of a hiker who leaves less to chance than you. (At least, less than you claim.)

I do not grasp your question. I will provide information. Hopefully I hit your curiosity. I started hunting when I was 10. I started trapping soon after that. I was already exploring the woods when I was 4. Now granted, the explorations at 4 were only a few hundred yards at a time. By the time I was 14, I had done hundreds of bushwhacks. Many of those bushwhacks were typically, "you go down to that point on the powerline, and I will go over to this road (sometimes a 10 mile loop that required the first person dropping me off), and walk a mile or 2 back to where you are going, and we will see if a deer is pushed". Practice, practice, practice, makes perfect. As a older teenager, I was part of trips to places like the Forks. A typical walk would be, "lets fish down this stream for 5 miles, and then hike to the top of that hill, and then hike out to the car the next day". In Maine, this stuff was very common for my generation. It was even more common for the generations before me. My goodness, it is easy to plan distances on the AT.

Now I have exceeded my post limit. I have set a goal to not post more than once a day on this site. I did so to limit myself. I figure if I only post once a day here, I can only make a fool out of myself once a day here. See you guys in a couple days... at least.

nsherry61
10-26-2015, 13:26
A button compass is still a valuable tool. The last time I got lost . . . I knew I was north of a road that ran east and west. I used the compass to keep heading south until I reached the road.
That, right there, knowing where you are in relationship to some linear "handrail" or boundary (road, river, creek, valley floor, ridgeline, etc), and being able to orient yourself and walk toward it is how I have found my way out of almost every situation where I have been disoriented and/or otherwise lost (many times in 40+ years of extensive off-trail hiking).

Now, that I carry my cell phone with me and can use its GPS, I am only ever lost in that I can't figure out where a trail or other feature I am looking for is because it is either not on the map(s), or the map(s) show the location of interest in the wrong place.

wormer
10-26-2015, 14:52
I'll second Shutterbug, the most lost I ever got was during a sudden snow storm. My tracks were quickly covered with snow and about a hour later I came onto my tracks again. Finally I got lucky and came out onto a woods road that I was familiar with. After that I always carried a compass, because it will at least keep you in a fairly straight line.

PAFranklin
10-28-2015, 10:56
That, right there, knowing where you are in relationship to some linear "handrail" or boundary (road, river, creek, valley floor, ridgeline, etc), and being able to orient yourself and walk toward it is how I have found my way out of almost every situation where I have been disoriented and/or otherwise lost (many times in 40+ years of extensive off-trail hiking).

Now, that I carry my cell phone with me and can use its GPS, I am only ever lost in that I can't figure out where a trail or other feature I am looking for is because it is either not on the map(s), or the map(s) show the location of interest in the wrong place.


That's what I was taught by my father over 50 years ago. I always study the map of the area I'm going to and work out a couple of those boundaries. I may get into a situation where I don't know my exact location but I always have that "handrail" to bail out to. (I have actually never been lost but I have had a time or two when someone moved the trail on me.:))

English Stu
10-28-2015, 10:58
Thanks for the useful tips. Certainly when I mentioned being lost and lighting signal fires ect you have decided you are in a SAR situation.

Forethought is good. On the JMT at our position the camp spots for two were in short supply so me and my walk buddy were camped about 100yds apart in scrubland. I was to join him to cook the evening meal. After setting my tent shelter I had only gone a few paces from my spot when I realised I could have difficulty to finding that location again, especially as it would be dark for my return. I tied a trash bag and stuff sack on a bush at the site. Camp locations in scrub can look very similar when you are searching. Luminous guylines help and remembering to take your headlamp is essential.

perdidochas
10-28-2015, 13:06
That's what I was taught by my father over 50 years ago. I always study the map of the area I'm going to and work out a couple of those boundaries. I may get into a situation where I don't know my exact location but I always have that "handrail" to bail out to. (I have actually never been lost but I have had a time or two when someone moved the trail on me.:))

Same here. I teach the scouts in my sons' troop that idea.

FlyPaper
10-28-2015, 13:27
As others have said, the most important thing is to slow down and think. There are many kinds of lost. Most of us take a wrong trail for a few hundred yards from time to time. Obviously back tracking is a good strategy then. If you press on too carelessly, or too far before you realize you're off the AT, you might find yourself on a side trail and still not know how to back track.

Even worse is if you walk a hundred yards off the trail for water or to dig a cat hole and are unable to find your way back.

Advice such as "walk downhill" are generally plans to be followed only after less drastic plans have not panned out. If you are only 100 yards off the trail, chances are a careful, patient search can get you back on the trail. And you should not expect helicopters to be looking for you for at least a couple of days unless the situation is very dire.

On one of my hikes a person in our group got off the trail and was lost for four hours. It is good to have thought through ahead of time what to do in each of these situations...

1. You are the person lost.
2. You are looking for a person in your group that is lost.
3. You are helping a group of people you don't know find someone who is lost.

In our case, a forest ranger helped us out. He asked a bunch of questions, some of which we might not have thought all the way through.

e.g.

1. What does the lost hiker have? In our case he had a tent, sleeping bag, food and plenty of clothes.
2. Is he "stupid"? Might sound insulting, but if the hiker lacks mental capacity, that's good to keep in mind. In our case, he was not stupid, but he was on his first AT hike.

After answering these two questions, the forest ranger helped us see that the situation was not yet very serious.

3. Is there any chance he decided to go his own way? This might be because of an argument or extreme independent streak. In our case, this was not plausible.
4. Does he have a phone/map? In our case he did not (and probably hadn't even looked at the map before hiking).

Having been through this, it occurs to me that "what to do when lost" needs to be a topic of conversation with hiking buddies. In our case, it would have been helpful to have a better idea what the lost hiker would have done once he realized he was lost. As it was, we hadn't really had any conversation with him. Even if he had been an expert, we didn't really know what he was likely to do and couldn't predict.

As it turned out, the forest ranger just gave us advice and gave us his phone number. We had all been ready to hit the trails to find our friend, but the forest ranger encouraged us to post people at the possible exit points and wait. Our buddy was off the trail for 4 hours, but it was another several hours after he got back on the trail before we heard any word from him.

When I hike with my kids now, I frequently ask them "are we still on the AT", and we begin looking together for white blazes to confirm. And sometimes I let them lead to see if they'll take the right trail at a trail crossing.

Another Kevin
10-28-2015, 15:54
When I hike with my kids now, I frequently ask them "are we still on the AT", and we begin looking together for white blazes to confirm. And sometimes I let them lead to see if they'll take the right trail at a trail crossing.

Good for you. I used to make that a game with my daughter: "Make sure you notice landmarks, because you're on lead on the trip out!" It wasn't until her late teens that I made sure she knew it was serious business: "Make sure you know your way out, because God forbid anything should happen to me, you need to get home." I intentionally a couple of times took her through a confusing trail junction. (Harriman has a bunch of those. I let her lead through the junctions between the Ramapo-Dunderberg (red disk on white) and Tuxedo-Mount Ivy (red dash on white), and the White Bar (like an A-T blaze turned sideways) and Kakiat (white square). (I think there were one or two others that were similarly confusing.) I also let her recover when she got it wrong.

I also started her at a fairly early age accompanying me on easier bushwhacks, where the woods were fairly open and the "if I get lost" instructions could be something like "Down (SW) is toward the river - downstream is to the bridge - turn left on the highway and the parking lot will come up on the left."

Eventually, she got to the point where she and I were bagging trailless Northeastern peaks together, with her leading. We had at least one trip where we were a day late getting back, because of pesky bad luck with the route finding. (It seemed to be a choice between pushing through dense spruce or falling off a ledge.) We weren't lost. We knew exactly where we were. It just wasn't where we wanted to be. She has a better eye for the faint herd paths than I do.

FlyPaper
10-28-2015, 16:05
I also started her at a fairly early age accompanying me on easier bushwhacks, where the woods were fairly open and the "if I get lost" instructions could be something like "Down (SW) is toward the river - downstream is to the bridge - turn left on the highway and the parking lot will come up on the left."


Great ideas here. I have taken my kids out when they were very young and there were no other adults but me. I really haven't thought much about bushwhacking. But I usually ask them multiple times on the trip, "What if daddy conks his head and dies? What do you do?". In reality, I'm thinking heart attack is much more plausible, but I'm trying to make sure they think things through while avoiding making the thought of me dying on the trail seem that realistic.

Usually the choices are between going forward or going backward and whether or not they have enough daylight to reach a road by dark. Also, their first option is always to try the phone. And they should always stay together and bring the phone if they have to move. At any point they should know whether or not the nearest road is forward or backwards along the trail.

The last thing I'd want going through my mind if I were to be taking my dying breaths on the trail is that my kids are about to panic and get lost.

August W.
10-28-2015, 22:43
Get comfortable, breathe deep, and take a long look around, long enough until you can fully appreciate that there is still enough remaining elbow room on this crowded planet to somehow manage to get your lucky self lost, then scream like a little girl just as loud as you can, so loud that all the critters around you stop and quiet themselves. Then follow your tracks back to from where you came. Always works for me, but the screaming part is just for fun.

rocketsocks
10-28-2015, 23:26
I don't think I've been lost since I was about three (about the age a kid starts punchin; out on there own) even then I was but an isle away.

PAFranklin
10-29-2015, 10:02
I'll add another suggestion to the mix; if you are lost and night time arrives it's almost always best to hunker down and wait for daylight to get your bearings.

peakbagger
10-29-2015, 10:44
In the state of Maine which is about as remote as you can get along the AT, the standard training that hunters get in their state mandated hunter safety course is if you find yourself lost and don't have a reasonable expectation of self rescue, stay put, build a shelter if the weather is poor and make a big pile of firewood. When you think you have enough firewood, triple the size of the pile. Then light yourself a fire and spend the night. Contrary to TV shows, there is no animal in the north woods that wants to eat you and if there is fire they wont come anywhere near you at night. The biggest risks are getting and staying wet or panicking.

Slo-go'en
10-29-2015, 12:45
Or just call 911 which is what most folks around here do these days...

Praha4
10-29-2015, 12:55
my best advice to me is always carry a map & compass on hikes. A good topo map and a compass should enable any lost hiker to navigate back to civilization. Relying solely on trail blazes for navigation can lead to panic and poor decisions.

Another Kevin
10-29-2015, 15:36
When you're lost, you need to sit down comfortably, make a cup of tea, and calmly assess the situation.

(Figuring out what you need to do all the above when lost in bad weather gives you a pretty good gear list for day trips, by the way.)

George
11-01-2015, 06:01
best thing is to panic first - there will always be time for logical action/ thought later

fudgefoot
11-01-2015, 08:22
my best advice to me is always carry a map & compass on hikes. A good topo map and a compass should enable any lost hiker to navigate back to civilization. Relying solely on trail blazes for navigation can lead to panic and poor decisions.

I think you nailed it Praha:

Carry a map. Know how to read it.
Carry a compass. Know how to use it.

Those tools and skills are really the best way to relocate.

TwoSpirits
11-01-2015, 11:22
I read a good line once that has stuck with me --

"In general, you should have more skills than tools, more tools than rules, and more rules than rituals."

I try to pack and practice with this quote in mind.

BirdBrain
11-01-2015, 12:52
I hope this thread remains active. It is needful, constructive, and timely. Current events have some people thinking, I am sure. Given the current event, it might be relevant to consider some advice being suggested in this thread. It has been suggested that you should stay put. I believe, and am open to rebuke, that this advice is a product of the reality that many would make matters worse by trying to find their way to safety.

What I am about to suggest will be taken wrong by many. Therefore, I will try to remove the objection in advance. InchWorm was found about 3000' from the trail. She was there for over 2 years. I am not making any statement on her choice or actions or route. I am saying that if you stay put, it could be years before you are found. Her case proves that fact.

I know people get up in arms if you suggest that you should be over prepared. What to do if you are lost is a very valid obstacle to be prepared for. The reality is that many people walk in the woods in Georgia with very little regard for what to do if they get lost. Current events should change that mindset. And I contend again that a plan of action is the correct course and sitting tight is not a plan. Sitting tight is the best hope for those without a plan, because you are just gonna' make matters worse. Having a plan and knowing how to execute that plan is a better choice.

Uriah
11-01-2015, 14:17
Having a plan and knowing how to execute that plan is a better choice.

Even better yet: execution, whether by plan or not.

BirdBrain
11-01-2015, 14:22
Even better yet: execution, whether by plan or not.

Elaborate on this nuance please.

4eyedbuzzard
11-01-2015, 14:31
I hope this thread remains active. It is needful, constructive, and timely. Current events have some people thinking, I am sure. Given the current event, it might be relevant to consider some advice being suggested in this thread. It has been suggested that you should stay put. I believe, and am open to rebuke, that this advice is a product of the reality that many would make matters worse by trying to find their way to safety.

What I am about to suggest will be taken wrong by many. Therefore, I will try to remove the objection in advance. InchWorm was found about 3000' from the trail. She was there for over 2 years. I am not making any statement on her choice or actions or route. I am saying that if you stay put, it could be years before you are found. Her case proves that fact.

I know people get up in arms if you suggest that you should be over prepared. What to do if you are lost is a very valid obstacle to be prepared for. The reality is that many people walk in the woods in Georgia with very little regard for what to do if they get lost. Current events should change that mindset. And I contend again that a plan of action is the correct course and sitting tight is not a plan. Sitting tight is the best hope for those without a plan, because you are just gonna' make matters worse. Having a plan and knowing how to execute that plan is a better choice.Agreed. I think one thing that could come out of current events is the ADVANTAGE of having a map in most circumstances of becoming lost. Gerry Largay was reported to be carrying a guide - but no map. We will never know if having one could have changed the outcome or not. But I almost always carry a map, small button compass, and relevant pages of a guide even when in familiar territory. Just because.

illabelle
11-01-2015, 18:03
I am acquainted with someone who was lost for 4 days in GSMNP during February. He had gone for a 2-hour off-trail hike, gotten turned around, experienced problems with his GPS, and spent the rest of his time trying not to die. Search parties were unable to find him. He managed to find his own way back to the Cades Cove loop road. Later one of the rangers said it would have been easier to find him if he had stayed put. My friend responded if he had stayed put, he would have died of hypothermia. It was the moving around that kept him alive.

I think the reality of that oft-repeated advice is, if you are on a trail, stay put and we will find you. If you are off-trail, good luck!


I hope this thread remains active. It is needful, constructive, and timely. Current events have some people thinking, I am sure. Given the current event, it might be relevant to consider some advice being suggested in this thread. It has been suggested that you should stay put. I believe, and am open to rebuke, that this advice is a product of the reality that many would make matters worse by trying to find their way to safety.

What I am about to suggest will be taken wrong by many. Therefore, I will try to remove the objection in advance. InchWorm was found about 3000' from the trail. She was there for over 2 years. I am not making any statement on her choice or actions or route. I am saying that if you stay put, it could be years before you are found. Her case proves that fact.

I know people get up in arms if you suggest that you should be over prepared. What to do if you are lost is a very valid obstacle to be prepared for. The reality is that many people walk in the woods in Georgia with very little regard for what to do if they get lost. Current events should change that mindset. And I contend again that a plan of action is the correct course and sitting tight is not a plan. Sitting tight is the best hope for those without a plan, because you are just gonna' make matters worse. Having a plan and knowing how to execute that plan is a better choice.

JohnHuth
11-01-2015, 18:54
My wife had me take a "survival test quiz" and I flunked because I bucked the standard advice to stay put.

I think the move versus stay put question depends on a large number of factors, but underlines the question of having a plan in the back of your mind "what if I get lost?"

Health - can you travel safely?
Terrain - how well do you know the terrain, is it safe to bushwhack across, or might it be a difficult environment (too hot, too cold, not enough water)
Possibility of a search and rescue mission - and will they know to look in the right place?
Gear - map and compass? Ability to sleep at night and not risk exposure?

I have a fanny pack that I take on every hike - it has basic tools to start a fire in any condition, the ability to make a shelter, get clean water. I also have in that pack some bright surveyor's tape and a sharpie pen - the idea being that if I traveled to get out, I could tie up some tape and notes with the sharpie. If a SAR team was looking for me, rather than find a point in a trackless 2D wilderness, they could find my line of travel and follow the surveyor tape path to my location - the odds of crossing that path are much higher than finding a point.

OK....some humor....I *almost* did this. I was teaching wilderness survival to my son's Boy Scout Troop. I was trying to get a list of items for their survival fanny pack - ways of starting fires, emergency blankets etc. In one book I read a suggestion to carry non-lubricated condoms and a bandanna as a way of storing water. The idea of sending a bunch of 13 year olds out to local pharmacies to buy non-lubricated condoms for a Boy Scout merit badge was almost something I couldn't resist. But I did resist and found a different option. Still, it's a good story.

JohnHuth
11-03-2015, 09:46
In the news feed, the medical examiner concluded that Inchworm got lost and subsequently died of exposure, lack of food and water. Those woods are dense. Carry a map and compass and know how to use them, people!

Another Kevin
11-03-2015, 11:17
Carry a map and compass, yes. And study enough of the map in advance to know things like, "the river is southwest, and the highway is downstream." (Adjust the handrails to where you're hiking.) Maps do get lost, but you don't have to, even without one.

All the big hiking clubs offer map and compass courses. If you haven't taken one, take one. If you know this stuff and have some extra time, consider teaching one! There's always a shortage of instructors.

Another Kevin
11-03-2015, 11:21
I think the move versus stay put question depends on a large number of factors, but underlines the question of having a plan in the back of your mind "what if I get lost?"

Health - can you travel safely?
Terrain - how well do you know the terrain, is it safe to bushwhack across, or might it be a difficult environment (too hot, too cold, not enough water)
Possibility of a search and rescue mission - and will they know to look in the right place?
Gear - map and compass? Ability to sleep at night and not risk exposure?

If I can travel safely, and know the terrain well enough to know that it's safe to bushwhack, and have my compass - then I'm not lost! I may be off my intended track, but I have the tools and knowledge to find it again - or at least find the car.

JohnHuth
11-03-2015, 11:32
If I can travel safely, and know the terrain well enough to know that it's safe to bushwhack, and have my compass - then I'm not lost! I may be off my intended track, but I have the tools and knowledge to find it again - or at least find the car.

True 'nuff. There are two definitions of "lost" it seems to me - there's the 'softer' one which is more like "being turned around, but more or less know how to get out", and then there's the case where you don't have any means of reorienting yourself, which is the more severe one.

BirdBrain
11-03-2015, 12:01
True 'nuff. There are two definitions of "lost" it seems to me - there's the 'softer' one which is more like "being turned around, but more or less know how to get out", and then there's the case where you don't have any means of reorienting yourself, which is the more severe one.

And then there is my warped definition. Those relying on a trail as their only means of navigation are lost the moment they step into the woods. That fact becomes apparent after the trail disappears. Not knowing where you are equals lost. "On a trail" is not sufficient. You might be on the wrong trail. You might not even be on a trail.

Wet Foot
11-03-2015, 12:42
A technique when you have no maps and do not know the area:

1. Follow stream or creek bed DOWN until it merges with next stream.
2. Follow that down until it merges with river.
3. Follow river downstream. It will eventually lead to civilization.

Shutterbug
11-03-2015, 13:20
Being lost won't kill you and given enough time, you will be found. The focus should be on surviving long enough to be found.

In most survival situations, the most immediate danger is running out of water. If a person has water, they can survive several days awaiting rescue, but without water the time window narrows quickly. Those who advise that a lost person "stay put" without addressing whether or not the lost person has water are putting being found ahead of survival.

In my opinion, the plan should be something like this:

If you realize that you are lost, follow this check list:
1. Do you have life threatening injuries? If so, use First Aid.
2. Do you have signs of hypothermia? If so, take action to protect your body heat.
3. Do you have enough water? If not, obtaining water is your priority.
4. Only after your survival is assured should being found become a priority.

Shutterbug
11-03-2015, 13:34
A technique when you have no maps and do not know the area:

1. Follow stream or creek bed DOWN until it merges with next stream.
2. Follow that down until it merges with river.
3. Follow river downstream. It will eventually lead to civilization.

That may be a good plan for Virginia, but wouldn't work at all in the mountains of Washington. Our streams run down slopes that are really steep, then turn into water falls where the stream goes over a cliff.

Wet Foot
11-03-2015, 13:47
I said, "a technique." Of course it doesn't work in every situation. Still, if that technique took me to a waterfall on a cliff, I'd perhaps have a decent view to reorient or an opportunity to bypass around. You do realize that a) there are some modest mountains, cliffs, and waterfalls on the east coast, and b) not all terrain in Washington is necessarily complex?

JohnHuth
11-03-2015, 13:52
The following creeks down stream trick can often lead you away from civilization - you need to know something of the watershed patterns.

In the "news feed" section, people mentioned carrying a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon). I've done this on a remote trip to the Marshall Islands - if you're considering this option, it's important to know a few things about it.

If you activate the PLB, the distress signal and latitude and longitude go to a central facility (in the US, it's Maryland), and then they have in their database a call list. In my case, it was my wife and also someone in the Marshall Islands. That person gets the call that the PLB went off, then it's their job to alert the authorities that might be able to conduct a search and rescue mission. Presumably, they transmit the coordinates to the authorities and any useful information (age, condition, intended route....).

It's important to realize that in many kinds of terrain, the GPS signal can generate coordinates that may be substantially off the position of the lost person. Atmospheric conditions, signals bouncing off mountain sides etc can slow things up. One example of this is last February when a woman attempted a winter traverse of the Presidentials. Her PLB went off, but it presented five or six multiple locations to the SAR team - the weather was horrid and they only had the time to check out one of the possible locations on the first day of the search. They found her body on the second day.

A PLB or SPOT is no guarantee that someone will find you in time, if you aren't able to hunker down and keep yourself alive. In the case of the woman in the Presidents, the weather was ghastly - the SAR team who were very experienced got beaten and it was a struggle for them.

Shutterbug
11-03-2015, 15:01
I said, "a technique." Of course it doesn't work in every situation. Still, if that technique took me to a waterfall on a cliff, I'd perhaps have a decent view to reorient or an opportunity to bypass around. You do realize that a) there are some modest mountains, cliffs, and waterfalls on the east coast, and b) not all terrain in Washington is necessarily complex?

Wet Foot, I am responding to your comment that "not all terrain in Washington is necessarily complex." That statement is absolutely correct; however, if you have not had the opportunity to hike in Washington, I encourage you to put it on our bucket list. I have hiked all over the country and can say with confidence that Washington ranks right near the top when it comes to hiking.

The missing hiker cases from Washington don't get as much publicity as the Inchworm case got, but we have similar cases.

Two years ago, Edwin Burch, was hiking on the Wonderland Trail. His story was very similar to the Inchworm story. Edwin and his son were doing a "key swap" hike. They were hiking a 19 mile section of the Wonderland. Edwin started at the south trailhead (Box Canyon) and his son started at the north trailhead (Fryingpan Creek). They passed each other near the middle of the section and exchanged keys. His son reached the south trailhead, but Edwin didn't show up. His remains were found after two years. Here is a link to the story: ~http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article29887330.html

The Ozette Loop Trail is a 9 mile loop trail in Olympic National Park. A couple of years ago, a hiker named Bryan Lee Johnston, disappeared from the trail. As far as I know, he has never been found. Here is a link to his story --
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20130913/NEWS/309139971

English Stu
11-03-2015, 18:02
Shutterbug good stuff but 'being lost won't kill' surely has been disproved. But has been said there is lost and lost.

Not lost but seeking adventure in a hike from Inverness to Cape Wrath (extreme NW Scotland) a lady artist /writer was caught in bad weather in January 2002 at the Kearvaig Bothy. She was found in March at deaths door by two shepherds, she died very soon after in hospital. I learnt of the story at the Bothy. In reasonable weather, which I had, it is less than a days walk along a vehicle track to a small boat ferry and safety. Food would be her issue there is often driftwood close by for fire- if she had the means or experience. Evidently she had a hook and tried to catch fish.The area is not frequented, very likely she was snowed in till she was too weak to move on.
Bit different now as the lighthouse has a café maybe not in the winter but a NATO firing range is adjacent and army food now was/is left in the bothy; not sure if all the time. Google has more of the story.

Another Kevin
11-03-2015, 19:30
In June 1990, 38-year-old postal worker David Boomhower attempted a thru-hike of the Northville-Placid Trail. He was ill-prepared, having brought very little food and equipment. Beset by hunger and fatigue, he made the questionable decision to turn aside on the little-used Sucker Brook Trail to seek help. It would have been considerably shorter and easier to continue on trail to the ranger station at Wakely Dam. Boomhower lost the trail (which despite its name, follows Colvin Brook and not its namesake Sucker Brook for most of its length), and was unable to find it again.

Four months after an extensive search had failed to locate him, because it was primarily conducted following the Northville-Placid Trail forward from his last known location at Cedar Lakes Dam, a hunter stumbled on his remains - close to the Sucker Brook trail and just a couple of miles from the Lewey Lake campground. He had hung red clothing from trees, built signal fires, and survived a month - all because he followed the conventional wisdom of, "when lost, stay put and signal for help." He died of starvation, less than a quarter-mile from the trail. Had he followed the brook where he had camped downstream through largely open forest, a 1-2 hour walk would have brought him to a campground and a state highway,.)

Being lost can indeed kill - but as long as I'm in my right mind, I don't think I'll even be that lost. I always, without fail, study the map for a day's route before setting out, and know at least a general direction to head in to strike a handrail and the directions, following the handrail, that will get me to some 'unlost' point (a major trail, road, village, campground, or other civilization).I can switch to bushwhack navigation if I lose the trail entirely. (I also hike on trails that are remote enough that I fairly often decide to abandon the trail, because blowdown, washouts, rockslides, or beaver activity make a bushwhack look easier.) If I'm not in my right mind, I hope I will at least have enough of my wits about me to light my beacon.

And my wife or daughter or a neighbour (usually all three) know what my plan is, what my preplanned evacuation routes are, and when I'm expected back, so a search would be initiated more promptly than it was for Boomhower.

And for example, when I did the section where Boomhower was lost, I noted that the only real ways out were forward and back. There were side trails a few miles shorter that would get me to trailheads, equipped with registers and privies, at Sled Harbor and Jessup River. Nevertheless, they are remote and generally 4WD-only access, and sometimes closed for logging. (They're on International Paper property.) I noted them in my plan as low-probability potential escapes, so those at home would know to tell searchers that I might have diverted, but resolved to use them only if I were being assisted by someone else, or in a dire enough situation to warrant PLB use, lest I be stuck at an unused trailhead without a ride. I didn't even trouble to list Colvin Brook/Sucker Brook in my safety plan, since they were a longer evacuation than the trail itself.

In fact, I did run into trouble, spraining a knee in the middle of the section. I made the decision - probably correct, since all's well that ends well - to hike on with an Ace bandage on the knee. The plan then was that if the knee wouldn't take the strain, I'd divert toward Jessup River and light my PLB. It took a day and a half to hobble the 15 miles, but I made it safely to Piseco village and my car. I was only slightly late, nowhere near my "if I don't report in by..." time.

I'd have been much worse off if I hadn't had map, compass and the skills to use them. I'd have been tempted to do something stupid. As it was, I had what would have been a nice hike if several body parts hadn't hurt like heck. Solo in the Adirondacks with a hurt knee is as much trouble as I ever want to be in on the trail - but it was an inconvenience at the time and an adventure afterward, not a disaster. Because there was always a plan.

Try hard to get the skills you need not to get lost, and to get unlost if you do. And never be where nobody knows where you are.

lemon b
11-06-2015, 22:52
Get out your map and compass. Than triangulate your location. Run an azimuth to a known location, measure your pace count and walk to a safe identifiable known location. Do a few triangulations in route to insure one is one the right path. In Dark stay put and as dry and warm as able. I find the stars can not really be of much help. In real overcast weather knowing how to read map detail such as elevation vs the course of a stream or river is paramount. I feel blessed that my Ranger, Jungle School Instructor Daddy taught this stuff at a very young age. In a real pinch you can use two points instead of three for get a general location and can do so just using bends in the land and elevation lines. Quite frankly I've never even owned a GPS., but keep my maps dry.

Heliotrope
11-06-2015, 23:15
[QUOTE=Another Kevin;2014824]Good for you. I used to make that a game with my daughter: "Make sure you notice landmarks, because you're on lead on the trip out!" It wasn't until her late teens that I made sure she knew it was serious business: "Make sure you know your way out, because God forbid anything should happen to me, you need to get home." I intentionally a couple of times took her through a confusing trail junction. (Harriman has a bunch of those. I let her lead through the junctions between the Ramapo-Dunderberg (red disk on white) and Tuxedo-Mount Ivy (red dash on white), and the White Bar (like an A-T blaze turned sideways) and Kakiat (white square). (I think there were one or two others that were similarly confusing.) I also let her recover when she got it wrong.

This sounds like the place I got seriously lost many years ago, following the AT south from bear mtn state park.


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Another Kevin
11-09-2015, 18:42
Get out your map and compass. Than triangulate your location. Run an azimuth to a known location, measure your pace count and walk to a safe identifiable known location. Do a few triangulations in route to insure one is one the right path. In Dark stay put and as dry and warm as able. I find the stars can not really be of much help. In real overcast weather knowing how to read map detail such as elevation vs the course of a stream or river is paramount. I feel blessed that my Ranger, Jungle School Instructor Daddy taught this stuff at a very young age. In a real pinch you can use two points instead of three for get a general location and can do so just using bends in the land and elevation lines. Quite frankly I've never even owned a GPS., but keep my maps dry.

You must be a Western hiker, despite your MA location.

Here in the wet East, when I can see well enough to triangulate on a landmark, that means I've made it to the overlook I was hiking to, and know exactly where I am. (Or I'm on a lake shore, and likewise know where I am.) Anywhere else that I'm hiking, I'm down in a tunnel of trees. Here in the East, handrails and backstops are the mainstays of navigation, and I'm using my altimeter a lot more often than I resect a sight. As long as I haven't forgotten what mountain I'm on, even altitude+aspect of slope give an approximate fix.

JohnHuth
11-11-2015, 12:05
You must be a Western hiker, despite your MA location.

Here in the wet East, when I can see well enough to triangulate on a landmark, that means I've made it to the overlook I was hiking to, and know exactly where I am.

I took off some of the quote. I find myself using the compass in different ways - typically I *can* see some distant feature that I can identify on a topographic map. If I can get a back-bearing off that feature, and know its altitude, I can use that information to get a position. Likewise, I can often estimate the distance to a peak or distant feature and again use that with a line-of-position to get my location. I do this more than triangulation, where I'd need to get two relatively clear sightings. Anyway, just what I do when bushwhacking. A lot of time this saves me the grief of wandering into a cliff.

DaSchwartz
11-16-2015, 03:00
I do three things when I hike in case I get lost. Carry a whistle. Carry a magnetic compass. And carry a GPS. Even if you just use the GPS at the end of the day to mark your location, if you get lost, you will have a reference point to return to. I know a GPS can be heavy for long hikes and require maintenance like batteries, but it's an item I always carry.

Another Kevin
11-16-2015, 10:44
I took off some of the quote. I find myself using the compass in different ways - typically I *can* see some distant feature that I can identify on a topographic map. If I can get a back-bearing off that feature, and know its altitude, I can use that information to get a position. Likewise, I can often estimate the distance to a peak or distant feature and again use that with a line-of-position to get my location. I do this more than triangulation, where I'd need to get two relatively clear sightings. Anyway, just what I do when bushwhacking. A lot of time this saves me the grief of wandering into a cliff.

Yeah, I use what information I have available. A lot of my bushwhacking in recent years has been to trailless peaks in the Catskills, where the last half mile is usually a push through dense spruce, and altitude, aspect, and God help us, GPS are all you really have to go on because you can't see twenty feet in any direction. Fortunately, "3460 feet elevation and the slope falls of at about compass heading 290 degrees" is actually pretty close to a fix. In more open country I'd use sights a lot more.

upstream
11-16-2015, 12:09
You should look at your map and use your tools (skills in recognition
of topographic features, compass, GPS, phone) to figure out where you are.

If you can't do that for some reason, then:

studies of lost person behavior show that you are going to choose one
of these strategies:

Trail Running
Random Travelling
Route Travelling
Direction Travelling
Route Sampling
Direction Sampling
View Enhacing
Backtracking
Using Folk wisdom (ie following a stream down)
Staying Put.

They have specific definitions of each of these, but you get the gist.

Researchers of lost person behavior believe that Backtracking is
probably the most successful strategy. SAR personnel recommend
staying put, as that gives them the best chance to be most successful,
especially if you are within the corridor of your plans. (You did leave
plans, right?). However, research shows that lost persons rarely do
that.

If none of your strategies work, then it's denial, anger, bargaining,
depression, acceptance.

From some of the research:
http://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/~mscgis/12-13/s1100074/psychologyoflost.pdf

Told as a fascinating story:
http://www.smcmsar.org/downloads/Lost%20Person%20Behavior.pdf

TLDR:
http://www.alpine-rescue.org/ikar-cisa/documents/2007/2005-TC-18-Predicting-Lost-Person-Behavior.pdf

BFI
11-16-2015, 19:45
As Yogi Berra once said, If you come to a fork in the road, Take It"