Hiking: What to Do When You’re Lost

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011

If you’ve been out hiking enough, you might know the sensation: you come on some unfamiliar territory, and as you try to return to your base, you realize that the base isn’t exactly where you thought it was. Instead, you see more trees, more terrain, and way too much wilderness to possibly be in the right spot. It’s the feeling of being lost, and if you’re a novice, you’ll want to prepare to avoid this as much as possible, while also preparing to do the right thing if it ever happens.

This article will help explain what to do when you’re lost, giving you tips and advice for handling the situation when you see it – even if, hopefully, you never do.

• Prevention is key – Knowing what to do when you’re lost doesn’t guarantee that you’ll immediately find what you’re looking for, so avoid getting lost in the first place. If you can, buy up a GPS watch, or at least carry a compass with you, as well as a map, in order to make sure that you don’t go on the wrong track to begin with. Also, as you head out into the wilderness, while you soak in the views, keep a mental track of landmarks to help you navigate.
• Upon getting lost, keep a cool head – A mistake too many people make in survival situations is getting too panicked to think straight. A relaxed mind is the best kind of thinking mind, and being relaxed will keep you open to new solutions, will keep you flexible, and will prevent you from getting too frustrated right away. For all you know, you took one wrong turn from the trail and you might be all right. So relax, before you do anything else, to make sure that you keep a cool, level head. Also, when you’re relaxed, you’re using up less energy – and energy will become critical.
• Plan and prepare for finding your way home – If you’re lost and decide to relax, what’s your next step? There’s no “one” trick that will help you get home – since everyone gets different “degrees” of being lost – but you can follow a certain strategy. And what is that strategy? To take a proactive plan. Instead of being relaxed, but going in circles, give yourself real goals to pursue. For example, try to find recent landmarks that you found on your way up first – these will help remind you of the trip you took and might help you recall the way home.

Staying goal-oriented in these situations is critical. Not only does it make sure you get things done, but it will help your spirits and attitude to have small goals to work toward, giving you hope that a way home will be found.