Lost in the Maine woods - a cautionary tale..

[rickb]

This was the first time in about forty years of hiking that I've actually used a whistle for its intended purpose.

I have carried one for about as long but cannot be sure I would have thought to use it to call in lost hiking partner in as timely and ffective way as you did.

Way to be focused in a stressful situation!

[cmoulder]

That final uphill in the dark to Stewart campsite left us both kind of frazzled. I had (just enough) enough water to get by, so I stayed put once we arrived.

That climb is a bit over 800' vertical but feels like even more at the end of the day.

We felt like Larry, Moe and Curly going up it with 3 liters and then like Einstein when we crossed that dry creek at the campsite!

[The Solemates]

similar thing happened to me one time. i had to get up in the middle of the night to take a leak. That turned into me having to do more than a leak. I had brought my headlamp, but it was almost completely dead. it happened to be really foggy out that night as well. we were staying at a shelter, and so I headed towards the direction I thought was the privy. I knew the privy was particularly far from this shelter, greater than a quarter mile, but after 10 minutes i couldnt figure out why I hadnt found it. by that time, i had to go privy or not. When I was done, I couldnt for the life of me find my way back to the shelter. my headlamp had died completely. i yelled for my wife back at the shelter. nothing. i wandered around for a good 30 minutes, all the time yelling for me wife. finally i made it back to the shelter, to find my wife snoozing away and the two other shelter inhabitants scared outta there wits for some crazy man walking around in the woods at night. apparently no one had heard me leave - and didnt realize I was gone - and I wandered why nobody answered!