Spending most of my life high in the mountains of Colorado hunting deer and elk, I have wandered around a bit. I have zero, none, nada, no sense of direction. Could not tell you which direction I am facing while typing. This had lead me to some wonderful discoveries. I seldom go where there is a trail. I bushwhack. My feet need to be where no human feet have been before as that is where the elk live. Every once in a while I get to where no white man has been before and find a rusty beer can. I know it is different for those who live in heavily populated areas and places that have abundant vegetation. The few time I have ventured east of the Mississippi, I was astounded by the foliage, and can see the need for trails. But out west there are vast open areas and even in dark timber you can see a good distance. I have been totally confused as to the way back to my truck and have spent hours trying to find it. When darkness falls and the truck is nowhere in sight I do not worry. I think back to the Lewis and Clark expedition. They spent 3 years wandering around without knowing where they were going, and they faired well. This comforts me.
Had a Bit of an Unintended Adventure on Today's Hike
- Thread starter snubbyfan
- Start date
That's why I like my "I-Phone."
Siri....take me home.
Of course if I get lost, it's on a hard surface road. I don't know how she'd do in the woods. And my phone does have a compass on it. Again, no idea if it would work away from a signal or not. You can tell I don't get out in the woods much anymore.
Glad you were able to work it out.
Siri....take me home.
Of course if I get lost, it's on a hard surface road. I don't know how she'd do in the woods. And my phone does have a compass on it. Again, no idea if it would work away from a signal or not. You can tell I don't get out in the woods much anymore.
Glad you were able to work it out.
Our "resident Indian" lost in the woods.
IIRC there are only two directions in W VA. ...................... "up hill" and "down hill"
Clearly the end of civilization as we know it!!!!!!!!!!
While I've never really been lost while wondering the Eastern Continental Divide.........at a young tender age I did learn that "short cuts" generally weren't.........
I learned to stick to the old 18th century Wagon roads,turn of the 20th century logging roads....... even deer trails..........bushwhacking in Penn's Woods..... is generally a bad idea!!!!!!
IIRC there are only two directions in W VA. ...................... "up hill" and "down hill"
Clearly the end of civilization as we know it!!!!!!!!!!
While I've never really been lost while wondering the Eastern Continental Divide.........at a young tender age I did learn that "short cuts" generally weren't.........
I learned to stick to the old 18th century Wagon roads,turn of the 20th century logging roads....... even deer trails..........bushwhacking in Penn's Woods..... is generally a bad idea!!!!!!
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RobertJ.
Member
Old habits are hard to break!
the ringo kid
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Heh heh, this is the first time I ever heard of an injun getting lost. 
) But glad thing turned out ok.
) But glad thing turned out ok.
Happy Ending
These stories are full of cudda-wudda-shuddas. I've learned that the woods look entirely different on the way out than on the way in. As others have said, a GPS and a compass should always accompany you. Have enough supplies to spend one night in the woods. Let someone know where you're going.
As for not leaving evidence of your presence, that should apply to littering. You may leave markers and collect them on the way out. Old white sweat socks cut into rings of about 1" in width work just great.
Sure glad you didn't need a search party.
These stories are full of cudda-wudda-shuddas. I've learned that the woods look entirely different on the way out than on the way in. As others have said, a GPS and a compass should always accompany you. Have enough supplies to spend one night in the woods. Let someone know where you're going.
As for not leaving evidence of your presence, that should apply to littering. You may leave markers and collect them on the way out. Old white sweat socks cut into rings of about 1" in width work just great.
Sure glad you didn't need a search party.
good story reminds me when i was young and lost 4 a little while thanks
Grayfox
US Veteran
I've run into the results of a lack of funding in our state parks. Tight budgets mean trail maintenance isn't much of a priority.
I've hiking along what should be a well established, mapped and marked trail when it suddenly just disappears.
All I can do is study the map and take my best guess. Sometimes I find it, other times I just have to run into a road or other landmark to tell me how to get where I'm going. 
I've hiking along what should be a well established, mapped and marked trail when it suddenly just disappears.
All I can do is study the map and take my best guess. Sometimes I find it, other times I just have to run into a road or other landmark to tell me how to get where I'm going. 
The Boy Scout's Ten Essentials:
The Ten Scout Outdoor Essentials
Don't leave the paved road without them . . .
The Ten Scout Outdoor Essentials
Don't leave the paved road without them . . .
gman51
Member
I wasn't in the boy scouts and I can get lost in a woods in a short amount of time. One big reason I am not an avid hunter. I better have a gps or I am likely not to get back to the car.
There are places I hunt here in western PA that you can't see 50 feet from where you're standing it's so thick. I got myself lost for a couple hours in Idaho on an elk hunt....I'd go to the top of a ridge to try and see a road or something and all I'd see were other hills covered with trees...I kept turning right to get back from whence I came.....shortly before dark, I had selected a blown down tree for a sleeping place, but decided to go the top of the hill I was climbing and crack off three shots into the ground...my buddies were about 100 yards over the crest of the hill and the truck was in sight from there...course I heard all the "flatlander" jokes and the bozos had already called my wife to tell her I was lost....she said, oh no, he always has a compass, he's not lost.........made quite a few wrong turns, however. ...now GPS goes with me when I Drift.
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twodog max
Member
I don't trust GPS. The batteries can croak when you most need it. Give me a good compass and a topo map and I am good to go. As long as the magnetic poles don't shift.
If the sun is overhead.....
If you can see a shadow from something steady, the sun will still be moving and by marking it, in a few minutes you can see where the shadow is going.
Well marked trails....aren't. I was near the end of a long hike and the trail led into something like an open picnic area below the top of the mountain. So I kept going thinking, it's right up ahead. Some yo yo didn't think to put a sign in the area saying to turn right and go straight uphill from there. As I went it was looking less and less like the path. I was able to back track, but I was a little steamed. I had run ahead to make sure our ride didn't leave us, and my wife didn't emerge. It was almost dark when she came out of the woods.
If you can see a shadow from something steady, the sun will still be moving and by marking it, in a few minutes you can see where the shadow is going.
Well marked trails....aren't. I was near the end of a long hike and the trail led into something like an open picnic area below the top of the mountain. So I kept going thinking, it's right up ahead. Some yo yo didn't think to put a sign in the area saying to turn right and go straight uphill from there. As I went it was looking less and less like the path. I was able to back track, but I was a little steamed. I had run ahead to make sure our ride didn't leave us, and my wife didn't emerge. It was almost dark when she came out of the woods.
rburg
Member
Guess I just don't understand. I can guess that those here who haven't been lost or turned around don't get out much. Maybe we just don't admit it or have wildly different ideas of what lost amounts to. What I do know is that experience helps you get unlost. You learn that the first time you get the hint you're not going the right way, you need to stop. Call it a time out if you want. Any travel beyond that is just compounding the problem. Not only should you turn around when you're not lost, but you also should look forward to see what way you're heading. Not a glance, sometimes a good long stare or two. It serves other purposes, but if you're out hiking to see the scenery, you probably should look at it. And then take special notice of unusual features, like rocks or trees.
Once down in Koopers wildlife area, our leader kind of got turned around. We were jeeping, and the hills of southern KY and Northern TN are covered with thick trees. So we'd had a couple of parley's, and Chuck was without a clue. Then his wife said "ohhh, I remember that tree root over there". Leave it to Chucksters wife to notice and remember a tree root out of thousands. But then we knew where we were and just drove back to the main trail. Interesting how that works. A person who almost never utters a peep can be observant enough of some small feature.
Once down in Koopers wildlife area, our leader kind of got turned around. We were jeeping, and the hills of southern KY and Northern TN are covered with thick trees. So we'd had a couple of parley's, and Chuck was without a clue. Then his wife said "ohhh, I remember that tree root over there". Leave it to Chucksters wife to notice and remember a tree root out of thousands. But then we knew where we were and just drove back to the main trail. Interesting how that works. A person who almost never utters a peep can be observant enough of some small feature.
ParadiseRoad
Member
J. R. WEEMS
Member
ONLY TIME I EVER GOT TURNED AROUND WAS IN LA, TRYING TO GET BACK TO THE AIRPORT.
All I can say is if you've never been lost or turned around in the woods, you likely haven't ventured very far from the road.
vonn
US Veteran
If you have never been lost you haven't been very far into the woods,swamps,mountains,etc.! Wow we drifted into each other raljr1!
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pittpa
Member
Snub by, that sounds near a little lake resort I've been to near Oakland Maryland.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
No surprise there, kindred drifters.
