LOST IN THE WOODS!!!

 YES...scary, but TRUE!!! I went out on a post-dinner hike on my last night in the campground...promptly became disoriented and "lost". I thought I had turned back toward the campground but hadn't, and noticed that the scenery was completely unfamiliar, but then it mostly all looked the same anyhow! It was growing darker and darker and I began to panic. I wound up calling 9-1-1! It was quite embarrassing... I was given to a VERY kind fireman who was able to ping my cell phone. As such, he could see exactly where I was in the park (my GPS was essentially worthless--didn't indicate the trails at all) and was able to guide me back to the road leading to my campsite. Even as he directed me back-- I had indeed been heading the wrong way-- I was still confused about the direction. MOST troubling, to be sure! But the fellow was kind--and extremely patient-- and stayed on the phone with me for the full 15 minutes it took to get me back to the main road. From there, I knew how to find my campsite. He told me I was walking 3 miles an hour! I told HIM I was not surprised... I was desperate to return to my homestead before nightfall and be back in safe and familiar territory!  I do truly worry about my brain and this strange brand of disorientation. (This was a repeat of a similar occurrence on my solo backpack this past August.) No more hiking late in the day, and especially when I cannot identify the exact trails I am following!! All is well that ends well, as they say... I felt immense gratitude for the kind fireman who guided me, for the technology that allows for this sort of cell phone tracking, and for the comfort of my tent and "civilization"! 

NO sense of direction; from whence I came, or if I was going onward or backward! Just endless trees...all the sameness... no landmarks to speak of. One of my scariest experiences out in the woods, even though I was never that far from the campground. No matter... I felt so lost, so alone... I did NOT want to spend a night out in the woods without water, shelter, flashlight...quite a bit of foolishness on my part, but lesson learned!! 

Comments

  1. barbaraMay 13, 2025 at 6:05 PM

    Yikes down in those trees would be really hard to navigate, not seeing the skyline for reference. Glad that 911 works so well! Have you used All Trails to track your hikes? It's free and usually works well enough without a cell signal, to get an idea of where you are, and which way to go. Would definitely work to retrace your steps back from where you started. It's saved me a few times!

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