curious to know how many of us have ever been lost.and i mean really lost.what was your initial reaction? panic? what would you do and how do you prepare yourself in case this ever happens to you.dont ever think it cant happen to you because it can.i am about as experienced in the woods as anyone and i have gotten lost before.ARE YOU PREPARED? ready to spend who knows how long surviving off the land? lets hear what you'd do.
Lost or confused? Have gotten turned around in fog and ended up several hollows from where I thought I was. When in doubt, sit and relax until you get your bearings. I keep emergency stuff in the daypack just in case I have an extended unintentional visit.
Everything after "I DO" is a blur!
I was fortunate to have been in the worlds largest gunning club The US Marines,and I have learned tons about land navigation.Two words Map and Compass learn this and you should never be lost.Batteries fail(GPS)
i got so lost once in the deep dark coastal forest i forgot my name even i think.eventually i hit a stream and followed it out until i hit a paved road.seven miles from where i started.that was when i was young and dumb,never carried anything but my rifle and extra bullets.those were the days i tell ya.
Lost? Not really. I always knew where I was. Might have had a hard time finding my truck a time or two though. :rolleyes:
I've never had to rely on it, but I prepare to survive a night if need be when hunting unfamiliar territory.
yea me to..still swear to this day somebody moved my truck on me. :bigsmyl:
My first trip to elk country 12 years ago. Me, a flatlander with no map/compass skills and a GPS that I knew nothing about. I went on just a little walk from camp on a logging road. At nightfall I took a right instead of a left and ended up LOST :scared:
It was panic at first: I ran up and down the hill tring to get a better view of the valley and was near tears. I finally settled down and built a small fire under a head-high spruce and stayed for the night. At first light I figured it out and walked to camp, 3 miles away. The logging road "y'd" and I went away from camp instead if toward it. The magnetic compass on the GPS gave me the wrong bearing. It was an awful night.
When I got back down I did 2 things: ate something and dove straight into how my compass/gps/topo maps actually worked. 12 years later and I have not been lost again. Misplaced a couple of times in elk/mulie country but never lost :)
Yes sir... It's not very much fun either. One time it was early morning and in a heavy fog. I kept telling myself that there was a lot of daylight left yet to come and that did help... a little.
The other time was at night following Liar and a new female through the woods after coon. It only took getting out of familiar woods then a couple of times going around a tree looking up and I didn't have a clue how to get out.
I tried picking an object and walking a straight line. By the time I got the Woogchilde on the cell phone I figured out I was about 5 miles from my truck. Lucky for me she and a girl friend were out driving around and could figure out where I was. They came and picked me and the dogs up giving us a much wanted lift back to my truck.
Did I ever mention that coon hunting wasn't my favorite sport..lol
God bless,Mudd
Well I dont know if I would consider it lost or not, but I have got twisted around and it took me awhile to find my way out of the woods. The worst part is, I am a land surveyor and yes it was on the job.
Had to spend nite out in rockies once,had extra food ,3 ways to start fire ,flashlight,gloves ,knit hat,wind was blowing 30 mph ,and it was getting cold,I striped off my clothes to dry out,they were sweat soaked found a ledge out of wind found enough firewood to last all nite.built fire by big bolder pickupsized, got bolder good and hot.I had good dry clothes that nite staayed out of wind temperature got down to 11 degrees...flaged down Rockey Mountain rescue in morning got hehicopter ride out.....Dave
I never get lost but I do explore new places once in a while.
Got lost something terrible once when I was stationed in Alaska. While at home I had looked at a map and knew I had to cross 7 small hills to reach a dirt road.
Went to the area I had looked at on the map and headed out. Crossed the 7th hill and no road! I knew Fairbanks was SSW of my position so I headed that way in as straight a line as possible. Finally came across a different dirt road and flagged the first vehicle I saw. It wasn't hard, it was either stop for me or run me over as i laid in the middle of the dirt road.
I had a friend that used a map & compass to prospect for gold in out of the way places. He taught me well and I've never been lost since.
I also began to carry a small daypack after that day. It contained food, water purification tabs, space blanket and other assorted comforts. I never had to use it but it was a constant weight on my back after that experience.
you hear stories all the time of needless death and people never found all because they were not prepared to help themselves out of a situation.you always have to prepare for the worst and then you'll be ready if it does come to fruition.buy a small paperback book for edible wild plants in the area you'll be in.let people know where you plan on being and for how long.try not going alone in case of a fall or some other health emergency.take a water purification system.a small tarp for a lean to shelter.these little things all add up to a huge payout if you do get lost.SURVIVAL.right now as we speak there is a two year old boy lost in arizona with nothing but a diaper on for pretection.walked out of a tent in the middle of the night all because the kids were all in one tent and not being watched.its the little things that create the big things.
A good soldier is never lost he always knows which continent he is on and has a compass to tell him where north is. The rest is just semantics and hiking.
I have felt lost a few times in the deep dark elk woods. Larry knows exactly what I am talking about there. As mentioned above a good map, and compass, knowing the terrain you plan to hunt around keep you from ever being fully lost. Just momentary thoughts of hmmm, this doesn't look familiar.
The only truly lost feeling I have had is in a boat off the coast of Oregon. The fog blew in and we couldn't see 100 feet. I had to hit the 190 foot depth line and work my way north on it until I heard the clanger on a buoy outside the bay. Then we followed a compass heading in while listening for the next buoy and accounting for the southerly cross current to keep our course corrected to hear the next buoy and so on. That was a long slow troll back to port. No panic in any of the cases above. Just a momentary surge of oh crap and then settled right down to figuring out how to get out of the situation.
I always have a pack with enough basics to build a fire and a small shelter, water, simple food items, and a hunting knife and tomahawk. The water and food items are enough to last 2 to 3 days if rationed. I have never needed it but will have it if I ever do.
We got on a blood trail that headed thru the muddiest, wettest, thickest, nastiest...you know what! It was well after midnight when my buddy started panicking and crying"We'll never get out of here!" His feet were wet, he was tired, and scared. I took off my dry socks, had him dump out his boots, dry them and put on my socks. I took him to a small dry knoll in the middle of this junk. He was still sobbing, but settled down. I told him we would be OK. "How do you know?" he asked. "Turn around dummy, that's my porch light you see a mile away, I think we can find our way out!" :biglaugh:
yep clay...nothing scarier than the deep pitch black coastal rain forest.you go in there you best have some lights with you or be ready to sit down for the night cause its as black as black can be after the sun goes down.my best friend growing up was lost in it for two days while deer hunting when we were kids.i been stuck out in it overnight myself when my flashlight wouldnt work because it was soaked.
Not realy lost but the creek I crossed turned to a river from the rain . Had to go 15 miles down stream to get across . got a ride backto camp was a cold wet night.If im in the mountains I always have stuff for a few days. Had to go find a buddies little brother was missing in the woods for five or six days.He was in good shape and was moving faster than his rescuers.
I could get lost in a dadgum shower cubicle :rolleyes:
Unfortunately I have the same sense of direction as a kitten & I get 'mildly' lost every time I step off a track, trail or road in the woods. I actually have moments of sheer terror if I don't know exactly where the trail is from where I am. Bloodtrailing at night, in the woods, scares the crap out of me.
It's a terrible affliction & probably 90% of the reason I'm not a lot more successful as a hunter. I end up talking myself out of exploring off the trails.
When you get lost just sit down and start playing solitare---- SOMEONE will show up over your shoulder and tell ya to put the red 4 on the black 5. :thumbsup:
Nope. Always have a compass and generally not that many miles between roads around here. Generally no excuse to be out over night if you get lost before lunch time and haven't suffered an injury.
I've been all over the state of Oregon, never once been turned around.
I've driven into Portland a few times and had serious doubts of my survival!
theres ways to combat that fear rob.find a survivalist/school in your area and you'll come out of it a new man when it comes to hiking around in the woods.or even a good scout/ranger will help ya out.
Yes I did, I was out hunting a piece of property that I never hunted before, never even had a chance to scout it out. So I settled in a thicket of thorn bushes hoping a big whitetail would pass by. I kept telling myself to get down from the tree before nightfall. Well sometimes being young and stupid go hand in hand and by the time I got down from that tree it was pitch black. I completely lost any directional sense and felt the panic hit. I calmed myself down and basically told myself to walk in straight direction and let the lord guide my way. Man I must of looked funny after being attacked by those thorn bushes when I popped out into an open field. I just stood there for awhile trying to get my bearings. Needless to say I made it home, but I was a little bit wiser after that for sure. Just one reason I don't hunt from a tree anymore.
I became dehydrated once on a hot Aug. scouting trip and became disoriented. Had to sit down in a dry creek bed and take a nap. About two hours later I awoke, refreshed, but thirsty. Took a look at the sun through a canopy of trees, listened to highway sounds across the ridge, stepped out into a small clearing and spotted a persimmon tree with fruit. Walked to the tree, ate some fruit(believe it or not , it was sweet as honey) and quickly figured out where I was. The moral to this story is when in doubt, sit down, relax, get your bearings and make logical decisions when lost or disoriented. Above all, carry water and something to eat even when your familier with the area.
Been turned around, kinda lost, several times thru the years. Usually found some real good deer sign while trying to sort things out. Hardest part was trying to find the sign again.
Yes and if you see me tell me where to go! When I see the same spot more than three times I know I am lost!
I'm never lost!!!! Turned around good but never lost. As long as I know where N is I'm in good shape and can get back to camp,home or restaurant. I always carry 2 compasses, map and some candy bars. Naturally I have a knife and my weapon. Bought what I had when those people were trying to kill me and I survived that. I've found some good hunting spots when I was "lost" just wish I could find them again. Frank
...been a little "confused" for an hour or two a couple of times but always have a compass and know the general direction of the nearest msr (main service road) and the direction it travels (maps). Had to do alot of land nav in the middle of nowere with the Marines and dont trust anything with batterys if I dont have to. I figure if Lewis and Clark could travel the NW territories with just a compass I should be able to find my truck.
Got turned around one time in Colorado's San Juan Mtns...wasn't pretty. Got caught above timberline with the temps dropping pretty rapidly. Luckily found my way back down by following a stream and ended up 2 miles from the pickup point. Sure wish they had GPS's back then....
Badly turned around 4 times.
1. Squirrel hunting in Southern In when in my teens.
2. In a huge cornfield in N. IN
3. Elk hunting near Kremmling, CO
4. Elk hunting north of Fort Collins, CO
I found my own way in each of the situations. Neither time was I turned around for more than 60 minutes but it was a bad feeling knowing I was going to be terribly inconvenienced until I found my way.
Ironically, I spent 3 months in Colorado as a forester after college using aerial photos and compass every day in very remote areas conducting timber inventories. During August, 1977 I never saw a person for 3 weeks. I never one time got turned around (lost) during those months because I always knew where I was on those maps.
Both the times in Colorado I got in a hurry and left my compass in one spot and took off on a "quick" trip to another. One of them I had just returned to the woods from emergency surgery for kidney stone removal and was packing an elk hind quarter. It was only 300 yards to the truck and I tried a short-cut -- missed the truck by less than 50 yards but it took me 60 minutes to find it the long way.
The time in Kremmling I saw elk about 3/4 mile away from our camp which was on the continental divide (nearly 11,000 feet). I figured I could get down to them and back to camp in just a bit. To move quick I discarded my pack (compass, map, fire starter, whistle, space blanket, and emergency food inside). Turned out I followed those elk all day long and towards evening all the "up courses" looked the same. As I came to the top of the last gulley I had the strength to climb I was about to simply lay in the rocks (it was going to be very cold -- it started to snow) and then I heard my campmates less than 100 yards away!
The cornfield was strange. It was big and late in the season so I couldn't see over it. Of course I could follow the rows and get out but it bummed me out because I came out on a road more than 1/2 mile from the truck.
The squirrel hunt was classic. I passed a set of deer tracks in an anthill. On my way out I passed the same anthill track two more times--that's when I knew that I was circling.
The feeling is always the same for me: 1st embarrassement that folks waiting on me may have to wonder where I am. 2nd a tinge of "panic" that I'm no longer in complete control of the day. 3. Logical thinking which direction will take me to landmarks, road, or location where I can see.
Only been real lost twice and both times a long time ago.
The last time and probably one of the worst situations I've ever found myself in was in the early 70's. Me and a friend were hunting a place called the Bird Sanctuary on the St. John's River in East Central Fl. We went in on his air boat. That afternoon he went one way and I went another. Water was up and everything was under water except the highest hammocks.
Anyway I didn't have a flash light or a compass and was getting a little concerned about being able to find my way out and it was getting later in the afternoon and was overcast..no sun. But I was into either deer or hogs and they were splashing off just out of sight and I just kept on trying to get up on them.
Finally I told myself I got to get out of there. The slew I was in was getting deeper and deeper and it was right at dark.
I realized I was lost and made my way to the edge of the head I was in and climbed a tree. I saw the St. John's River but couldn't get to it due to razor sharp saw grass. So I went back into the slew and tried wading back the way I thought I'd come in. Then it got pitch black dark..new moon..couldn't see my hand in front of my face and I couldn't find shallow water. Things were splashing off all around.big things. Every way I went it got deeper. It was up to my neck and I was sliding one foot ahead of the other trying not to step in a hole. This place was full of gators and cottonmouths also.
I luckily when I got neck deep the bottom started sloping up wards and got in about knee deep water.
I shot 3 shots with my shotgun to let my buddy know about where I was and heard an air boat crank up...then another one and another one. After I heard all the boats get out of hearing I shot again and then heard my buddy coming.
It was one bad ordeal, but he got to me and we made it out.
QuoteOriginally posted by robtattoo:
I could get lost in a dadgum shower cubicle :rolleyes:
Unfortunately I have the same sense of direction as a kitten & I get 'mildly' lost every time I step off a track, trail or road in the woods. I actually have moments of sheer terror if I don't know exactly where the trail is from where I am. Bloodtrailing at night, in the woods, scares the crap out of me.
It's a terrible affliction & probably 90% of the reason I'm not a lot more successful as a hunter. I end up talking myself out of exploring off the trails.
:thumbsup:
Never lost....only temporarily disoriented. :p
Have gotten turned around real good several times. Its funny how things all start to look the same. It is hard to walk a straight line especially at night. It's really hard to get more than 3 or 4 miles from a road here in Illinois.
QuoteOriginally posted by PAPA BEAR:
theres ways to combat that fear rob.find a survivalist/school in your area and you'll come out of it a new man when it comes to hiking around in the woods.or even a good scout/ranger will help ya out.
This is the stupid thing. I did all my survival training years ago. I'm totally comfortable knowing that I'm going to be spending a night in the wood, as long as I plan to spend a night in the woods & I always carry basic survival gear (knife, string, matches) If I'm going away for a few days hiking, or backpacking I really don't worry. It's the times when I'm only a half hour from home and probably less than 400yds from a road. I don't know why, the fear is totally irrational but it can, at times, be completely debilitating.
I have been truely, honestly, motherlessly lost twice. Once when I was a 12-13 and I was scared and overwhelmed with panic. My grandaddy came and found me in a couple of hours, that flashlight was the prettiest thing I'd ever seen. The second time was about three years ago. I was bloodtrailing a doe I shot, (badshot), and when I found her I had no clue which way was out. I didn't get scared, I had a cell phone and as I put it to my wife,"I will be unexpectedly camping tonite". LOL as soon as the sun come up I knew where east was and got my bearings and headed out. I remembered a pearl of wisdom I forgot from the first lost experience, don't think you have your compass, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR COMPASS!
Rob look up the thread about land navigation and there are some great tips that can help you.All you need is a jacket pin compass and you can find your way back.If you want help let me know.
Yep been lost good twice . Found my way out right at daylight on a 1000 acre track coon hunting once . The 2nd time i shot a doe with my bow , climbed down to tell my Dad about it and give it some time to lay down. It was a huge 300 acre 10 old cutover that was a thick as you know what and Dad said dont you get turned around in that cutover make sure to mark you trail but young and dumb at the time me decided I didnt have to do that . Lucky for me Dad checked up on me before he went to work that night on 3rd shift . He kept blowing the horn untill I found my way out about 12 hours after i started tracking the deer . I guess some of us have to learn the hard way .
Mike
Misplaced a couple time's but not lost..
One time when I was a teenager. I was in some thick Ohio green briers. I got on top of a ridge and started walking out it slowly checking my back trail for deer as I walked. After walking for a bit I wanted to drop down off the ridge and make my way back to where my Dad was. I could not tell which side of the ridge I needed to drop down on. IT ALL LOOKED THE SAME!!!!
I totally freaked out started yelling at the top of my lungs for my Dad. It ruined our hunt, but it was nice to hear him yell back at me.
I still remember how it felt and that was 17 years ago.
Ohhh boy here come the memories. Got lost in the national forest ounce with only a knife. Was knee deep in muck! Walked over 13-14 hrs and 12 miles To this day, I carry everything I need to stay out for 3-5 days.. PERIOD. Everything from food, water, shelter, first aid,signiling, fire. Was I panicked? Yes. Mother nature taught me a valuable lesson that day. Things could have turned out alot worse stuck in the middle of thousands of acres, I was lucky. Next time I will "ace" the lesson.
Don't know nuthin' 'bout huntin' no gators, hogs, and various other critters foreign to these parts.
Have spent several years looking for lost people and teaching others how not to experience that thrill. If you'd rather be in the latter group than the former, shoot me a PM and I'll send you a link to my free two page guide to learning wilderness navigation.
Then go buy an orienteering compass -- ask at the outdoor store if you don't know what it is. Do NOT buy a lensatic compass, which is great for Marines calling in mortar fire but less efficient for hunters and other pedestrians.
Read the tiny, tiny print in the compass instructions one section at a time, until you understand that section and can smoothly do what it tells you to do.
Buy a topographic map of an area where you can practice frequently.
Use the compass, the compass instructions, the map, and my instructions to practice. Lather, rinse, repeat until you can do all of it without thinking much about it. You'll know more about backcountry navigation than 85% of the hunters out there. And you'd be surprised how many of your acquaintances among trad bowhunters are in that number. ;)
Got lost one night in the rain and ended up 7 miles from where I started before I found a young couple partying @ 2:00 am in the woods and got them to take me back to where I started. Onlyu reason I found them was he EXTRA loud music they were listening to. I bought a GPS 2 days later and don't go hunting without it now.
Never, never been lost! Once in my life I didn't know where I was or where I'd been for a couple of weeks....but never LOST!
Don't count only on a GPS. One year in Colorado the satellites went down for awhile and the GPS was worthless.
Spent the night in a NC eastern swamp once. After blood trailing a nice doe I looked up and it was dark, I mean black and my flashlight was run down.
The back straps were great and the fire kept the mosquitos at bay. A little salt would have been nice but overall a nice evening.
I'm like Rob. I can get lost in my own backyard.
After hunting with me just twice, one of my buddies bought me a ball compass due to my ineptness directionally speaking. Unfortunately the compass didn't work right and made things worse. I started to freak out when I got lost, but then settled down and figured that the lake was one way and the road directly opposite. My chances were at least 50/50 of finding a decent way out of the woods. Well...I found the lake and then walked a couple miles back to my truck. No fun and kinda scary.
I really need to get a compass and take a survival class at some point.
those ball compasses are useless, I have one that I wear like a watch. I put it on when I get out of the truck, its the last thing I do before walking to my stand. Once you get a good compass remember "it's smarter then you boy, listen to it and don't agrue with" as my grandaddy told me.
Yes I did. Was on the top of a mountain in Co. and walked off the wrong side. Not a good thing.
Never been lost in my life,always new what state I was in. Most times what county. Confused, you bet'cha!!!! No idea where my truck was or how I could of missed it. Now days I way point the star point and I'm good to go. However, there is no better tool than a map and compass and take the time learn to use both. For the most part it's not that big of a deal to be confused. But if you are 5-15 miles from the nearest anything,or farther it can get serious real quick.....ron w
Oh Yes...Northern Ontario bear hunting where every bit of cedar and swamp looks like every other. Shot a compass bearing and started moving the rest went like this..."Father you made this ground so you know it better than me a little help sure would be nice bout now" :coffee:
Once upon a time in Eastern Oregon I was doing some still hunting for elk about 4 miles from camp. This was an area I had hunted a fair amount and felt pretty comfortable in. It was just about sunset and and I suddenly realized the sun was setting in the East. I was completely turned around. I was so turned around, that I had to get my compass out to verify that the sun wasn't in the wrong place.(yes I am a doofus) For many years I had prided myself on my dead reconning abilities. For about a minute I was completely flustered. Then I laughed at myself, turned around and headed the right direction to camp. Compass.....I won't leave camp without it.
i got lost once in a bunch of sandunes.couldnt figure out what way was what.i was riding my dirtbike and stopped many times to scratch my head in bewilderment as to just where the hell the campground was.finally stumbled on it by accident. :bigsmyl: :help:
I have a pretty good sense of direction, so don't really have trouble getting lost...but in the fog is a different game altogether. Three of us rented an aluminum boat in Santa Cruz many years ago and went out a mile or so to fish for rock cod. Weather was clear when we left the pier. The fog settled in on us very quickly. We had no idea which way to go. So we would go aways, shut the motor off and listen for waves breaking on the beach, go a bit further and do it again. After a bit of this a cabin cruiser came by and the guy says " you guys look lost". He had all the navigation gear and we followed him in. We were headed the wrong way before he came along.
After we got back to the dock we watched some of the other boats come in to see the fish they had caught. One guy came in and had a good number fish in the boat. He had shot them all in the kelp beds just off the beach with a Bear recurve and a fish arrow. Jim
Yes, chasing elk in the Cascade mountains of Oregon when I was about 14 years old.
Once in Missouri I was at the front of a john boat with 4 people crossing the MS river to turkey hunt a public island. It was extremely foggy (could barely see the guy at the motor!). The river was very high and full of debris -- we shouldn't have been on it in the dark. I had the compass in the front with a bearing we had taken a few days before in case this happened. EVeryone in the boat argued with my directions as I followed the compass bearing. They were looking at the water and thought we were "lost" -- going upstream or downstream instead of across stream. I was insistent that we must follow the compass. Thank goodness the driver agreed with me. We landed on the island within just a few feet of our intended spot. If we had not believed the compass, who knows what would have happened. It was a spooky few 15 minutes or so ignoring what the eyes were telling us for the compass.
Yup- perhaps more confused than anything.
1) CO elk. Man those canyons are deep- particularly for a flat-lander. Finally found "a" trail on top just before dark. Stayed the night. Built a reflection wall out of logs for the fire. Used an emergency blanket as a back reflector. Warm and toasty. A bit hungry and thirsty. Learned to not finish off the water until you are at the truck. Also good I had some snacks left. Though way "off" from my entrance route; I found my way out in the morning.
2) Age 14. MI cedar swamp. I did not believe my compass. When I finally agreed with myself to believe it for 30 minutes it led me right out of the cedar swamp in upper MI.
3) Age 25. Hunting by myself and mixed up in CO. My first time in that big country. Surprised how I began to panic and walk faster and faster. Silly really- but amazed myself. "Hug a tree" as my dad used to say. Eventually went down, down, down to the river and followed it out. Took me right where I needed to go.
One skill where I still need a good education: compass and navigation. Any good tips out there for learning??
Dan in KS (yea- pretty hard to get lost here! :bigsmyl: )
As a TN (hill country) boy hunting the flat country of coastal Mississippi, I would get lost again and again (some guys never learn) the first couple of years. I would not be that far off of the road, but climbing down from the tree stand when it was pitch black, and trying to navigate thick swamp country with a cloudy sky, would soon get me walking by the same location (hey, is that the tree I was in?). Eventually I started paying more attention to little details that help clue me in on where I was going and where I had been.
The last time I got lost was when some buddies and I went down to hunt hogs at Fort Benning, GA. We did not hunt that far off of the road, but again it was flat swamp. I had my trusty Rhino 120 radio/GPS. So there was no way I could get lost. I also stayed out in the swamp to well after dark, I was so confident. Well when it was time to head out, I set my waypoint for my truck. Well the overhead obstruction in this thick swamp was playing havock with my GPS readings. Also the built in compass and direction pointer would not work unless I was moving at a constant speed and direction (try doing that in a swamp). After stumbling around for about 30 minutes with my batteries about to give out. My last radio communication was to my buddies. "Start blowing your car horns!". I put my GPS away and used my ears to get out.
Several years ago, when I was younger and dumber, I went out with my rifle in search of some critters. Parked on a logging road and headed into the woods.
A ways into it and several hours later, a sudden realizaion of "Now which way to get back to my truck?" hit me. I remembered what my dad told me once-
"If you're lost, go downhill til you find a stream or road. If it's a stream, follow it til it gets you to a road. Follow the road to help."
Well, I did just that and ended up finding my logging road. Walked downhill for quite a ways until I ran into my truck, which was a pretty good feeling by then. I do things different now and actually pack things with me for the just in case moments.
Jeremy
According to my wife... I am on a daily basis :dunno:
I had a friend say, "to be lost you gotta care where you are at". I really think that is how he thought about it. He would leave camp and stay gone for days. He said, "I have a pack and supplies, why do I have to caome back to camp to sleep?" Quite a character, but he does have a point.
He told me that if I ever got turned around to just close my eyes and think about where I am at. I have had to do that a few times, it does work.
I thought my compass was telling me a lie once. I was in a big swamp and had been following the river I had never looked at the river on the map or payed attention to the bends in it. Well as it got near dark I decided to get a bearing and cut through the middle of the swamp back to the road. I looked at the compass and it said I had to cross the river to get to the truck. Talk about a sick feeling in the stomach. I always carry water and a snack along with some way to start a fire and three flashlights. I thought the compass was telling a lie and I had plenty of flashlights so I followed the river back out the way I came in. When I got back to camp I went to the check station and got a map. I had gotten inside a loop in the river ..the compass was telling the truth. But to keep confidence now I carry two in case I think ones telling a lie I got another to back it up...lol
The reason I carry two or three flashlights is because I was once a mile in the swamp setting on a persimmon that was hot. I sat till black dark and then lowered my bow to the ground. While I was doing this my only flashlight fell to the ground and busted on a cypress knee.I came out with a compass and a lighter.Only fell twice.RC
Got lost in big timber in Michigan UP years ago. Luckily, I took a bearing along the road I parked with a compass before heading into the woods. I tried to walk out based on sense of direction. After awhile, I checked my bearing, switched to perpendicular to the bearing I took of the road, and ended up about 1/2 mile from my rental vehicle. I made it out because I trusted my compass and the bearing of the road. It is sometimes hard to trust yourself and the equipment when you are disoriented, but it saved me a night in the woods.
.....what's that line from Jerimiah Johnson... "Ain't never been lost. A might confused for a month or two but I ain't never been lost". Cracks me up every time probably because it hits so close to home.
Terry
I have friends that call me GPS Jim after hiking out in the dark with me,after pin pionting a quads and trucks with not headlamp on many occation. But that just because they haven't been with me when I've misplaced my truck. I think that one reaon I can genrally navagate good is because of somthing my father taught to me very young. We were taught(beat in) as kids to always stop and look at our back trail and study the terrain. We always looked maps over before going into new areas. I think a compass is the best tool if used. I learned that after hunting some flat timber country. I got entralled in a blood trial and didn't pay attention were I was,thank god for the north star that time. I thought south was north and north was south I realised this after it was taking way to long to "get the truck". If I had a compass it would have saved an hour or so trying to see the stars through thick trees. I once got fogged in on a open peak and had to go to lower elevation for saftey(lighting/weather). The fog was so thick I couldn't see my feet,really. I was getting vertigo from not knowing what was up or down and would fall to the ground. I had heard of fog like that but I didn't think it was possible. It was a weird feeling to have, none like I had ever felt before. I knew were I was on the mountian but yet I had no idea were I was ether. When I thought I was half way down I seen(stubbled on)a marker that put me much higher up than I thought and way for course. It made me question were I truely was until it came to me were I had seen that marker. I didnt feel very comfortable about it because it was a very easy route down and I could do it blind folded most days. If that is what being truely lost is like I don't want to ever do it.
I went on a elk hunt in New Mexico back in 1995 and one afternoon i shot a nice 5-5 with my guide sitting next to me.
After taking care of the animal my guide gets on his 4-wheeler and tells me and my buddy he will see us back at camp.
Going in we drove 3 miles and there was a trail but it wasnt marked and i had never even been to the place where i shot my elk.
On the way back i made a wrong turn and headed 3 miles in the wrong direction with my buddy on the back with me, i was pissed that this guy left us.
Long story short we were lost for 4 hours when i finally saw a flashlight way off in the distance. When we got to where the guide was he started in on me like i was a red headed step child.
When i got off the 4-wheeler and started toward him he changed his tune really quick, i was furious.
We followed him on the way out but we had 200lbs of meat and a huge set of antlers and would you believe he went off and left us and we got lost for another 2 hours.
When we finally got back to camp the outfitter was really letting our guide have it and he sure deserved it.
Got lost on the back twenty acres once. Heavily wooded, snakes, fire ants, misquotes, 100 degrees, heavy cloud cover, no water, feeling weak, walked around in circles three times before I found my way out.
Nope, never. One of the lessons that my Dad instilled in all of us kids was always have a compass and know how to use it. When we were young we spent the day out and about, when it was time to head back to the truck he'd always pick one of ua and say "OK, which way do we go" and let us figure it out.
Now, I have found myself in a few places that I didn't expect to be, but always new how to get out. Sometimes that meant spending a night out, but I was ready for it, so it was no big deal. Took awhile to get "She who must be obeyed" comfortable with it, but she learned.
LD
LD
As I get oldr it seems like everytime I blink it's a new day..what was I saying oh hey since I've been getting older it seems like everytime I blink it's a diffeent day so yea I get lost some times uh what was I saying??? :biglaugh: :biglaugh:
Me never lost; sometime misplace wigwam though.
Never been lost myself. Always carry a compass, and map if in an unfamiliar area. Recently began carrying GPS but mostly for marking stand locations and getting back to truck quickly after dark.
Did come across a foolish trail hiker once that lost track of blaze marks on a trail through a swamp. He didn't have map, compass, light or anything and it was about 2 hours before total darkness with no moon.
Asked him if he was lost, He simply replied "I know exactly where I am, just not sure how to get where I'm going."
That's when I made the mistake of asking him where he was. (I should have seen it coming, his answer was straight out of a comic strip about 3 hippies in High Times Magazine from the 70's.)
What was it? "Directly over the center of the Earth."
Yep, I'd say that tree hugger was LOST.
Was it Jim Bridger that said,
"I've never been lost, a might confused for a few months, but never lost."
Can't say as I've been lost either. I misplaced the truck a few times and didn't pay attention to where I was going several times.
I believe being lost is as much a mental thing as a geographic thing.
OkKeith
Terry Riley .....what's that line from Jerimiah Johnson... "Ain't never been lost. A might confused for a month or two but I ain't never been lost". Cracks me up every time probably because it hits so close to home.
That line is from the movie "The Mountain Men" with Brien Keith and Charlton Heston, Awesome movie I think I will get it out and watch it again it's been a while. ;)
Tracy
I've been turned around before, & I've been stuck by myself in the woods before I thank God that my Grandfather & Father had taught me how to use a compass, read a map & how to survive in the woods if need be.
I'll never forget this, my 7 pointer in 93' I had traveled really deep into the Amherst co. mountain side, it was late when I made my shot & by the time I recovered my Buck night time had creeped in.
Instead of me trying to make it out that night, I hung my deer, built a fire & camped right there.
Someone that lived in another area spoted my fire & called the forestry service.
Well around 07:00 a game warden was at my sight wondering why I was there... :)
Ha! Biggie bought a new GPS and we rode around my lease all day marking roads and landmarks and he said- "Know try and confuse me"! Well I shot a hog near a big cypress head and I usually leave the buggy running with the lights on to trail after dark so that we can find it in a hurry. Well we started trailing the hog and it went a little farther than expected-once we found it I said pull out that GPS and get us back. He said it was on the buggy which I shut off since he had the GPS. Took us an hour to find our way out. 2 dummies!
Luckily, in CT, it takes a little talent to get truly lost. You can chase your tail for a bit, but... if you don't know where you are, take your compass and head straight. You will hit a road, river, stream, backyard, something that will get you home... now that said I have been in some interesting situations and certainly experienced the after-dark vertigo of 'every tree looks the same' and 'where the hell is that swamp'... the worst situation I've been in was actually snow shoeing in Feb. I went into the woods 2 hrs before dark and was having a blast going off trail to follow deer tracks. I never lost the trail (almost once) but did notice something I did not account for as the sun was setting... it was getting very cold, like well below freezing and I was drenched in sweat, no lights, no survival stuff because I was going to be on clear marked trails... yeah. The reality of hypothermia began to set in as I started feeling the very initial stages of it. Anyway, after consulting one of the maps that periodically spring up on the trails, I figured out how to get out but only had about 10-15 mins of usable light left in the day... the trick was if I took a wrong turn I could find myself heading several (like 5-10) miles in the wrong direction towards a neighboring town, in the dark, if I even got that far. I had some words with the Lord and He was merciful. Found my way out and felt pretty good to be in the warm car on the way home. The beer that evening was extra fine!
I still snow shoe when I can, but I take the basics in with me and make sure I KNOW my trails and about how long it'll take me.
"to be lost you gotta care where you are at" I like that Bornagain. By that criterion, I've never been lost. On a few occasions though, I've been confused enough to wonder where I was.
A good out doors man NEVER gets lost, only confused. But we should be prepared for 'long periods of confusion'.
Joe.
PS YES I have been "confused" three times. All in areas I thought I knew well. Just got on the other side of a small ridge or narrow patch of aspens that rattled me......
Once when my kids were 8 and 10, I decided to do a bushwhack with map and compass through a state forest and a game refuge here in northern CT during the kids' XMAS vacation. I figured that the terrain would be flatter than it turned out to be, and we encountered a number of hills, streams and other obstacles like heavy laurel bush thickets we had to go around.
It took a lot longer than I had anticipated, my son got wet feet in a stream [I gave him my socks], and we started to run out of daylight. The temperature dropped, and it started to get very cold. Guess what I hadn't thought to bring? A flashlight! Fortunately, my compass bearing was right on the mark and in the last vestiges of light, we made it to the jeep.
A couple of years back, there was thread on "what do you carry in your pack" when you are out bowhunting? I went through my fanny pack and found that I had seven flashlights. I guess I learned my lesson.
Another time at Elk Lake in the Adirondacks, my son [he was 12] and I climbed Dix Mt. We lost the trail coming back at night [why are blaze marks usually a dark color?]. I said "let's not panic" -- so we sat down for about 15 - 20 minutes, had a snack and were able to relocate the trail after searching for it for some 20 to 30 minutes. We had been expected back at 6:00 p.m. but didn't make it back until 10:00 p.m.
Now I carry a Garmin 76CSx loaded with maps that I use in addition to my compass and topomaps. I also use a headlamp and have backup flashlights.
In addition, I have Gramin maps as well as "TOPO - Outdoor Recreation Mapping Software" by National Geographic on my computer and usually print out in advance maps of areas I am going to visit as well as down load to my GPS.
Now when I get lost [temporarily misplaced], it doesn't take as long to find my way out. I still love to bushwhack and explore new country.
A few times ..I wanted to be ..That way I didn't have to go home ...Hmmmm!
I have never been lost completely and had to spend the night in the woods but I have been seriously confused a time or two. My first trip to Idaho deer hunting somehow I changed drainages without realizing I did and it got a little scary before I figured out what I had done and got back on the right track. But just in case I always carry the essentials to spend a night or two in the woods.
Never!!!!!!!!!!! A little disoriented at times,but a Marine is never lost.
Back in Colo. a few years back we were working our way back to the truck. Using our Garmin and feeling pretty secure. Well.... that great GPS has to get satelites to work and we lost them. After wondering in what we thought was the right direction I noticed the sun going down. I told Ben we better get ready to lay it down for the night cause it's getting late. Now, we had survival gear with us so I felt we were not in any danger. But thick brush with bear scat everywhere would have made a long night. Then I reached in my pack and pulled out my trusty Marine Corp life saver. I say life saver cause this same compass got me out of a pickle or 2 in Desert Storm. Anyhow, after some map and compass work I shot us an azmuth(sp). I figured we had an hour or so I light left so wht the heck. We were at the road/trail in about a half hour.
Technology is good but the basics always seem to work.
not me just walk around for 4 day in white river forest in CO if you come to a canyon name bear canyon dont drop into with out backpack :D that 21yr ago and m legs still hurt. lol
How's THIS for a junk store find? Ten bucks.
Keuffel&Esser version of the Brunton pocket transit. Shoot an azmith, suss out a slope in percent or degrees, measure the height of anything, survey a mining claim, not much you CAN'T do with this thing.
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Leatherneck and myself were definitely confused for a while thought we where sleeping in the bush.But he pulled through. :eek:
AH yes Tracey, you're right. I love that movie.
Terry
I was a Boy Scout. Learned to use a compass and topo way back then. Never lost but learned the value of a flash light. One summer went to the grand canyon and climbed down the Bright Angel trail all the way to the Colorado river. Took us from eight am to noon. Spent a pleasant hour by the river. Took us till dusk to climb back out. Needed to rest every three steps because of our lungs being from Illinois. Thought we were in good shape. Scary thinking about being in the dark on that climb. No flash light. Made it out but it was very scary.
Yeah...once. I had wnadered up the mountain chasing grouse with my old HR 12 gauge after a morning of uneventful treestand time with the bow.
It was a beautiful October day...I sat down for while against a soft moss covered oak and fell asleep. Woke up in the failing light and nothing, I mean NOTHING looked familiar to me. I wandered around a bit but that didn't help..no compass or map...not that I'm very proficient with one anyway. So I told myself to get ready to spend the night. Thankfully I usually stuff my cargo pants pockets with stuff so I had matches and tinder. I spent the night out. THe weather was good so I lucked out. In the morning i walked out in just a couple hours...terribly embarrassing. I hunted that mountain for years...no reason to get lost.
I hate to admit it but like a few others it doesn't take much to get me lost. About 5 years ago I bought 17.5 acres next to a huge 1000s of acres of state land. That spring I was walking the land with a forester. We were on our way out when he said wait a minute and took out his compass. We were going the wrong way, turned around and walked out. When out at the road he told me story after story about people getting lost where "no one" could. I got sick and never got back there until the last day of muzzle loader season. When I parked the truck I pulled out my gear to load the gun and pulled out my compass by accident. I took a reading and stuck it back in my bag. Well I sat until pitch black and could not find the trail in. I started walking faster & breathing faster... finally I took the compass and took a reading. I was going the wrong way. So like every red blooded American I decided the compass was wrong and put it in my pocket and started wandering again. After about ten minutes I seopped and told myself this is how people get themselves into trouble. I took it back out and followed it to the road. Took a while but got there. The second I got home I called my brother and told him to never go there or anywhere without a compass. Then I remembered something the ranger had told me. He said it was real easy to get lost there because it is heavily wooded and flat with no streams to follow either. The day I spent up there with him helped me a lot. When I got home that day I stuck that compass in my pack thinking of what he had said to me. My wife had given it to me 5 years earlier and yes, it was still in the package.
If lost is defined as being unable to find your way back to the truck or camp, I have never been lost.
I have been 8 or 10 hours late getting back to the truck a couple of times.
Nowadays I can read a map and follow a compass bearing if the magellan gps doesnt work. I also carry two torches and spare batteries.
Lost? Everytime this country boy goes to a big city.heehee
Lost in the woods? Oh yes..one time and found my way out after a hour or two of walking while trying to hear traffic on the road were I left my truck.