Sunday, December 11, 2011

What to Do If You Get Lost in the Woods

There is no reason to fear going into the woods if you know just a few simple things. The most important two are to stay calm and stay positive. Here are the other tips that will help you get found fast and be as comfortable as possible until you are found.

1) Always tell another person where you are going. And go there. If at all possible, tell someone you live with where you are going and when you expect to come back. Do not just say you are going "hiking" -- say what your destination is. Tell them not to worry unless you are not back by, say, 8pm that night. It is also very wise to use the trail registers at most national parks. That way the ranger will know when you were actually at the head of the trail, and where you said you were going at that time.

Woods

2) Stay together. If you are in a group, stay together. This is extremely important. Finding one group is hard enough -- if you split into two groups then the job is doubled. Also, if yo have to spend the night in the woods, you can huddle together and stay somewhat warm simply by sharing body heat.

3) Stay put. Find a reasonably good place that is somewhat sheltered and has a good view (so a helicopter might see your red jacket tied to a tree, for example). Then stay put. Tracking teams move slowly, so the less distance you make them go, the faster they will find you. Wandering around the woods also makes you more tired, more cold and more panicky. Don't waste your energy.

4) Use a signaling device. Whistles are great -- a good one can be heard for three miles. But the blinking bike lights are also great if you can get them up where someone might see them. Flares are good, too, but few people carry those. And, of course, there's fire. Keeping a fire lit at the top of a rocky hill is a terrific signal. Even a bright piece of clothing will work, though I suspect you are going to want to be wearing the clothing. In gets pretty cold at night, even in the summer.

5) Stay as warm as possible. Most people worry about food when they're lost, but what you need is shelter. Everything helps: Break down branches and put them on the ground to sleep on instead of lying directly on the cold ground. Even tearing up grasses into a little mat is better than nothing. Break down a couple more branches to put on top of you, and sleep rib to rib with your companions to share body heat. If you can, find a long straight branch and set it so it is 3-4 feet above the ground. Cover the area under the branch with grasses or anything else to insulate your body from the cold ground. Then break off leafy or pine branches and lean them against the overhanging branch to make a crude shelter.

This may be enough to get you through the night without too much discomfort. Try to settle in an area that is not low or near water, as low lying areas can be as much as 10 degrees colder than higher areas at the coldest part of the night. Also get out of the wind, and if you can settle near some large boulders, you will get a wee bit of extra warmth during the night because the rocks will slowly release the heat from the day. It is not much, but all together just those tips could keep you alive through a really cold night. And that's with no fire.

6) Be careful about eating anything. You are going to get hungry, but unless you know what you are eating, do not take a bite. It is too easy to mis-identify a plant and get yourself seriously sick. If you have to drink unfiltered water at least drink from the fastest moving water you can find. But no matter what, stay with your group.

What to Do If You Get Lost in the Woods

Cecilia Montrose enjoys camping and has a strong interest in emergency preparedness and ultralight backpacking and enjoys learning about things like how to survive on a desert island.

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