Lost In The Woods
Have you ever become lost in the woods? For someone not thoroughly acquainted with backwoods survival techniques, getting lost in the woods can prove daunting to say the least — if not downright frightening.
The first thing to do if you sense you have become lost is to stop and find a place to rest and think the situation over. In most cases a sense of having become lost may prove false. The unfamiliar woodsy landscape may appear the same in each direction you look. Rather than actually being lost, however, you may only be slightly "turned around." Taking a few minutes to assess the circumstances may bring back an awareness of the direction from where you came and the direction you need to go to return to your starting point or continue to your destination.
This moment of rest and quiet contemplation can play a crucial part in self-rescue efforts. If, in a panic, the hiker lunges at random through close growing trees and underbrush to find his or her way out of the woods, it becomes almost inevitable that the person actually will become lost.
While resting, eat one of the energy bars you included in your emergency pack and enjoy a couple swallows of water from your canteen. Check your pack once more to make sure you have included the minimum in emergency equipment: flashlight, hunting knife, compass, matches, dry tinder, small hatchet, rope, poncho, instant tea or coffee bags and a tin cup to heat water in. The exercise will have a calming effect and you can begin contemplating having to spend the night hunkered down close by.
Build a small fire, heat some water, drink some tea and use the rope to create a shelter for your bed of fir boughs with your poncho. The following day, refreshed and confident, you can use the compass to find directions and begin to continue your hike or return to base camp.
http://copperman.hubpages.com/hub/Getting-Lost-In-The-Woods
