Ever Been Lost ?

J

Jaaska

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The great frontiersman Davy Crockett was once asked by a reporter , Davy , have you ever been lost in the woods ? Davy replied , no , but i've been turned around for a week or two .

I have been lost , twice a long time ago . Once as a small child i decided to follow the cow tracks back to the water hole where i'd been to many times with my uncle . Instead of cow tracks i followed deer tracks way deep into the bush . 2 days later the search party found me . I could hear the shots , 3 at a time but couldn't tell which direction they were coming from . I think i was 6 at the time so about 1957 .

The next time found me driving a twisty logging road looking for moose one morning when a bull crossed the road . I pulled the truck over and loaded the rifle and slowly walked up to where the moose had crossed . I could see it's tracks in the moss and decided to follow for awhile . Soon the moss was filled with tracks and i had no idea which tracks were which and as i looked back i couldn't tell which tracks were mine . Grey and overcast and tall thick timber . I decided to head back to the truck , but which way was it ?

I stood there and decided to use trees as landmarks so i'd head in a fairly straight line , one tree to the next . I got out a few hundred yards the first time and decided that was the wrong way so i back tracked to where i had started . I did the same thing again , and again and again . I spotted a clump of birch up on a rise with a couple of trees broken off and thought i recognized it so that's where i headed .

From beside the clump of birch i spotted a small open clearing that i had not come through on the way in and beside it was moss covered tall timber . I walked into that for about 1 minute and spotted the truck . I had gear in my vest so i could have spent the night but the map and compass were on the seat of the truck and GPS hadn't been invented . Total lost time , about 6 hours but i was lost .

Anybody else ? Have you ever been lost or turned around for a time ?
 
Yes. Spent a long cold November night in the woods many years ago. I remember staring at the moon...imagining that it was projecting warmth. Pretty sure I saw big foot, and heard wild banshees. Mind plays with you a bit.
 
I've gotten turned around a number of times and it took some time to get out but never been crapping myself lost or having to overnight with my pack.
 
In my 20's I hunted too late in the Sand hills and spent a miserable night wrapped in a cheap space blanket and a small fire. I had a compass but it was pitch black and I had no flashlight , found the truck next morning and carried on.
 
suffered a vehicle break down once years ago that saw us stranded about 25/30km in the back country. Buddy thought it would be quicker to cross the river and hike in a straight line to the main logging road rather than back track down the spur we came in on.
9 hours later we stumbled out onto the road, doubting ourselves the whole way. I snapped branches and willows along the way so we had a defined trail behind us in case we got turned around.
It was dark and raining when he hit the main road. Back packs and fishin rods and a 22 rifle we packed along with us.
After walking what we were sure was the direction back to civilization.... some 60 plus KM away... a lone vehicle came along and we stuck out our thumbs and waved him down.
The guy was a little wierded out and had lots of questions, which we answered and made small talk as the nice fella drove us right to my driveway and dropped us off.
not even 20 minutes later, 4 rcmp cruisers pulled up in front and beside my house and they entered my corner lot property from both sides.
Turns out, we had hiked out alongside a corrections camp (ford mnt) and had triggered some kind of alert. Coincidentally, 2 inmates had escaped the facility in the days before.
So the cops were at my place thinking we were the escaped prison guys and searched my house LOL
all was good in the end except for the tow bill to get my buddies vehicle out of the bush.
Not lost per say.... but stranded and wilderness trecking back to civilization none the less.
I have an uncanny sense of direction and have never been lost hiking or hunting.
turned around and a smidge of panick…. sure, but never truly lost.
 
When I was young lad I was in the bush all the time and never carried a compass. I seemed to have a very good sense for which way I needed to go. Then puberty came along and my good sense of direction was gone and I could get lost on the way down the hall to the bathroom. So I invested in a good compass and took a good orienteering course which taught me not only how to use the compass but how to apply its use to a topographical map. That was 51 years ago and I have never been lost during that time as I always but always believed what the compass was telling me. I always carried two. My general use one, and the argument settler one. As on many occasions I would have swore the compass was lying to me, so I would get out the other and sure enough the first one was correct in the first place. I always used Silva compasses. I have had many Huntsman models over the years as they get bubbles in them and when the bubble gets to large it affects accuracy. But my original two Silvas, an aluminum bodied Huntsman and the big Ranger are still in great working condition. I have about 10 compasses altogether in various coats plus one in the truck, ATV, Argo and Boat. I have GPS's one in the truck, boat, and a hand held. Very use full and informative pieces of technology. But they have batteries so require power so in my opinion are not 100% reliable. There is nothing more reliable and dependable than a good old fashioned compass in my experiences anyways.
 
FreedomIsn'tFree said:
I got lost in Calgary around 35 years ago. I got loaded on acid and booze and couldn't find my way back to where I was staying, walked around for about 4 hours in the middle of the night till I found my way. Good times. LOL
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Got a similar story, but I was wearing Hondo boots with no socks and a leather jacket with no shirt. Freaking wild man, lol.
 
Many years ago I was invited to a big 5 private game reserve bordering the kruger national park in South Africa. I arrived in my Toyota Corolla at dusk and was met by my buddies in an old open top land rover, and we proceeded to the camp, running into a pride of 30 lions on the way. The next morning one of the owners sons said I should take a walk with him, as he wanted to try shoot an impala for the camp staff. At one point he spotted a heard of impala and told me to wait for him under a tree, so he could make a stalk. After probably half an hour, I heard him whistle, and I looked over to where I heard the whistle, and I spotted him about 600m away on the other side of a shallow ravine, he was gesticulating that I should walk to his position, anyway, to cut a long story short, I lost my bearings and wondered off way off course. Un-armed, with no water, and poor footware, I wondered around with panic rising in my mind. Probably 2 hrs later by pure chance, I crossed a road and followed the fresh vehicle tracks back to the camp. I learnt a valuable lesson that day.
 
Haven't been lost, but I'm always prepared for it. I've heard to many horror stories of hunters getting lost that it put the fear in me. Being prepared is key.
 
Never seriously. :redface: I once got turned around on a quarter of land, flat as a pan cake, all thick bush and a grey, sunless day. My GPS didn't seem to be right, but it did take me back to my truck.:) Most places I go, there are always geographic features to orient you, lost is never an issue. I always do carry essentials, just in case.

Grizz
 
It's funny how the mind plays tricks on you. One time I could have sworn the GPS was wrong but I followed it instead of my instincts and it was right and I was wrong - without it I would have been screwed.

I am now a big GPS fan - but I do carry a compass as well.
 
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