Survival Instructor Explains How to Find Your Way out of the Woods if you are Lost: New Technique
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
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and as always....
Stay in the Woods,
Dan
I'm 40 and I've been hunting all my life, one thing that I've noticed is that when you realize that you aren't where you thought you were, a sense of un-needed urgency kicks in. You walk faster, you panic to some extent whether you realize it or not. I think your advice to sit down and take a few minutes to compose yourself is definitely sound advice, thinking clearly is step one.
Absolutely. Panic is your enemy. Stay cool and use your brain.
Yep! I was a bit freaked out hunting and ran all around but was never more than 60yards from my truck lol
NEVER panic!
Facts
almost feels like you are being chased as well.
I’ll just take a bottle of Jack with me,my wife always seems to find me when I’m drinking.
🤣🤣
😂🤣😅🤣😂
My morning laugh. Thanks
Oh Yes wives do..
😂😂😂
Always look backward as you hike, especially where one geographical feature meets another.(You should be doing this anyways. It’s how I caught a mountain lion stalking me, and it probably saved my life). A WW2 Paratrooper taught me this trick. People think they’ll recognize terrain on their way back, but it’s a completely different view. It’s like looking at multiple faces just one time, and expecting to recognize them the next time you see the backs of their heads. Try to take mental snapshots every time you turn around and look at where you’ve been. I’ve been 20 miles off trail, into the Sierras, and never been lost or questioned myself. It worked when I was 16 and it still works at 45.
And never panic.
Good advice. Plenty of places up and down the Sierra’s to get lost in forever. Been trying but keep finding my way out.
Great advice, thanks for sharing!
Now that's eeal good advice! And you never know you could have to head back in a hurry in case of emergency so knowing what the path looks like can make it easier. Or if your going into unfamiliar territory mark the trees but on the back side so you can see them coming back.
I have the worst sense of direction and followed this advice yesterday navigating a town centre. It worked!
I do that but even one better, take some pictures with your phone when you look back. It's amazing how well mountains in the background can help guide you back. For example you see a peak in the distance between a saddle in nearby mountains or hills and it makes getting back easy. Just get to a point where that peak is between the saddle and move forward. I did this to find a hang glider years ago when I landed way out and had to hike to town but I wanted to be able to get my glider back. I didn't have gps options at the time. I'd have never found it without those pictures. I tried for a bit without using them but I was way off.
I was lost for 3 days in the woods of Oregon. As a former Marine I knew the basics of survival and the hardest thing was admitting I was lost. I used my shoe laces and belt to build a lean-to, found some dry wood as it was raining, as a smoker I was able to build a fire with my lighter and was good for the night. I was deep in the canyon by some water and nobody could hear me screaming. The next morning I heard chainsaws and started hiking to the sound of the saws. I finally found a logging road in the process. 4 hours later from hiking I realized I was hearing the echo of the chain saws and they were the other direction. I headed back the other direction but was still hearing an echo and found a place to hang out for the night. The next morning I tried again and finally found the loggers 5 hours later. His truck was open and I was so hungry I ate his lunch and drank almost all of his water. I found them on the hill and they gave me a ride to a camp that was being set up my a sheriff search party. It was a Monday and asked the Sheriff if I could call work to let them know I wouldn't be coming in to work. My employer didn't believe I was lost in the woods until the Sheriff took the phone and explained I was. My new nickname at work was Euell Gibbons...............that natural hippy dude from the 70s that ate bark and grape nuts or something. I still use it to this day.
Thanks for sharing
Euell Gibbons! Lmao! You are killing me 😂😂😂
Did the logger who gave you a ride ask "who tf ate my sandwich???"
🤣🤣🤣Just looked up Euell Gibbons, ‘you know the other day I ate some goose poop I found on my lawn’🤣👌
`Euell Gibbins book was 'Stalking the Wild Asparagus". He was into scavenging of wild plants.
I will never go camping without 2 different colors of yarn- like orange and yellow. They would make great markers for going into a forest, and it would alert searchers you had been on a particular path. As well as a reminder to me where I had traveled. Yarn is bright, biodegradable, and birds will use it later to line their nests. It’s also very light weight and super easy to pack. I got lost in a small forest I own, but when I saw the yarn I knew I was headed back in the same direction. I’d definitely do this if I stepped off a trail to use the bathroom. Might seem silly, but I know first hand it works.
And if you are bored you can knit a sweater😊
Cave explorers use a similar thing, rope or string.
My wife’s Grandpa spent many years as a surveyor in northern Canada. He always said the most important thing you could carry was a deck of cards. If you were ever lost you should sit down and deal a hand of solitaire, After a few minutes someone will pop over your shoulder and tell you the red 6 can go on the black 7. And when they do you pack up your cards and follow them out.
Did he literally do this or did he just say this?
Great story! 😂
Thatd be my method of choice!😁👍
Thanks for sharing, it's hilarious but it made me think that a deck of cards would also be a good set of "bread crumbs" when using the method in the video :)
@@w.harrison7277 LOL
“I've never been lost, but I was mighty turned around for three days once.” - Daniel Boone
Great video! Thanks for sharing this method. I’ll have to try it next time I get “mighty turned around.” 😀
If you're a man..you are never lost. You may not know where the fuck you are. But your never lost.
Teehee that's my philosophy, I'm never lost I'm just temporarily unsure of how to get where I'm going😉
Not all who wander are Lost.
@acyd burnone could say that includes religion. Faith comes without sight. 🤔
@acyd burn why I like Hunting..
You get still, you listen, dont move much..dont talk much at all and it goes on like that for several days.
Can be hard to do
I went off the trail with my family a few summers ago. They used the “Get pissed and start screaming at each other” method. Rule of thumb: If it doesn’t work at family holidays, it probably isn’t a good idea in the woods. On the bright side, politics didn’t come up.. I hike with friends now.
Here in the U.K. 'getting pissed' means getting very drunk. That's usually the British answer to every situation.
@@Hyperplaterine Here as you probably already know it just means becoming very angry. Thank goodness they weren’t drunk, I likely wouldn’t be here to tell this tale :P
I was lost in St. Stanislaus NF for about 2 hours, I was pert scared, alone with nobody to blame but myself. I yelled at myself but that didn't help.
@@unperson5713 you shouldn't have let yourself get away with disrespecting you. You should've sent yourself a very scathing and inflammatory letter. 😊
Yep .. as a workmate used to say ..
"You cannot pick your Family .. you can pick your Friends .. you can pick your Nose .. but don't try and pick your friends nose."
That came up close on 50 years ago .. thanks for the reminder 😁
My dad was a bit of a freak IMO. He could go out hunting (never use an actual “trail”) in the middle of the night. It would be pitch black with only a flashlight and after you had been in the woods for several hours you could ask him where the truck was and he could not only tell you the direction but also how many miles away it was. And to top it off he could also tell you if you were near a National park etc. He never carried and map or a compass. It was amazing. RIP dad.
A lot of people play piano, but not everyone is a Mozart. I wonder if your dad had a innate almost savant sense of space and direction. His brain ticked a little different than the rest of us. If so, he is the complete opposite of me. I get lost in a grocery store.
My cousin is the same way. You could walk him in the woods blind folded, spin him around in a circle 10 times and he'd still tell you which way is north. It's funny because I refer to him as a freak as well. Haha
Plot twist.
He died from exposure when lost.
@@pastorofmuppets8834 Dude. Show some respect.
@@DaveyKanabus as if that story is true. Show some respect for yourself.
Very useful technique. Two thoughts: 1. It helps to mark your path with a direction (arrow, etc.). I've encountered my own marks and not known whether to go right or left. 2. The biggest problem can be a trail that doesn't look much different from the surrounding terrain. I've crossed the trail without realizing it. Especially true with trails that fork along the way.
I was on a hunting trip about 20 years ago and I used a GPS to mark my camp location. I took off looking for a herd of caribou that had passed through the night before and about 3 hours later I decided to return to camp. I checked my GPS to get a bearing on the return route and much to my horror I discovered it was dead. The below-freezing temperature had killed the alkaline batteries in the GPS. I knew I was 3 hours from camp but that's a long way to take a chance walking with no markers or clear trail. So, I ended up warming up the batteries in my pocket, reinstalled them, and the GPS became functional again. I now use lithium batteries in the GPS. This is just another tip from someone who screwed up and learned the hard way.
Did you ever get home? Or are you still out there?
@@peedizzle5 😂😂😂😂 It's been a crap day. Thanks for the laugh.
I think you missed the lesson. You need a non tech method for finding your way. You can use tech to verify but total reliance on tech can get you in trouble.
@@writerconsidered Agreed. While a phone or GPS can get you out of a bind, they aren't foolproof, and definitely can fail on you at the worst possible time. I typically hike in alpine areas, so I always know that if I'm hopelessly lost, I either head straight up until I get to a vantage point, or straight down until I find a river. If I happen across a road in the mean time, bonus! Even if it's a disused dirt track, it means I can probably find my bearings again and get back on course.
ALWAYS....ALWAYS have spare batteries. Shouldn't hunt alone for that matter.
As I'm traveling in strange areas I have a habit of looking behind me to see where I've been. This has helped me numerous times to get back to where I've started out as I have "memorized" the images of what it looks like to go back the other way. This works when walking around big cities too.
Absolutely. In strange surroundings I always do the same.
I used to work in Marine Nav Aids engineering. This would often involve visiting small coastal Beacons which were generally in remote locations. Humping heavy equipment and batteries to site over rough ground or rocky foreshores was not always easy but in daylight it was easy to find your way back. However the work also entailed making night observations of the beacons from suitable land points. So you scout the location by day and return after dark. The problem of darkness is you can only see to the range of your flashlight, so any landmarks you unconsciously used in daylight are gone. I would frequently look back to keep a mental image of my way out. It paid off on more than one occasion.
Cheers matey.
@Eugene Thaden. You've nailed it. I'll choose a tree to start from and then pick one to head to, looking back to see the tree from whence I came.
Things look very different going the opposite direction.
This saved me today. I always do it on walks. Trail was terribly marked and I had no idea where I was. Just backtracked, relying on key images I remembered while looking behind me on the way in. Saved my ass. Still dunno where that dang lean to is supposed to be though.
Such a good practice not often spoken about...Turn around often look for and talk about the notable features to create a "way home" memory guide make a note if it helps.
👍
Not a hunter myself but have done a fair amount of hiking and backpacking. And with all due respect, there's a much simpler way. I read about this somewhere, I've used it and it works. You use a SPIRAL pattern. Start from where you're standing, choose whether you want to go clockwise or counterclockwise, whichever you're more comfortable with and you simply walk in ever-widening circles from where you're standing.. An ever-widening spiral in other words. That way you're covering all the compass points at once and you will hit the trail eventually. Much more efficient and less time-consuming than walking in straight lines and then having to retrace if you choose the wrong direction which is an inherent flaw in the ray technique which otherwise has some logic to it. But the spiral method is much faster. And if if darkness and/or dropping temps are closing in on you really don't want to be messing around. But thanks for the video.
I think that might work if you're not too lost. That can probably work within a few hours. But if you're out there for days, you just might end up making things worse for yourself. Plus, you do not have the advantage of a "camp" as a constant reference point and place of safety.
Don't use a spiral method. Frankly it has zero merit in my opinion. Using a spiral method at no point are you 'not lost'. At least using the method in the video you always have knowledge of your start point and an ability to make rational search decisions based on that knowledge.
@@grahampalmer I agree. And if you’re in the woods or on uneven terrain, there’s no way to know if you’re going in a spiral or not. Silly idea.
@@joeprimal2044 lt is silly, though in a way it could work in reverse, given most people think they're travelling in a straight line when they're going in circles, maybe thinking you're going in widening circles forces you into a straight line. /S
@@Bearwithme560 🤔 In that case some tequila might help. 😂
My ex and I went on a hike on a longish trail that basically circumnavigated a large chunk of parkland. We weren't paying enough attention to the time of day so we set off on a 2nd circuit when we should've just stayed put or gone for dinner. It was getting pretty dark and we both had that "oh crap, we're lost" moment when what we saw on the map I was carrying made us believe we should've already been back at the parking lot. It occurred to me that during our first time 'round, two of the small valleys we passed through looked almost identical so I figured we were actually still in the 1st valley and had mistaken it for the 2nd in the twilight (there were 2 or 3 landmarks we needed to tell which valley we'd entered, but in the rapidly failing light couldn't see them because they were a few miles off). We decided to agree that we were actually in the 1st valley -- I was 90% sure, she was 95% not believing me -- and began to alternately jog/walk quickly according to the map. We got back to the parking lot just about the time it became too dark to see more than a few inches ahead. It pays to pay attention to the time of day as much as it does to pay attention to things like landmarks AND the similarities/differences of parts of a trail.
so close to being an interesting MrBallen story ..
In the 1960s I spent 2 weeks at the Ten Mile River Boy Scout Camp in New Jersey. I completely screwed up a map reading exercise and got lost. I didn't know about the ray method but I did exactly what the Boy Scout Handbook said to do. Once I decided I was lost I stayed put, started building a lean-to type shelter out of dead branches and was starting to work on a fire pit (about 2 hours after deciding to stay put) when I started to hear my name being called and my scout troop found me. Such a great organization. Such a crime that it was ripped apart by vultures.
You mis-spelled vultures.. it's spelled 'Democrats'.
@@philip6419 you sir, are part of the problem with what is wrong with this country. You think all conservatives are just great, don't you?
@@j.dragon651 Make your point, sir.. and be specific.
@@philip6419 Do you believe everything wrong with this country is the democrats fault, if so, I rest my case. The Republican party has gone off the deep end and represent the rich. The Democrats have gone off the deep end and represent the "poor". Here I am, a white middle class, blue collar worker with no one to represent me. We need a third party for the middle class of all persuasions. Good enough for ya?
@@j.dragon651 No. You've been sucked in by the MainStream Media who are an extension of the Democrat party. Basically, THEY cater to the rich while lying that it's the Republicans. Its not that hard.. look at the MSM how they attack everything conservatives do and elevate everything Left. The Left is for BIG government intervention in everyones life, usually through FEAR. Climate change.. the earth is going to burn-up in 5 yrs. or the Virus.. MUST be vaccinated.. Blacks need protection from whites, kids from their parents, LGBT from straight, etc! Give these victims 'free stuff'.. THEN they own you. IF you really want to know what's going on without being gaslighted by the Left, read a true conservative media outlet.. like 'Breitbart News' or 'Townhall'. Don't be a Zombie!
Awesome Dan! I learned the “Ray” or “Bearings” method in woodland survival school USMC - early 90s. Never gets old hearing it again. Good job man!
Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and you will be saved. john 3:16 (share the good news of the gospel around the world!) have a wonderful day/night, may the Lord bless you all, and farewell!,.,,,,,,
ERRAH, Teufel Hunden.
Patrol maps are always fun as well.
Semper Fi. I'm on planet earth. I cant get lost. Lol.
something that's good to have is a watch in this scenario, check it when you leave the trail, and when you notice you're lost you can check how much time it will take roughly to get back to the trail.
mark the place where you lost yourself with a specific mark and then mark your trail as you try to find your way back, you can keep checking the watch on how far you'll have to go to get back, if you're not back by the rough time estimate, go back to base and repeat the process in another direction, depending how far you've walked will determine for how long you can be possibly lost, if you calculate in how many directions you need to walk from base you can rough out how long you might end up being lost and you can start to prepare yourself for that.
but the best alternative would obviously be to try be preventative so you don't get lost in the first place, the usual way would be to take a mental note of landmarks or look at the position of the sun and knowing how the sun travels across the sky and basing your directions off that.
there's a couple more ways but i can't remember them, there's a really good one about moss allways growing on the north side of trees i think that can help you atleast giving you some direction.
The moss thing is only helpful in some areas. If you're in Washington or Oregon, the moss grows on all sides of the trees!
@Do no harm true and you get access to drinkable water which can become an issue if it becomes a prolonged situation, so that can be really helpful.
My husband and I went with a friend to a social event. We very quickly realized the ickyness of the majority of other attendees and decided to leave. But we were deep into a huge multiple neighborhood housing tract..like a maze. It took a couple of hours but we followed the shadows made by the sun to determine direction and made it to a main street and caught a bus home. Whew! That was a close one!
What the heck are you talking about? Lol
I learned Survival Techniques in Boy Scouts, then again in the Army. I used to PRAY to somehow get lost in some HUGE woods where I could use these techniques. The closest I ever came was having to spend 3 days alone in the woods with NO (brought-in) shelter...(no sleepoing bag, no tent, etc) and only one small bag of dried/prepared food. We had to start and maintain a fire, and demonstrate a food-catching trap/snare/fish-cone etc. (This was for the "Order of the Arrow" in the Boy Scouts. ) That sash with the Red Arrow meant a lot more to me than any of the merit badges I'd earned...
Go ahead & sign up for a show like Naked & Afraid or Alone.
I carry a roll of blaze orange surveyors tape in my survival day pack just for this kind of thing (marking trails, waypoints, turns, etc.) 🍺
Damn good idea. I believe I'll start doing the same. Thanks.
I do as well. I also make sure to never leave it if it is a one time use kind of thing.
Where do you get that tape?
@@wms72 Various colors available at most hardware stores. It is not really tape. Not sticky. Just a roll of about 3/4 inch plastic ribbon.
Thank you!!!
A while back when I was in the Marine Corps, we got in the habit when on patrol to turn back and check behind you. There’s more then one reason why, but to my point, it helps with recognizing the terrain in which you came from. It also really helps with your sense of direction, as long as you know what compass bearing you’re walking in the first place. Now I’ve used this method many of times when hunting in new areas, and well i haven’t gotten lost yet, because I always knew where I came from.
Hi Dan, as always thank you for all the tips !!!
Also while in the middle of no where watch where the sun is, make mental pictures in your head of your area you're walking in. IF you DO decide to go off a trail, place markers every so often as your hikeing, then that will help you find your way back to the main trail.
I spent 17 yrs in the Pine Barrens, in New Jersy, esp. in the National Forests. It's best to STAY ON THE TRAILS or one can get lost very quickly and all you have mostly is sand and Pine trees.
IF you go off trail, pay close attention to where your going, do the above and always look behind you from time to time as you want to make sure nothing is following you, esp. hungry animals !
IF CAN let a trusted someone know where your going, what route you'll take and when you'll be back. Call that person (s) when you return safe. That way IF something happens, you don't come back, help will have a good general direction on starting to look for you. USE your rations wisely ! You never know how long your food/water may have to last. Carry a 1st Aide Kit too.
Better to have 'it' and not need it then to NEED IT and not have it.
In 1972 I was following a trail around part of a mountain in northern California, when I realized there was no more trail. It had diminished to a game trail then down to nothing detectable. When I realized this the trail was already GONE. I had NOTHING on me, not even a pocket knife. The sun was going down. I started to feel panic, ran "back" down to he non-existent trail, the back and forth. THEN I calmed myself down, assessed my situation. I was on a heavily wooded and fairly steep mountain slope. To conserve my strength, I proceeded back the general direction from which I had come WHILE CLIMBING HIGHER at a 15° angle or so. If I cut the trail, great, but if I didn't, it would be much easier to alter my angle downward than climb upward after I was already tiring out.
I proceeded about 300 to 500 yards that way, then changed to a 15° downward slope in the same general direction. I finally cut the trail. It was an uneventful trek back on the now well defined trail, even in the gathering dusk. My fallback position was to simply spend a cold night there, truck down to the base of the mountain where I knew there was a river, then follow the river to the town where the friends I was visiting lived.
In the process TWO very important things happened: 1) I realized I needed at a bare minimum a way to make fire and cutting tool (these have been in my pocket ever since, except during basic military training), and 2) I started studying primitive survival skills, a "lite" version of which is called "bushcraft" these days. I say "lite", because outdoor survival enthusiasts in the 1970s had a different view, not to mention various benchmark tasks, the ultimate of which being the "naked into the wilderness" challenge. They meant that quite literally. It was sort of your doctoral dissertation on survival skills. I don't know too many that actually accomplished that one, but the one I do know of wrote an article with photos. He was dropped off on a mountain, in winter, with a couple of feet to much more of snow, and literally naked - no clothing or shoes/boots... Naked. The car that brought him left, and it would not return for two weeks. This was before wireless phones or GPS, so he was truly ALONE to survive or die in the next two weeks. Just him and his camera. Not many were confident enough to attempt this.
I read the article and saw his photos, so I know he survived. The truly interesting part was his choices he made, and his account of challenges and solutions. Standing there in snow well over his ankles (his first photo), watching his ride leave, the first order of business was to get something between his bare feet and the snow. Pine tree bark was harvested as a sole and natural cordage (cambion layer? vine? don't recall) used to lash it to his foot & ankle to create expedient sandals. (His second photo.) Next was shelter, as night was approaching: clothing could wait if a shelter could be fashioned to get him out of the wind. Then a fire. And so it went. Two weeks later he was in pretty good shape when he was picked up. He was fully clothed in animal skins, winter moccasins on his feet, and several necessary tools carried or hung on him. That man had bragging rights! I'm sorry I cannot provide a citation, but it has been too long. Someone see if you find it online. I have the skills just not the time to research it.
Read Calvin Rutstrum's _Paradise Below Zero_ for a good old school account of living in cold winter climates. It changed my views on winter hiking and camping. There is also _Bushcraft_ by Richard Graves, (c1972, 2013), which was the first time (mid- to late 1970s) that I encountered the term "Bushcraft", and in a book by an Australian. My "old school" favorites are Bradford Angier's _How to Stay Alive in the Woods_, _How to Eat in the Woods_, _On Your Own in the Wilderness_ (with Townsend Whelen), and/or _Livimg Off the Country: How to Stay Alive in the Woods_. As a reviewer pointed out, after those books, it would be difficult to starve in the wilderness. I agree. My challenges, though not nearly as extreme, were desert trekking and survival. Mountains and forests were not difficult, but I am basically nocturnal, and I have been since childhood. I can tolerate much colder temps than the average person, too. Conversely, heat and strong sunlight are incredibly uncomfortable, even painful to me. So I decided to master desert trekking in my early 20s, and I did. Once away from the "tourist areas", as we used to call prepared campgrounds and maintained hiking trails, the clothes came off and into the backpack. Many of us hiked naked or just in a pair of cutoff blue jean shorts. Hiking boots with good wool socks, of course, as well as a belt with a sheath knife, canteen, and utility pouch (the Vietnam era dual magazine pouch was my preference). I knew one girl, cute blond from the Caribbean, that hiked the Colorado mountains barefoot (feet were tough as leather), topless, and no sleeping bag, just a sort of sarape carried over her shoulder and a large woven purse like a haversack. I'm sure there are still minimalist backwoods trekkers out there, but nothing like those on YT showing off their 75 pounds INCH bags. Being able to resupply almost at will these days has made people soft and inconsiderate of their equipment.
If there ever is a lasting wide scale disaster like an EMP attack, deleting electricity for years if not generations, I believe the analysts that project 90% fatality rate in the US. We, myself included these days, are simply not accustom to the rigors of sustained outdoor life. I have the skills, I have the health, but I do not have the legs or the stamina I once had, being 70 and battling Lyme disease for well over a decade. That is thanks to my times trekking and dealing with mosquitoes, chiggers, TICKS, and the occasional reptile. It was bacteria from a tick that changed my life. However, in an ultimate societal meltdown, I would still head for the desert with a pack far lighter than most would believe could sustain a person. Why the desert, when I said it was my least favorite environment? Because the vast majority of people are terrified of heading out into a waterless wasteland, or so they perceive it to be. When I first trekked the Southwest deserts andm badlands, I was surprised at the amount of game sign. There were tracks of birds, deer, coyote, and snakes everywhere. If you follow the concentrations of those trails, and if you are very lucky, it will lead you to water. Just do not randomly cut open a cactus, as some "survival" manuals or experts have suggested. Many are a bit poisonous to humans, since our systems are not designed to deal with them, and even the ones we can tolerate are so much work for so little liquid, that it is a zero sum game. No benefit, except in the a true emergency. Learn to make a solar still and carry the less than 8 ounces of materials to make one. Learn the many other skills needed to survive there, as well. There are a number of books specifically on desert survival. The books I site above will handle the remaining areas of the US. I've studied primitive survival and bushcraft off and on for well over 40 years. It is never too early to start... or too late.
I went to high school in Amherst MA, which is unusual in having a wilderness survival course in the curriculum. Angier's "Survival With Style" was one of the required books. I still remember that 40+ years on.
@@septegram _Survival With Style_ was my all time favorite! I usually cite it, and I probably forgot, since I had the other Angier books on my screen, about to order copies for old time sake.
My other favorite was Larry Dean Olson's book _Outdoor Survival Skills_. He taught a survival course at Brigham Young University in Utah. He said he could not find a book he wanted to use in his course (around the early to mid 1970s), so he wrote that book. It was the FIRST survival book I ever found with color photos of the plants he described for foraging and medicine. Still have a copy... somewhere in storage.
As the old timers used to say, "Keep your eyes on the skyline and your nose in the wind."
Best, Michael from Texas
Thanks for the book list. It’s always good to go anywhere prepared with the “tools” you think you may need. Cause if shit gets ugly, or you break down, or get stuck on the side of a mountain or get into a beef with some city bum, it’s always nice to know you got your “friends” on ya. Just a few things I carry allowed me to sleep the night at 9,000 ft after my motorcycle and I ran out of energy. And in the city at night that strobe light flashlight seemed to detour a couple of wouldbes.... yeah alway be prepared . Save lives protect life’s and come out with your skin and a tale to tell.
Too long. I got confused and lost
@@joebruin2910 Look up "nootropics", i.e. brain boosters. They can help with that cognitive lag, as well as memory.
It WAS a bit long winded, but I didn't get lost, and I'm 70 friggin years old.
I've been in the bush and decided to backtrack over easier terrain than that encountered on the way in. Confident I knew where the trail should be I've set out with no concern, only to find the trail was elusive. Ultimately, by adjusting my heading toward my known prior path, I've ended up near to my hoped for destination. This is on short excursions too. It's taught me that dead reckoning is easily off by 20 to 30 degrees from what you think. Over a long distance this is very significant. Always look back behind you when hiking and find a reference point from that perspective for your return trip. Doesn't work in level terrain, but great in the hills and mountains.
An important trick not many people know about are Ant Hills, the shape of the hill actually indicates north / south because of the ant's sensitivity to sunlight they build their mounds in specific ways to capture heat in the mornings. With an Ant hill there is always a steeper side, and the most steep angled side is generally always pointing north, where as the less steep side which usual has the entrance is always pointing south.
Interesting
I am never lost while out in the field, I have been “geographically misoriented”. Or while doing military long range land nav, I have been “geographically embarrassed”. Your technique example is a simple but great way to regain your “geographical alignment”. Lol. RLTW/DOL 🇺🇸
Another good trick to remember: look at the shape of a tree. Slowly walk around it. Usually the branches facing South, grow a little longer than the rest, since they get more sunlight throughout the growing season. This way you can determine your compass if you didnt carry one with you.
Or shove a stick in the ground and see how the shadow is cast: The direction the shadow grows and becomes longer should be East
Spanish Moss I believe also tends to grow more prominantly on the north side of trees
@@lespretend That's good information to have, but in areas like Utah, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, and the Chihuahuan Desert in general (which would include Northern Mexico), it would be difficult to find running water above ground, let alone moss growing on trees..
@@lespretend Doesn't work if you're in a high humidity / high rainfall location, the moss covers any and all sides of the tree without any recognizable pattern. Especially in dense forest where the canopy provides constant shade down below.
If you're in an area where there's enough sunlight getting down to the forest floor, you're better off determining your compass direction by noting the position of the sun and the current time of day. Or jab a stick into the ground, mark where the end of the shadow reaches with a pebble, then wait 30 minutes and mark the new end of the shadow with another pebble. The line formed between the pebbles is east-west.
That doesn’t work if you get lost in the Disney World parking lot.
Depends on if you are in the southern or in the northern hemisphere. If someone from Australia goes by this he is going the wrong way tho
This a great technique. As a former Scout leader, I used to tell my Scouts that when they were lost and had no idea where they were to just sit down and wait because we would be coming for them. But I also taught them the "triangulation" technique for finding where they were and how to get back to the trail. This required them to have a detailed map of the area as well as a compass, which they all did because I required them to have those items. They simply had to locate two, or preferably three, landmarks on their map and then take the compass readings to those landmarks, plot it on their map, and where the plots intersected, that's where they were. Then they would know the direction that they should go.
Triangulation is great, but doesn't work well in woods, as normally there are no landmarks to identify.
"I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks." - Daniel Boone
My uncle was a professional geologist who often scouted new mining sites. When we went out he would find prominent feature and hang large very visible banners that could be seen from many locations. He always marked his trail to new sites and wrote them down. He said he was extra cautious because he was so stupid he’d get lost going from the kitchen to the dinner table. He taught me to look at features on a map then compare them to familiar streets and buildings at home to get a perspective on size and distance. Finally, his big lesson was even with map and compass, if you haven’t been to a location before and are familiar with it you are basically lost and shouldn’t kid yourself.
Been hunting and hiking all my life. Only been truly lost once for a few hours. Worst feeling ever until I got lucky and happened onto a road by total random accident. This technique is definitely going to increase your chances of getting "un-lost". Thank you for sharing!
Dan'l Boone was once asked if he'd ever been lost. He answered no, but he was once a might bewildered for three days.
Good to know, thanks! Would have been handy to know as a kid lol. My parents used to let my little sister and I, ages 9 and 5, roam the woods in National Parks and we got "lost" a few times😂 In Yosemite we ended up in a marshy forest, almost dark, but I knew where the main road was so we picked our way through since we would have truly been lost had I tried to navigate us around it. Got lost in yellowstone, in the dark, in the campground, ran into a black bear and ended up treed on top of a metal sliding board at a playground until it wandered off😆 But that was good since the playground was one of my landmarks. Got "lost" at Gunnison but found the reservoir way down below the cliff we were on so again, landmark. I think you pay better attention to your surroundings when you know nobody is gonna come looking for you and you're on your own. It's a wonder we are both still alive cuz I was no Jim Bridger 😄 Fun times!
Great advice! I would only add another mark to number each ray, and the direction from my starting point, so I don't get them all mixed up. I think I would also draw a little map, to record remarkable features I find along each ray. Thanks!
I feel like this can be applied in a lot of situations of being lost. Even a child lost in a store could use this. Very good succinct video with good examples.
Growing up and hunting in PA. The one thing my dad taught me was if you get “turned around”. Find a stream and follow it down stream. Eventually it will cross a road. Sit your a - - down and eventually a carv will come by.
Exactly right. If you're ever truly lost or in unknown territory, walk downhill until you find water. Follow the water. It'll eventually lead you to people.
@@jamesb2291 Idk man, aren't woods usually thickest around rivers? Also you could be in a narrow would, which would mean you'd walk for days along the riverbed, which happens to be the only place where the woods are thick, bit could've gotten out in an hour by just walking away from it. It depends on how humid of an area you're in I suppose.
Very helpful. Makes the bulk/weight of carrying a roll of trail marking tape totally justifiable.
As someone who just stumbled upon this video I was wondering how to mark the trees. So you buy special tape to mark then with?
@@theeggtimertictic1136 yes. It's on a roll; thin, brightly colored plastic about 1" wide, NOT sticky/adhesive. Usually available in orange, pink, yellow, or green. Just tear off a length and tie it onto whatever you want to mark. Usually found in camping accessories area of sporting goods section of store. Hope this helps.
@@FidoHouse Yes thanks I've just Googled it ... handy to have 👍
@@theeggtimertictic1136 or toilet paper.
You can blaze a trail w/o orange tape. Pick a direction, walk 25 paces, lay a branch on the ground in the direction you are heading or use your heel to draw an arrow on the ground. Walk in the same direction another 25 paces, look back at the last mark to ensure your are still heading in a straight line, use your heel or lay a branch and continue. Ray Charles could follow that blaze back to your base camp.
First time I got misplaced was as a teenager, I was with a mate. We stopped pulled out the map realized we must have taken a fork, went back found the main track had become over grown at the fork and we had missed it. The lessons, always have a map and when it looks wrong it probably is - go back, sort it out.
Which is helpful if you know your map is accurate. However it gets tricky when your map differs from the trail head map. Which is the most up to date?? From experience I would take a photo of the map at the trail head so if it starts to look like yours is wrong then you have a fall-back
@@susie9893 that's a good idea, we all carry phones with cameras now.
Good advice on how to avoid leaving the woods
This is a good method. I've done similar without the bread crumbs by noting small features but that's sketchy if everything looks similar. This is a much better way to insure success. Getting lost can happen to anyone. The trees all look similar and block your view of outside landmarks, the sun/sky is obscured. Multiple trails that look the same and crisscrossing each other lacking markers. You're tired and possibly dehydrated. Never say never. I hike regularly in such areas with my dog and every once in a while I still get momentarily turned around and ask my Labrador which way to go. She has to take over, lol.
Really good advice to stop and calm down. I like this method. 👍👍
As you walk 'out' you need to keep looking back and orienting yourself, making sure you recognise the 'look of the land' and seeing your blazes from the perspective of the return trip. Of course, a mapping GPS is pretty handy too! ;)
He never said how to make the blazes.
The one time I got lost in the woods, I got to high ground. Was able to shoot azimuths to landmarks and triangulate my position on my map. One tip for finding direction: moss is typically heaviest on the North side of trees.
As a ride-share driver, I was frequently in areas new to me. My mantra was "I'm not lost, I just don't know where I am." Once I could get back to a known point of reference, everything was good.
Been hiking and camping my whole life. Getting lost is an alien concept to me.
“Lost?…Lost? I ain’t never been lost, fearsome confused for a month or two. But I ain’t never been lost…” Henry Frapp
I think you might want to add that you should mark both sides of the tree so you can find you way back to base camp easier.
He did say that actually
It's worth mentioning that this method also makes it easier for rescuers to find you, as long as your markers are clear a rescuer can follow them to your camp
I hope the people who need this lesson learn it.
Good Point!!! Always study a map or bring your compass.
When I went solo hiking last summer in Alpine National Park in Victoria, Australia, just south of Mt Buller, I went in knowing that if I lost the trail (which did end up happening) and all else fails, I had two ways I could go to bugout: Up the hill to where I could get to a vantage point and reorient myself (I could quite easily see the Mt Buller Ski Area for most of my trek, so I had a prominent landmark) or stumble across a road/trail on the way there, or down towards the creek/river, which I knew there was a trail running alongside it so I'd be able to get back to base-camp easily enough. If for whatever reason a fire came through (a very real possibility here in Australia), those were also my two options, depending on exactly where I was, and where the fire was. Failing all of that, I did have a Personal Rescue Beacon within easy reach in case I got really disoriented or injured myself.
Fortunately, even though I lost the trail, I didn't need either of these plans. I had my phone on me with GPS, so I was able to zigzag my way along where I knew the trail should be until I got spat out at the road I would have ended up at any way if I had successfully followed the trail.
I also knew that the particular area where did I end up losing the trail was badly overgrown, and also on a steep descent, making it difficult to backtrack if I needed to. So I decided to push on, and it turned out fine. If I didn't have my phone on me, I would have gotten out a compass and roughly followed it until I hit the road I was aiming for. It was also just around midday, so I wasn't in a rush either and had plenty of water on me.
This was something that I taught in the marines for land nav, but I also drilled into everyone’s head that nature provides its own compasses, you just need to look for them! The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, moss will grow on the norther side of trees. And such so each individual that knows this should also know about counting ones paces, and that x times the average foot step (30”) equals how many yards or miles traveled. The other thing they should always look out for is line of sight, (rock formations, mountains, large trees and abnormal things) to help maintain direction
When my daughter was little (back in the 1980s) I told her that if she's ever lost in the woods to remember that the polar axis of the satellite dishes always point north. She understood the joke. :)
got spun around in the northwoods of WI. middle of nowhere hunting in winter conditions. the initial panic of realizing i was lost was something i'll never forget. such a deep fear. lasted about a minute until i talked myself out of it by going through the things i had on me. shotgun, knife, lighter, warm clothes. knew i could hunt my way out if needed be. eat snow for water, hunt small game, birds, rabbits, or squirrels. luckily i came across an old logging road. logically i should've went to the right on that road. but my gut (intuition) was screaming to go left. i trusted my gut and walked a mile and a half down the road to safety. otherwise if i had gone to the right i would've walked deeper into the forest. trust your gut.
Today we’re gonna be drawing smiley faces lol. I lost it had me in tears from laughing so hard. Was not expecting that at all. Love the videos and great advice as all your videos are. Thank you for all you do
Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and you will be saved. john 3:16 (share the good news of the gospel around the world!) have a wonderful day/night, may the Lord bless you all, and farewell!,.,,,,,,
When entering any area, develop a decent working knowledge of the ley of the land first, I.e., where important landmarks/locations/destinations are in relation to each other, with specific attention paid as to which direction one key area is in general relation to another. So if lost and having no map, as well as using the method presented in this video, you could use the suns east-west direction to better help you navigate. Great tips in this video and in the comments for all levels of survivalism, beginner to master class.
Yup. This is how I found my way outa snowy woods once. Landmarks get blurred as do trails but knowing where I needed to be and the sun's position in relation to myself and there was all I needed to find my way out.
It doesn't take much to note these things and so helpful if you do get lost (I was going to write: if the worst happens, but then realised much worse things can happen than being lost and I think that's something good to bear in mind if you ARE lost "Well at least I'm not injured, I can still walk my way outa this")
Walking over a hill is more strenuous, so it’s always the right direction and you can see further from there. Otherwise you would walk in a circle
When you said "ray navigation" I immediately thought you meant making a small smokey fire in a forest where you cant see the sun directly, and using the slanted sun rays to get your compass bearings, as the rays of light will always slant towards the sun. Thus giving you at least some indication where the sun is in the sky to help with directions. In the morning it will point you east and in the evening it would point west but at mid-day when the sun is almost directly above, it would give you your south direction as the sun always (in the northern hemisphere) hangs in the south side of the sky and the rays would be slanted that direction even if slightly.
My mistake.
Although the version I came up with just now is also a brand new technique like yours is, and could be used in conjunction with yours to maybe fine tune the process of getting out :)
Yes, great thinking. Or you could get a Viking sunstone and do the same thing.
I thought the same thing!
So happy you made this video. As I hike I periodically turn around and take a photo. When reaching a beach I photograph were the trail mouth is. But I still got lost once. Called 911 and S&R tracked my phone so they could come n get me. But thanks to video advice from you and Cpl Shawn I was equipped to wait in relative comfort and could have spent the night.
this reminds me of a favorite phrase, work smarter not harder. thank you for this advice. I hope to never use it but very helpful through simple methods
The reluctance to use the "L" word reminds me of a line that the Brian Keith character had in the "Mountain Man" movie with Charlton Heston. At a 'Rendez-vous', he was asked by a woman "Goodness! Don't you ever get lost out there in the wilderness all alone?" "Lost?" he replied, "No. I was powerful confused for a few months, but never lost".
That's a Dan'l Boone saying!
Back in the days of celestial navigation, I was asked by a world renowned sailor if I ever got lost. My response, “No, but every once in a while I wasn’t where I thought I was.” 😉
Instead of cutting the 🌲 I use surveyor tape in a bright color like Orange around the 🌲 at eye level
Sooo ... you went into the forest planning to get lost?
@@timd8470 no I didn't plan on it but as a scout motto goes always B prepared
My wife and I are closing on our first house today, and we’ll have 5 acres of woods in the back with endless woods behind that. Lucky for me, our house is directly north of the woods, so for the most part, I can rely on the moss on the trees to get me home.
Fantastic walkthrough on using your brain, not panicking, and getting yourself out. The only thing that I would add is that if you have the ability to at the end of any ray, leave something not "natural" at eye level (a part of cloths or T.P.). This will make the search and rescue peoples job easier. They may find your camp, follow your ray trail back to you known location or be able to centralize their search area. I love the outdoors and hate seeing trash left by hikers, but I bet I would hate to find an expired person more. you can always go back and grab your trail markers after you are sure of your location again.
Good ideas! I'll offer another that fits some contexts. A friend of mine and I took longer climbing a mountain that we'd planned and we faced about two miles of poorly marked trail to get back to our car. The only flashlight we had soon went out, leaving us in some very dark woods. No problem though. The trail we couldn't see followed a stream, so we kept descending, keeping it on our left. We hit the road in the valley, crossed a bridge, and there was a car. Usually, there's not a convenient stream to mark a route. But when there is, take advantage of it.
Any time I'm out in the woods I always take a deck of cards. If I happen to get lost, the plan is to relax, sit down and start playing solitaire. Never fails, before I'm halfway through the game someone always shows up to tell me a play. I just get directions from them.
And if after a couple days no one shows up, you can use that deck of cards as your blaze. Or just die.
Thank you for this Video, I will try to remember this in times of need!
I am one of those People whose point if references doesn't work very well...I get lost in a building, unless I am able to look out of a window to get my bearings.
Yes, I have been lost in my very own 14 acres of woods, and since I do have neighbors on two sides of me it was easy to just look for clearances or roofs of buildings to get to our main road.
I have also been lost in other areas before, so NOW I try to use the Sun 🌞 as a reference point.
If you know the road goes from East to West, in a clearing make yourself a sundial with anything you have on hand.
Then wait a little while and watch the shadow on the ground or the trees AROUND you move in the westerly direction.
You then know the direction the road is on.
Then you mark the area you are now walking just in case you have to back track.
Do this the Moment you realize you are lost, to prevent going deeper into unknown territory.
Also look for Moss on trees...they Generally only grow on the north side of trees.
If you see Moss in front of you on trees you probably are heading north to northwest.
So I found for myself, I deal better with navigation via the Sun 🌞.
You have to find what works best for you, for yourself!
Brilliant! This could save time and lives.
I quite literally needed this in June. I was lost for 9 days in the Snoqualmie national forest. This video feels like a personal attack, but I also can't help but laugh.
My Dad was a guide-outfitter. My Mom, kids and I often went mushroom picking in the forest with him. One of the times we went out, my kids were preteen and there were a lot of little hills and we changed direction often. My Dad told everyone to stop and point to where the road would be. We were all like a sun with rays pointing in all directions! (Yes, my ray pointed to the road).
You said, "blazes"[?], like, a hundred times.
And I still don't know what one is.
A blaze is a visual marker, e.g. a bright orange piece of string.
The term 'trailblazer' is the process of finding a new trail and marking it out with blazes.
Hope that helps
@@MooGoshi I always thought a trailblazer is like someone who is just hauling ass down a trail. Just fuckin blazin’ a trail. Like Naruto sprinting thru the woods. Lmao
@@beef4847 To be honest I like your definition better 😀
Another good tip. Dont walk for miles in any place you could possibly become disoriented and get lost forever.
I have always gotten lost easily, so I don't trust myself in the bush. I love this method. I think I will feel much more comfortable venturing into the woods. Thanks!
Sounds simple, but to those who might overlook this. Make sure you blaze both sides of the tree.
3.20 and I'm already clicking 'like'. Controlled radial exploration until you find the way. Exceed your estimation by 1/3 and repeat until trail found. Easy as hell and totally beyond most folks reasoning skills, myself very much included. I'm pretty clued in for the majority, but I seriously doubt ever considering this elimination process. Brilliant and extremely helpful for all but the most seasoned woods folk. Thank you, highly valuable technique.
I got lost bad on a solo hiking trip off the Salmon River in Idaho this past summer. If I would have freaked out I definitely would have just gotten much more lost. Always stay calm.
You've undoubtedly given us something that could save a life one day. Never panic is what I would say to everyone who gets to have this happen at some point in their life. Never.
These titles are coalcracking me up. I wonder if Dan is a professional in his field?
Survival instructor does have a good ring to it, but we get it man. You get respect from the knowledge you exhibit more than the title you carry.
Well, doesn’t Dan actually run a school for survival instruction? Oh yeah, he does.
Definitely a great tool to keep in your pocket. We taught a very similar strategy to our younger recon groups
If anyone needed this video, it's me. I always thought North was whatever direction I was facing!😆...until my coworkers started laughing at me... I have no sense of direction, I got lost on a hike today, started on Red trail and ended up on Orange... no idea how that happened. Anyway thanks so much for this, this information is worth it's weight in gold. One day I'm want to take a course at coalcrackerbushcraft school!😉
My brother and I got lost while hunting a couple years ago. This was due to an overcast sky and not shadows, where we live in Canada, the sun is low in the sky in the fall and it's pretty easy to tell direction from looking at the Sun...unless it's cloudy. Now, I always carry a compass in the woods.
Good video and plenty of sound information. As a hiker who regularly ventures into the pre-Pyrenees mountains in northern Catalonia, I have always used the acronym STOP: Sit, Think, Observe and Plan. It is easy to remember and it helps to avoid that sense of instinctual panic. Thankfully, I have never gotten truly lost. However, remaining calm can often make the difference between a quick resolution and a very serious situation.
Great idea and very useful, I've been lost for a few hours in a forest in Scotland but know that panic is the last thing, finally after retracing my steps several times I made back to my camp, but without knowing about this technique, thank you.
Great advice, simple, sound, and effective in my opinion
Magnetic north is moving rapidly, but a compass is still a really good instrument to have.
Neewe Technique: Walk in every possible direction every possible distance. Brilliant.
Brilliant! Simple yet so brilliant!
I was told by someone very experienced in Wilderness survival that you become lost in the woods just start playing with yourself and somebody will find you.
When I was about 4 or 5 years old our puppy ran out the door and off into the woods. I chased after him one, not wanting to get in trouble for letting the dog out, and two to get my dog. It was winter time because I remember snow on the ground. My brother and I played in the woods all the time so I was confident in finding my way around.
After a while of chasing my dog I lost him. I was cold and wet at this point and decided the best thing would be to go home. When I started to look around I realized I was lost!!! I remembered being taught 2 things if you get lost. 1. Stay where you are and wait for help. 2. Walk in a straight line and you will eventually come to a road or trail ext.
Because I was cold and wait I did not think it was a good idea to wait so I picked a direction I thought was the way I came and started walking. It wasn't long before I saw a clearing and headed towards it. When I reached it I realized it was someones back yard!!! I ran to the house and knocked to ask for help but no one came to the door.
At this point I decided to go to the road to see if I could find another house for help. When I reached the road I realized where I was!! This was my school bus route and my house was just a couple miles down the road!! I ran home as fast as I could to very worried parents.
My father was out in the woods looking for me and arrived shortly after I found my way home. Because I was a small child I was able to walk across the top of the snow with a fair amount of ease. My father unfortunately being 6'4" and 200+ lbs had to trudge through the snow.
To this day I attribute my safe return home to learning what to do when lost and to walk in a straight line. You made this better by adding to that by marking the trail you walk as you go. Every child should be taught this basic yet important survival skill.
Good advice. Can't state enough the importance of STOPPING when that realisation of being lost kicks in. Stop. Have a breather, sit down, drink water, eat....
as a Chriss Mcanddless fan, i can say that this kind of information has been realy helpfull for me, here in central america is easy to get lost in the wild.
Dude this is pure gold!
This is good, I used a piece of a white rope and just used my axe to cut it into the tree that is on my way, so when I look back I can always see the last one... At one point I just thought I was way off to finding that road until the car didn't passed few meters in front of me... Thanks for this technique.
Here is a challenge with the Rays method given here. This is from an experienced hiker. Trails that are deep in the woods can be narrow and overgrown. It is possible to cross the trail and not know it. The key when hiking is to quickly recognize when you are no longer on the trail and then backtrack from that point back to the trail. In some heavily travelled hiking paths, close to the trailhead, you commonly find false paths that tend to quickly lead to nowhere.
If you are hiking in the mountains and you are totally lost, if you can find a stream, follow that in the direction of water flow which may bring you out. Or at least travel downhill. If you know directionwise where you need to go, the direction of the sun with the time of day may help.
My friend and I got lost while hunting in a large patch of woods many years ago. We were going in circles. It was getting dark and we were getting a bit worried. Finally I said we are going this way and let's both concentrate on that direction. We made it out of the woods just at dusk. It was a long way back to the car, but we didn't go back in the woods for a short cut. The next day, I bought a compass and have never been lost again.
I'm in the woods all the time but never realized this tip. I really like it. Additionally, and maybe you said this but I didn't catch it, your advice to leave blazes will give people searching for you a good path to find you because they are all connected by that central location.
I like it! A simple, sensible plan with marked retreats to a known location. Thanks, Dan.
Courtesy of Half Vast Flying
FREEDOM is doing what you like.
HAPPINESS is liking what you do.
Excellent! This will save lives sooner or later!
Great basics video. You broke it down so anyone can understand. I will be sharing this with those learning to build a fire. Cheers.
You're going to save lives with this. Maybe a 5 minute videos on good blazes vs stupid blazes. Don't ask me how I know.
I think this is a super sound method, there was an experiment done on house cats that were allowed to leave the house and they do something very similar they go explore in One direction and they come back and then they go in another direction and they come back and they do this over and over until they have a full circle of awareness, but they're always returning home. Another great thing about this method is is you become more aware of your surroundings so you can actually create a map around you so let's say you don't find the trail in a particular direction well maybe you found a fresh stream of water or maybe you found a patch of berries something to help your survival.
Great video. I went hiking once after a break up and did not tell anyone where or how long I will be gone. My 1st 2 errors. Did not leave a note in my car nor a tin foil print of the boots I had on. I did feel the panic as it got dark. I sat down and made a cup of tea in a small fire hole. As I sat and thought about how bad I had screwed up. Saw parking lights and made a stone arrow pointing at it. Waited till morning (flashlight was dead) then walked out found a shopping center. Got a ride back to my car and went home feeling both like an idiot and a hero for getting home safe. 😆
I hike a nice trail by my house, maybe a few streets back and over a some tracks to this beautiful trail. The problem is, there's an easy to find coyote den nested close enough to the trail that they've come to say hi a couple times, so I hoke with a hatchet in case I gotta defend myself
Then the coyotes did show up, I armed myself, but they spooked and left. Turns out I'm so focused on the coyotes I havnt noticed a second man behind me on the trail. How the hell didn't I hear him? Well he was super friendly and hiked with me for a bit, we talked about the wildlife in the area, he told me we had ospreys near by, I've never seen em in 20 years living here but heck I'll search!