I've done a lot of hiking and backpacking over the decades and never got really lost. I've been temporarily misplaced a time or two but I've always been able to find my way back.
I've spent up to a week wandering around on the Appalachian Trail before. Just me and my backpack.
I've explored many trails out here in the mountains of West Virginia and found some cool stuff. A lot of the old trails are so overgrown that they no longer exist.
That said, I've always found it easier to navigate my way in the woods than on city streets.
The first thing I thought when I read the artice was that they shoulda got an Injun and tried tracking her first. They knew where she stepped off the trail. She must have left some kind of evidence of where she went. Instead they stomped around and obliterated any sign that could have been followed.
When I've temporarliy misplaced myself, I've been able to to just track my way back to where I diverged from the trail. It wasn't always easy but it was possible.

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Keep on Chooglin'