Lost
From Trail-Finder -- Dedicated to getting you outside
Contents |
Overview
If you've ever been hiking along and suddenly noticed an ocean where you were expecting a mountain, chances are, you're lost. Usually, it's not quite that dramatic of a realization. Getting lost normally just involves realizing that you're not on a trail at all, or the trail you're on is the wrong one. Fortunately, being lost usually isn't a big problem.
First Things First
- Stop.
- Find a comfortable place to sit down, if possible.
- Take a drink from your water bottle.
- Take a snack out of your pack.
- Relax.
- Look at your map or GPS, if you have them.
Most of the time, after following these steps, you'll discover that you're not really lost anymore. If you are lost, that's ok, there's more you can do.
Is This an Emergency?
Being lost can be an emergency, but it's usually not. If you're in a relatively small park, or one with lots of roads, it's almost certainly not an emergency (keep reading). If you've been bushwacking your way through backcountry for a week, you probably have all the gear and skills you need to get yourself out, so it's probably still not an emergency. So when is it an emergency?
It might be an emergency if:
- Night is falling and you didn't plan to spend the night.
- The weather has taken a sudden turn and is now much worse than what you're prepared for.
- You are out of, or very low on either food or water.
- Your party is separated.
These situations may be emergencies, but may not be. Read the emergency article for more information on emergencies.
What Do You Have?
Do You Have a GPS?
If you have a GPS, turn it on now. Even if you didn't mark your trailhead, even if it doesn't have a good basemap, what you do know is where you are right now. Set a waypoint. As you travel, set additional waypoints at every trail intersection, every time you run into water, etc.
If your GPS has a good basemap, just looking at that may be enough to get you un-lost.
Do You Have a Map?
This is when the map comes out of your pack and moves to either your hand or your pocket. If it's a topo map, then you may be able to find where you are just by examining the terrain. If it's just a standard trail map, check it every time you hit a significant feature. Eventually, you'll figure out where you are, or at least you'll know you must be somewhere on this stream or headed along that ridgeline.
Do You Have a Compass
A compass alone can't tell you where you are, but it can tell you which way you're heading. It can tell you which direction distant features are located, too. If you have a map and compass, and can identify two or more features, then basic map reading skills will tell you where you are.
What Do You Know?
On a Trail
Obviously, if you can go back to a place where you weren't lost, then your problem is solved. If you're on a trail, but just have no idea what trail, going back at least to the last major intersection, should be easy.
Still lost? That's ok. If you remember which way you came into that intersection from, just keep backtracking. It might help to walk down each trail a few meters, then turn around and walk back to the intersection to see if it looks familiar.
If you're more than a few intersections into the trail, you might want to mark the intersections, just so you don't keep walking in circles. If you're carrying a trekking poles, you can scratch an arrow in the trail dirt right at the edge of the trail, so it doesn't get scuffed out, showing which trail you came from, and which you took. If you're thinking you're really, really lost, and the trail is especially maze-like, you might want to add a number. If you have paper and pen, map out these intersections.
Off Trail
If you're off-trail, and you were very recently on a trail, it's time to use your trail finding skills. Look for signs of a trail. Walk back from the way you came. Don't go too far, though, or you'll just get more lost.
- Look around. Can you identify anything? A mountain? A lake? Any straight lines through forest are likely to be either power lines or roads. Jagged lines through the forest are likely to be streams or rivers.
- Head up. If you can't identify anything from where you are, gaining some elevation might help. If there are any nearby hills or mountains, try to get up high enough that you can see over the trees.
- Head down. This method doesn't always work, but if you're picking a direction entirely at random, it might as well be down. Go down until you hit water. Follow flowing water downstream. When you hit lakes, swamps, etc, go around them until you see at least as much water leaving as you followed in, then follow that. Eventually, you'll normally wind up at an ocean, but long before that, you'll probably hit a road.
- Head in one direction.
- If you're in a linear park, like Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, you know that north is the main trail and Lake Superior. East and west are dozens of miles of park. South is roads within a few miles. In that case, go south to the road. Just break out your compass and head generally south.
- Use grids. Maybe you know that the main road is somewhere south, the river is somewhere east. If the river's close, might as well head there, then follow it to the road. If you don't know which is closer, head south, toward the road. You don't need to worry about exactly south, just glance at your [[compass] now and then to make sure you're headed the right general direction. If in doubt, veer east. If you hit the road first, good. If you hit the river first, that's ok, too, now you can just follow it to the road.
- Flip a coin. This should really be your last choice. If you have absolutely no idea where you are, or where anything else is, you'll probably need to go somewhere. Pick a direction and start walking. If you're in a small park, five or ten miles on a side, you'll come out one side or another eventually. If you're in a big park, you could walk for days and get nowhere, so although you're walking in one direction (always east, for example), you're keeping your eyes open for any sign that could help you choose a better option, like finding water, seeing straight line in the woods in the distance, etc. When you find some better option, use it.
Don't Get More Lost
As you try to get yourself un-lost, just be sure to not get more lost. Keep track of where you've been so you can get back. Also, it's critical that you stay relaxed or you won't think as clearly, which can lead to much worse situations than being lost.
