Sense of direction?

As far as my GPS thingie goes, I bring the three extra AA batteries with me.
This GPS has a memory and won't lose stored data.
Batteries run out, change them.
I always mark a way point at the parting spot.
Even if the bread crumb trail is broken, click on the way point and go to...........voila.
 
At no time have I said that I "could never" get lost... could happen to anyone... but To date, I never have (subject to my above posted definition... I'd hate to have Boomer call me out again)...
 
hoytcanon said:
That's a little harsh Boomer... either way you are calling me a liar... I have spent most of my life in the bush... and I have said that I was never lost...

Perhaps we have a "definition misunderstanding?" I don't feel that getting slightly offline, or coming out to a road or lake shore on a slightly different line, or running into a swamp or creek or lake that you didn't know was there, necessitating a course change, is "getting lost."

I would define "getting lost" as being in a position where you think or say "where the heck am I" and being unable to figure out your location in short order... I have MANY times thought "where the heck am I..." but I have never been unable to figure it out in short order, using a compass, map, and considering available evidence and a mental retracing of my steps and duration of travel...

Best to tread lightly in making blanket assertions...
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The people I object to are the ones who upon hearing of someone becoming lost, look down their nose at them, and insist it would not and could not happen to them because they know which side of the tree the moss grows on. I doubt very much you are that type, but I bet you know some who are. The less time one spends in wild places, the greater the chances are of having a problem when you get there, but the flip side if the coin is that the more time spent in wild places, the greater the opportunity there is of having a problem that might not have come up before. I have no problem admitting that I've been lost, and although I've never needed a search party to come and find me, I would never say it couldn't happen. Some of the more interesting "lost" circumstances I've found myself in includes one day when I was cutting the boundary line around the Split Lake Reserve as part of a survey crew. I volunteered, or was nominated, I don't recall which, to go back to camp and bring back lunch for everyone. I made a direct route to our camp, rather than follow the longer route along our cut line, got the grub together, and cut back through the bush to the work area. Guess what, I couldn't find the damn line. Every time I crossed it, I crossed it at a quartering angle, so when I looked left and right, there was no line to be seen, yet although I could hear the guys working, I was lost! Other times, in open country, I've been "lost" too. Once you travel 50 miles or so north of here, the country changes and consists of rolling hills, with little vegetation, and the land is dotted with what appear to be nearly identical small round ponds. Once out of sight of Hudson Bay, there are no obvious landmarks, actually there are, but none stand out individually. It is extremely difficult to navigate by dead reckoning in such country. I once got lost on the shore of Hudson Bay, probably within 30 miles of town. One might wonder how that could happen, but a nasty blow came up, visibility dropped in blowing snow, and it became unclear whether I was on land or on sea ice. In places the difference is subtle at best, particularly where tidal flats extend for miles out into the bay. It would have been very easy to head out to sea that day. I'd hate to have to live up to the statement that I could never be lost.
 
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Magellann said:
Ive had the same thing happen to me a couple times, thank goodness for the gps to bet me back on track.
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Yeah when I was ~17, I got lost chasing a grouse. I shot it, it flushed into the woods, thick brush. I kept chasing and shooting and it kept flushing further in. I figured I kept missing. 7 shots into it, the thing finally died. Look at the grouse, and it had many hits, i think 4 or 5. I was puzzled as to how it kept flushing. I raise my head and look around. My heart sunk into my balls and I had a slight panic attack. I had been chasing that thing into circles and zig zags and I had completely lost my sense of "straight line in, straight line out". I came from a woods trail, so the trail was backed by more trees, which made it really difficult to tell what direction the trail was in. I started listening for engines in the distance to see if I could get somewhat of a clue towards civilization, because if I picked the wrong direction, I would be going towards thousands of acres of forrest. I tried to backtrack slightly toward the least shot I took and decided to take that way out. After maybe 50 yards I saw a break in the trees and the trail appeared. About 500-600 yards down the trail was my hunting partner who I was very glad to see again.

Lesson learned.
 
Been turned around a few times. Ironically first time was Boy Scout Camp, headed into a swamp and no compass. NOT PREPARED, long afternoon later I found the shores of the lake we were on. Couple years ago, then six month, old Harley took me on a wild goose chase and then it got dark in the middle of an 'alder' swamp. Gave up on the dog and tried to find the road, without a compass would have been hooped. Hour and half later I get back to the ATV and Harley is waiting for me, of course. I find the GPS useful on the water but less useful in the thick brush. Very good for marking spots but if I had to make a choice it would be the compass. Worse incident was an overnighter spent moving on snowshoes to keep warm. Knew exactly where I was the whole time but had not been in that piece of country for two years and logging had obliterated the trails. Sled was impossibly stuck and I had decided to walk out. 15 klicks later the trail is gone, still dark and just unfamiliar bush to look at. Headed back to the sled and arrived there 17 hours after I left her at 16:00 the day before. Friends found me a few hours later at which point I just about had the sled out and was pi$$ed off enough I wanted to make it out on my own. Calamity of errors in judgement and bad karma. Always carry a come-along but rope did not reach nearest tree, water proof matches did not light, lighter ran out of fuel, small stove had leaked kerosene all over emergency food, radio/telephone battery had been giving me trouble and decided to quit entirely and those are just the highlights. Decided during my walk that evening the next sled I bought would have reverse.
 
The title to this thread is, "Sense of direction?"
I took this to mean exactly what it said, how is YOUR sense of direction, and not how well can you operate man made instruments to keep you from getting lost.
In the flat bush lands of northerly Saskatchewan where I grew up, if one had a simple magnetic compass in his pocket and the barest of knowledge of how to use it, he could always find his way out of the bush, because he could go in a somewhat straight line of a known direction.
But many old bushmen of one type or another, never carried a compass, just relying on their own ability to get them where they wanted to go. This is what I thought the thread was about and it is what I based my former posting on.
 
I bought a GPS (Magellan) and the screen crapped out before I even learned how to use it. Warranty didn't cover it so I am back do doing what I've done for 45 years. use the compass.

The GPS would be handy to determine boundaries though. There's a place T go where it is open for any buck in September but it border with a 4-point only area plus one area is open for elk and the other isn't.

Also next week my partner has an LEH permit in a very specific area for Vancouver Island elk and it would be good to know when we see elk if they are in his zone or not.
 
I spent most of my life in the thick and rugged stuff, both for work (mining exploration) or for pleasure as in hunting and fishing. I was seriously lost twice, the first time I travelled to far following a wolf track in very heavy snowfall, ended up spending the night then picking a direction in the morning only to find out I was less than 200 yards from a road :/

the second time I was lost was once again my fault for pushing my limits and crossed a few too many beaver dams that the ice wasn't thick enough for me to return by the same path.

I have a very good sense of direction but even the best can get turned around and lost. Especially when in bad weather, and magnetite messes up your compass so bad that if you followed its north reading you would make a 1/4 mile circle.

There are many ways to prevent getting lost, the most important is to pay attention to your surroundings and keep a calm and level head.
 
I got a chuckle reading this whole thread. I don't remember being "truly" lost. However, I have a hunting buddy that carries map, compass and a real good GPS and the guys gets lost on hunting trips more times than I can remember LOL
You can bring all the orienteering items at a modern man's disposal and if you don't know how to use em... Or if you do and don't trust the info... Well yer gonna stay lost LOL
I carry topo and google earth printed maps, compass and GPS and a dozen batteries. I also carry a roll of flagging tape, which I use when tracking or following game by stripping off a piece and draping or tying it at eye level about every 50 yards as I go. The flagging tape alone has got me back to my start point more times than anything else. Generally after I've charged off the trails several hundred yards or more after a sighted animal or following fresh sign.
 
H4831 said:
The title to this thread is, "Sense of direction?"
I took this to mean exactly what it said, how is YOUR sense of direction, and not how well can you operate man made instruments to keep you from getting lost.
In the flat bush lands of northerly Saskatchewan where I grew up, if one had a simple magnetic compass in his pocket and the barest of knowledge of how to use it, he could always find his way out of the bush, because he could go in a somewhat straight line of a known direction.
But many old bushmen of one type or another, never carried a compass, just relying on their own ability to get them where they wanted to go. This is what I thought the thread was about and it is what I based my former posting on.
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That's what I thought it meant too.
 
Boomer said:
If you've gone for a hike in the bush, and you come out anywhere other than where you intended to be . . . you were lost!
That would be my definition of "turned around". Lost is you don't know where you are, you don't know how to get back from where you started, and you can't figure out which way to go to get out.

I've wound up in places I didn't want to be ( how the hell did I get HERE!), missed the trail I was looking for and had to cut cross-country, been disoriented by thick bush or heavy snow, but I've never been so lost (knock on wood) that I've had to spend the night or someone had to come and find me. That's not because I have a homing pigeon's sense of direction, it's because I carry a good compass, religiously.
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Ive only been lost once. Luckily i found an old trappers trail and followed it out. I had 2 compasses, but both were reading different. Now i carry a 3rd to break the tie...:)
 
H4831 said:
The title to this thread is, "Sense of direction?"
In the flat bush lands of northerly Saskatchewan where I grew up, if one had a simple magnetic compass in his pocket and the barest of knowledge of how to I took this to mean exactly what it said, how is YOUR sense of direction, and not how well can you operate man made instruments to keep you from getting lost.
use it, he could always find his way out of the bush, because he could go in a somewhat straight line of a known direction.
But many old bushmen of one type or another, never carried a compass, just relying on their own ability to get them where they wanted to go. This is what I thought the thread was about and it is what I based my former posting on.
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Well 4831, to answer in the true spirit of the thread my sense of direction has not been good all my adult life. It was very good when I was young, if we were out picking berries for example I instinctively new which way to go back to the car. By the time I was done the puberty years I was lucky to find my way to and from the bathroom. Something during those formative years turned off my internal compass.
 
rral22 said:
No one has a "sense of direction" built in like some sort of biological compass. Lots of people do learn to use clues like the sun, wind direction, etc. as almost unconscious guides to keeping oriented, but during a sunless, windless snowfall in unknown territory, no one will stay oriented without help. Dogleg's issues with changing hemispheres is a perfect example. One of the main clues he uses unconsciously, is the sun position, and if it is changed, he experiences difficulty.

One of the most dangerous self delusions you can have is that you have a "sense" that tells you what direction is what. All you have to do is experience a "white out" of some sort, or try searching a smoke filled and unfamiliar building in pitch black, and you will find out some human limitations. So a compass/map and the skills to use them, AND a gps, if you have one, are very important things to have along if you actually go very far from roads or vehicles. If you have never been lost at least a little bit, you just haven't experienced the right circumstances yet. When you do, you will learn to love the earth's magnetic field, and really appreciate those satellites.
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x2 absolutely!!!!
 
I'll admit it - my sense of direction is poor (I attribute it to being raised in southern sask where you can see exactly where you want to go and where you came from - from the same position;))

I do think "sense of direction" is a gift and some people I've hunted with have it and don't need a GPS or compass. They just seem to know where they're at - all day long.

Me - I don't go anywhere in the bush without a GPS, spare batteries and a backup compass and I refer to the GPS all the time when I'm hunting.
 
Well, I have to admit my sense of direction is horrible, if not worse. Compass, GPS, dog, buddy who knows the area...whatever it takes to get me back home safely. I love the outdoors, but I also respect my limits.
 
9.3mauser said:
Boomer said:
If you've gone for a hike in the bush, and you come out anywhere other than where you intended to be . . . you were lost!
That would be my definition of "turned around". Lost is you don't know where you are, you don't know how to get back from where you started, and you can't figure out which way to go to get out.

I've wound up in places I didn't want to be ( how the hell did I get HERE!), missed the trail I was looking for and had to cut cross-country, been disoriented by thick bush or heavy snow, but I've never been so lost (knock on wood) that I've had to spend the night or someone had to come and find me. That's not because I have a homing pigeon's sense of direction, it's because I carry a good compass, religiously.
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I prefer to regard the term "turned around" synonymously with the word lost. This mindset might prevent me from making bad decisions that could have serious consequences. For example, we have Hudson Bay to the north and east, and the rail line runs south from town, so if you're east of town, the only "wrong" direction, provided you travel in a straight line, is south. If I got turned around, regardless of the reason, and headed south, how many days would pass before I admitted I was lost, or until I hit the Nelson River, 100 miles away. In reality of course, if you traveled a couple of hours without coming across a familiar landmark, you'd probably realize you had a problem. Yet you'd know there was sea water to the north and east and a rail line to the west, so its not that you don't know where you are relative to major landmarks.
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