Anyone ever gotten lost?

[Lodge Scent]

I've been "turned around" a few times but never really lost. But I got turned around this last hunt on the way back from a remote cellar hole site and it kind of surprised me. If the sun is out, I don't even need a compass. I can just dead reckon with really good accuracy. But the sun was behind the clouds and on the way back from this site, I zigged when I should have zagged and ended up going in the opposite direction that I thought I was heading in. I was really surprised when all of a sudden there was a wide stream in front of me. It took me a second to figure out what I had done, but if it wasn't for that stream, I probably would have gone another 30 minutes in the wrong direction before I would have suspected something was wrong.
I opened up my navigator app on my smartphone and could see exactly where I was and where I needed to go. I pulled out my Silva compass and used that and my navigator app to trudge in a straight line though swamp and briars to hit a trail that I knew would get me back to my car. But this mishap cost me almost an extra hour of slogging through rough terrain.

Besides the smartphone and the pocket compass, I always pin a ball compass to my shirt for quick reference. BUT.... I had left the ball compass home (this was a last minute hunt) and was too cocky or lazy to use my other compass or phone app until I got myself in a pickle. I guess the moral of the story is don't be cocky, lazy or stupid, especially when you are by yourself.

Anyone else have similar experiences?

[del]

Jeff , I can tell you from personal experience always make sure your google maps or whatever navigational app you are using is updating . Sometimes if there is a lag or no signal it won't update and you can easily turn yourself around or in circles.

[Digger_O'Dell]

Having hunted and hiked for most of my life I'm usually about dead on with my direction finding. But i have become disoriented and "lost" more times than I can remember in urban settings. Go figure!
But, what I have learned and taught to others.

1) Have a general route plan when in an unfamiliar setting. That way you have some idea where you end up.
2) Try to have a map of some sort, even if just landmarks for reference points to verify location.
3) Have a compass. Electronic devices like cell phone maps or gps are nice, but can be unreliable. Batteries die, signal is lost, they get wet, etc.
4) If going on a longer trek, it's best to pack at least a minimal amount af survival gear. Flashlight, batteries, lighter or matches, a good knife, emergency food and water, first aid kit, and possibly a survival blanket and poncho.

As I have been looking into a couple possibly long hikes into the backwoods myself to search for lost military forts from around 1800, these items could be a life saver if things turn sour while out in the wilds.

[OxShoeDrew]

The thought terrifies me :shocked03:
I've always used google maps, which hasn't hasn't failed me yet....with the exception the arrow (on your location dot) doesn't always point in the correct direction.

[Lodge Scent]

Good info Gents. I use Back Country Navigator on my smartphone. What's nice about it is that is traces your route. Makes it easy to follow your route back out. I sometimes also will use an app called One Touch. It will track my location every 5 minutes or so. So if I break a leg or get chased up a tree by a pack of rabid sasquatches, when my wife finally gets around to missing me, she can just log into the app and get an idea of where I am at.

[The Rebel]

It's happened to me 2x and the last experience was several years ago way up in Sharon, Ct (Boondocks). I was way out in the woods and somehow got off track & got turned around. The weather was grey & cloudy and I was not able to use the sun as a guide as well. I did have my compass with me & made the best guess that I could to get back to my car.

After what seemed forever I got back to the main road and spotted a car to ask for directions back to where my car was parked. As it turned out they were not from the area and had no clue to point me in the right direction. I decided to follow the road north and after 20 min's I found the street I was looking for.

I have used a few different apps since then and settled on this one as it's really useful for making way points, offline maps as well as inputting GPS coordinates to get me in & out in the woods: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.discipleskies.android.gpswaypointsn avigator.

I also now carry a back up phone battery in case my cell battery dies.

[Full Metal Digger]

I was hunting in Alaska once and there were two logging roads that paralleled each other and they were about 1/2 mile apart. I figured I would cut straight through the woods from one road to the other. After about 30 minutes of walking I broke though the undergrowth and emerged exactly where I had started! Somehow I made a perfect circle in the woods and came back to the logging road I had started from. Years later I read somewhere that is a common thing to happen when hiking through dense forests.

[Lodge Scent]

Back up phone or battery or emergency charger is a good idea Rebel.


Somehow I made a perfect circle in the woods and came back to the logging road I had started from. Years later I read somewhere that is a common thing to happen when hiking through dense forests.

I can see definitely see that happening. I will favor heading to my right side when I don't have a visual target to head towards.

[MangoAve]

I have had one time going the long way around and had to stop and check the GPS from time to time. Only one specific time I thought I was going straight toward the road trying to get out of the woods before it was too dark, but ended up more of a diagonal track.

[ODA 226]

I've never become lost. I taught Land Navigation for US Army Special Forces for many years. I have mad pinpointing skills, but even better Land Navigation skills! LOL!

[OxShoeDrew]

I've never become lost. I taught Land Navigation for US Army Special Forces for many years. I have mad pinpointing skills, but even better Land Navigation skills! LOL!Wow! I lose my way, my keys, pinpointer,mind,etc I wouldn't say I've lost my detector but I've "misplaced" it a few times in the woods.:) Thanks for your service ODA!

[Lodge Scent]

I've noticed as I've gotten older that my sense of direction isn't as sharp as it used to be. I need to refer to my directional aids more often. The other thing I've noticed is that when hiking off trail I will favor heading to my left side. So if I don't pay any attention, I would eventually walk in a big counterclockwise circle :)

[MangoAve]

Here's the article about it:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3633678/Why-people-lost-Scientists-uncover-brain-regions-responsible-internal-GPS.html

[leslie(nova scotia)]

Carry a compass and common snse when wooding it. dan tics more of a problem then getting lost!