For some unknown reason, I decided to visit an old side trail I haven't been up for a while.
It was a familiar trail but it had grown in quite a bit. Still, I was able to follow it to the top of a nice sunny ridge.
It was when I was on my way back down that the real adventure started.
I was walking along, daydreaming, enjoying the weather, planning supper, basically everything else but paying attention to the trail.
Then I realized that something don't look right.
I was off trail, way off. I found that I was following a game trail.
"Oh poop!"
I thought the correct trail was just a short bushwack away.
A short bushwack turned into a longer bushwack.
Wrong.
Okay try backtracking. Unfortunately, out of habit, I endeavor to leave no discernible trail when I'm hiking. So, I was having troubles tracking myself back to where I went off trail.
Okay, that's not working and I'm not gonna just wander around in the woods lost.
Now I know that the trail follows a ridge and that a stream spills over the ridge in one place.
Okay, simple enough, find the ridge. But what direction is it?
A compass heading would've been so helpful, 'cept I don't have one with me and the sun was straight above me so that didn't help.
I broke most all of my own hiking rules.
I didn't check my back trail, I didn't make note of land marks, I wasn't even sure of which direction I was going.
I had no supplies, just a pair of boots and shorts.
Luckily, I was wearing my good boots that gave my ankles good support and had some good knobbies on the bottom.
Okay, what to do to get myself out of the woods?
Now I knew that a stream spilled over the edge of the ridge. So I looked for a dried stream bed.
Alright, now I'll just follow this downstream and that should lead me to the ridge.
I walked the dried stream bed and it spilled out onto a small kinda flood plain. It was one of those moments when I wished I had a camera with me. It was sun dappled lush and beautiful.
Anyway, it eventually separated into 2 streams on either side of the clearing. They converged and flowed into a large rock outcropping. It looked like a game trail went over the outcropping at it lowest spot. So up I went.
I figured I might at least be able to see something from the top.
I saw something.
There was another rock mound that looked kinda familiar.
Wishful thinking or have I actually found myself back at the trail?
I climbed that and "Hey, there's the trail!"
Not sure how long it took but I knew I still had nearly 3 miles back to the truck and the first mile's all uphill to the top of another ridge then down the other side.
I stopped, found a breeze, took a deep breath and off I went.
I added about an hour and a half to my hike time.
I managed to get home before my wife came home from work, get a snack and hydrate.
About half an hour later my wife came home, put on her boots and off we went on another hike.
A few lessons learned.
I was glad I do lotsa hiking, gave me the ability to keep going 'till I found my way back.
A rock climbing background came in very handy.
I managed to think logically and keep calm.
Never take familiarity with a trail for granted. Especially if I haven't hiked that trail for a while and sections were completely grown over.
Always pay attention and check my back trail.
I always bragged that this gimpy Injun don't get lost in the woods and I had no intention of making myself a liar.
It was a familiar trail but it had grown in quite a bit. Still, I was able to follow it to the top of a nice sunny ridge.
It was when I was on my way back down that the real adventure started.
I was walking along, daydreaming, enjoying the weather, planning supper, basically everything else but paying attention to the trail.
Then I realized that something don't look right.
I was off trail, way off. I found that I was following a game trail.
"Oh poop!"
I thought the correct trail was just a short bushwack away.
A short bushwack turned into a longer bushwack.
Wrong.
Okay try backtracking. Unfortunately, out of habit, I endeavor to leave no discernible trail when I'm hiking. So, I was having troubles tracking myself back to where I went off trail.
Okay, that's not working and I'm not gonna just wander around in the woods lost.
Now I know that the trail follows a ridge and that a stream spills over the ridge in one place.
Okay, simple enough, find the ridge. But what direction is it?
A compass heading would've been so helpful, 'cept I don't have one with me and the sun was straight above me so that didn't help.
I broke most all of my own hiking rules.
I didn't check my back trail, I didn't make note of land marks, I wasn't even sure of which direction I was going.
I had no supplies, just a pair of boots and shorts.
Luckily, I was wearing my good boots that gave my ankles good support and had some good knobbies on the bottom.
Okay, what to do to get myself out of the woods?
Now I knew that a stream spilled over the edge of the ridge. So I looked for a dried stream bed.
Alright, now I'll just follow this downstream and that should lead me to the ridge.
I walked the dried stream bed and it spilled out onto a small kinda flood plain. It was one of those moments when I wished I had a camera with me. It was sun dappled lush and beautiful.
Anyway, it eventually separated into 2 streams on either side of the clearing. They converged and flowed into a large rock outcropping. It looked like a game trail went over the outcropping at it lowest spot. So up I went.
I figured I might at least be able to see something from the top.
I saw something.
There was another rock mound that looked kinda familiar.
Wishful thinking or have I actually found myself back at the trail?
I climbed that and "Hey, there's the trail!"
Not sure how long it took but I knew I still had nearly 3 miles back to the truck and the first mile's all uphill to the top of another ridge then down the other side.
I stopped, found a breeze, took a deep breath and off I went.
I added about an hour and a half to my hike time.
I managed to get home before my wife came home from work, get a snack and hydrate.
About half an hour later my wife came home, put on her boots and off we went on another hike.
A few lessons learned.
I was glad I do lotsa hiking, gave me the ability to keep going 'till I found my way back.
A rock climbing background came in very handy.
I managed to think logically and keep calm.
Never take familiarity with a trail for granted. Especially if I haven't hiked that trail for a while and sections were completely grown over.
Always pay attention and check my back trail.
I always bragged that this gimpy Injun don't get lost in the woods and I had no intention of making myself a liar.
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