gettin turned around! lost if you will

[beau6hunter]

can i hear some stories of being temporarily lost i got lost today in some thick fog right at dark with no flashlight or way to start a fire or anything just me my bow and arrows oh ya and i had a girl friend with me it below freezing we were both sweating from the hike out by the time we were really lost! so scary

[Machias]

I've been turned around twice, both times in heavy fog.  I'm not lecturing you, but I hope you learned a very good lesson.  Don't go out there without being prepared.  Getting sweaty and lost on a freezing night could really turn out bad.  Always take something to start a fire.  Glad you were both ok!!

[Button Nubbs]

A couple years ago we were tracking a poorly hit deer. It was pitch black 12 midnight in bear country when we all realized we hadn't been paying attention to which way we were going. (Last time I make that mistake.) Anyway one buddy starts saying "this is how people die!" And the other is feeding off of him freaking out also. I was trying to stay calm and think of a way out when it occured to me climb up this hill and listen for the river. Well we heard it and we got back to camp. Funny thing is we were probably only 1/2 mile away from camp it was just pitch black and we got turned around. It is a terrible feeling getting lost.

[Instinct]

Last year I was between cascade n the lt at the obsuvatory.  First time being out there rainy, went into a gully searchin for deer. Came back the same way n poped out I didn't reconize the area n my tracks were being washed away.

[MIKEXRAY]

I have only had moments of feeling lost & sat down for ten minutes & figured it out, not fun. I had 2 buddies get stuck in the dark last year chasing a bull & they said it got pitch dark. They had no light & they described it as a pretty hairy experience. Almost spent the night, popped out on a road late in the night.    When I take my wife or kids I definitely pack a lot more safety gear and I am way more diligent about knowing where I am at. It would kill me to have someone else get hurt because of my stupidity. Glad you made it out OK, as stated lesson learned. Mike

[ICEMAN]

On foot, I have been turned around for a few minutes before and only imagine it would not feel good to be truly lost. My brother and uncle were once really lost and just kept hiking down the mountain (wrong side) until they found a cooperative farmer that would drive them to camp....12 mile trip by vehicle...

I must be afraid of the dark, because I always have a pocket flashlight on my person. If I step out of the truck or head off on a trail, I always have a basic survival kit on me... Light, firestarters, compass, flagging tape, etc...

[rasbo]

I get turned around a lot in the crap I hunt,the compass will show me the way and its hard to believe it sometimes...Now I have a gps so that doesn't happen anymore,BUT I still take a reading with the compass in case the gps fails...Its a humbling experience to get lost

[boneaddict]

People preach about always having a sidearm etc.      ALWAYS have the means and the ability to start a fire or don't be on the mountain.  Sooner or later you will become a statistic.

Flashlites are optional but certainly an item that should be on the top of the list.   (rates right up there with TP)


I'm glad it turned out ok.  

[gotshot]

I was hunting west of Packwood one day and the hunting was slow so I started picking mushrooms. I thought I knew the way back so I kept picking. Before I knew it I was Down in a creek drainage and it was uphill every way out. All I had was a bow and basic hunting stuff. As it was getting dark I just started fighting my way uphill. Right at dark I came upon a road, after about 1/2 mile I recognized where I was and made it to the truck in the dark somehow. After that like most other people I started carrying a kit with fire starter and flashlight etc. To this day I still am cautous when pcking mushrooms even though I tell my wife that is the way it will end for me, some old guy goes mushroom picking never to return.

[PolarBear]

Like Bone said, ALWAYS carry some way to start a fire!  I got turned around in a whiteout and luckily was able to backtrack most of my way back in the snow.  The rest of the way my tracks were covered over and I had to use a compass.  I did get turned around in some dog hair several miles in right at dark and decided to spend the night and find my way out in the morning.  I'm glad that I had a good fire starter because it got down into the low teens and all I had was the clothes on my back.

[boneaddict]

I had one of those adventures in Packwood.  Fogged in, two inches of snow on the ground COMPASS IN HAND.   Came upon a set of tracks.   Wow, those look like mine.  Dang I think I recognoze this spot.    Whoever this is is going the same direction I am going.  Compass still pointing the way.   Pretty soon, there are two sets of tracks.....

MAGNETIC ROCK!    I found the boulder about the size of my house.  Compass would point to it all the way around it.   Now that is encouraging.

[high country]

I had a buddy who went hypothermic not 10 miles from our house in some tough country. I heard his last gunshot from a LONG way off. he was sitting on a stump when I finally found him. he believed he was stuck on a cliff......no such cliff around. it was dark, snowing and foggy with no moon.....about as bad as it gets. he heard my whistle for a long time, but could not whistle himself and did not have his own. when I got to him he was a mess. I gave him my warm dry clothes and he held on to me on the way out. my headlight puked on the way, so I tried to tell myself to go right every time I go left and vice versa.....tough in the blackness and steep country. we hiked for about one solid hour, when I turned to him and said.....I will give it 10 more minutes and we are going to need to setup a shelter because I am getting cold now. my next step put me flat on my face. I had fallen down the road cut. my truck was 1/4 mile away and we chose the right direcetion on the road...thank god. it was now 11pm.....it was dark at 4pm.

I WILL NOT be out in the woods without a bottle of vaseline soaked cottonballs and a flint stick. my pard would have died within eyesight of town.

[Todd_ID]

I've been in that same position.  My mistake was not taking the stuff with me as well as not wearing the proper clothes for what should have been a quick hunt.  I had grabbed my pack and put it in the truck.  It was only a section (640 acres) that I'd be hunting, so I wasn't too concerned and left my pack in the truck.  I should have been.  Do you know how cold it gets in Dayton in January?  Cold enough that tennis shoes become blocks of ice and I quit trusting my GPS.  Once I had gone about 2 miles inside this section in the dark I sat down and started convincing myself that I had to trust the GPS.  I stumbled to a road at 9 pm and made it to the truck to find that my buddy wasn't there.  I pointed the headlights off into the fog and started shooting my pistol for him to go by.  He was just as cold and just as lost.  He heard my pistol shots and still managed to walk the wrong way; he finally saw the headlights and walked out at about 10:30.  We didn't tell our wives for a long time just how close they came to being widows that night.  Lesson learned: now the stuff always goes with me.

[boneaddict]

Great stories.   Once you are that cold your brain shuts down.   Do it outside sometime with good supervision.   It will freak you out.  Kind of why I came off the mountain this fall.   It was getting hard to get a fire going (and I am damn good at it), the conditions were deadly, and I was by myself.   Instead of hunting I was surviving.   Kinda fun but kinda not.   One part of solo hunting you need to pay attention too.  There is no one to bail you out once you cross that line.

[high country]

the best thing  I ever did was start bivy hunting. it is very comforting knowing that you have what you need to get by. I strongly advise my buddies to go out in the yard and give your gear a go. I spend a night or two every winter on my inlaws ground outside republic. very reasureing knowing the house is close by, but still gives a great survival test as it is raw forest. I also suggest that cold weather hunters carry a couple ounces of methanol and a supercat or popcan stove with a small cup....nothing helps more then something warm to drink.....and you can have it for a 2 ounce weight penaly and the size of a small cup.

[ICEMAN]

Great stories.   Once you are that cold your brain shuts down.   Do it outside sometime with good supervision.   It will freak you out.  Kind of why I came off the mountain this fall.   It was getting hard to get a fire going (and I am damn good at it), the conditions were deadly, and I was by myself.   Instead of hunting I was surviving.   Kinda fun but kinda not.   One part of solo hunting you need to pay attention too.  There is no one to bail you out once you cross that line.

No kidding. I have worried about firestarting for years... Everything I have read about hypothermia and how it affects your brain and your hands, really makes a guy re-think his firestarters. Rivers are worse than snow. Guys who get tossed in wet have only minutes before their hands shut down and are useless. I carry roadflares cut down in length in my river vest for some of my more idiotic winter steelhead river scaling trips... (moron)

High country, totally agree. I have solo winter camped in slush just to practice those skills. I made a alcohol/esbit/woodburner stove just for that type of bushwhackin.

[boneaddict]

Excellent advise High Country and Ice.   I had the fortunes of having a great Father who made damn sure us kids knew how to survive before turning us lose.   If you missed out on that from either your environment or so on, practice makes perfect.   Practice trying to get a fire going when its wet.  Practice some survival like High country says.  Try starting a fire without a gallon of diesel with you.  I'm not talking rubbing two sticks togehter, though you should have two methods of doing it as sometimes your lighter WILL FAIL, or your matches WILL GET wet.  Go shove your hands in a snowbank for a couple minutes then try to start your fire.......
(road flare...interesting idea.  I could have used that on one of my winter duck hunts when I fell in)

I got some negative feedback from my hunt this year.   Apparantly it was hard for someone to swallow that you can live out there without your RV.  

[high country]

27x faster heat loss in the water. a flare might be your only hope as by the time you get out of the water.....it is likely too late.

[halflife65]

the best thing  I ever did was start bivy hunting. it is very comforting knowing that you have what you need to get by. I strongly advise my buddies to go out in the yard and give your gear a go. I spend a night or two every winter on my inlaws ground outside republic. very reasureing knowing the house is close by, but still gives a great survival test as it is raw forest. I also suggest that cold weather hunters carry a couple ounces of methanol and a supercat or popcan stove with a small cup....nothing helps more then something warm to drink.....and you can have it for a 2 ounce weight penaly and the size of a small cup.

Great idea about the gear test in a "safe" place before you rely on it in bad winter conditions.  

I've certainly been turned around a couple of times but for not more than a half hour at a time.  It's mostly been flat ground that's kind of featureless and under timber.  One time I was following the side of a big ridge.  I ended up going out a side ridge and when I dropped down I didn't recognize where I was supposed to be.  Way off course and in the wrong drainage and it took me a few minutes of looking at my map and compass to figure out where I was (pre-GPS).

Even on little short hunts I take a compass and/or a GPS and a headlamp.  I really need to throw in firestarter (I have a little plastic container with cottonballs covered in vaseline + a lighter and it weighs next to nothing.  I went out in the spring with a bunch of different firestarters - magnesium, cotton balls, some dry tinder stuff and hands down the cotton balls were the best to light a fire in damp conditions.)

[high country]

for those who have never tried it, or do not know......take a dozen cotton balls from your wifes stash, grab about 2 tablespoons of vaseline and mash it into the balls. add as mush vaseline as it will accept. you can wrap them in a bit of wax paper which makes it easy to get them out of a pill bottle and burns very well. to light, simply fuzz a small section of the ball and hit it with a spark. they wil light even if  they have been under water. do not fuzz the whole ball or it burns too fast. you will get 3ish minutes from each ball and enough heat to get wet fir and pine needles to light. do not be greedy and have lots of tinder handy......it will go. I have had to use up to 3 balls in the worst weather.

fire is the best moral booster besides the comfort of a partner when out deep.......take care of it, you need it.

[boneaddict]

Its what I use.

[high country]

I use this because it NEVER fails. with some practice you can do better with it then a lighter and it will last forever and work in subzero temps.
 http://www.outdoorpros.com/Prod/Brunton-81-100700-Striker-Magnesium-Fire-Starter/13834/Cat/1393

[halflife65]

huh, just bought one of those - I think it was a different brand but it looks identical.  I should revise my above statement.  I made a couple of little fires in my test and I used a lighter for some and (at the time a different one but the same idea - it was just a lot bigger and heavier than the new one) a striker and it worked great.  Like Highcountry said, it does't take a lot of spark to light the cotton balls and you have something that can't fail when you lighter refuses to work.  I carry the lighter and the striker as a backup.

[spikehunter]

put me in the woods and i'm fine   put me in a shopping mall and i get turned around 1 minute in. as far as survival many years ago little naches elk huntin' 12" snow, cold ,foggy, drizzle, after a couple hours tried to get fire started thought i could start fire anytime with perrifin, double-baggedt.p., lighters, wind /waterproof matches, NOTHING worked every little twig and branch were soaked, was shaking cold by this time, lips turning purple etc. told my bro. I was headed out back to the truck and along comes good ol' pop's said he was cold too "let's get a fire going" pulled out a hiway flare within 5-10 minutes had 5' flames and heat. ended up staying in the basin and killing a spike bull that day      needless to say i AWAYS carry a flare  

[beau6hunter]

sounds like magnesium and vaseline cottonballs and roadflare is a must have! imassist me also! thinkin i need a good gps to

[PolarBear]

Hypothermia is a bitch!  I've had it twice.  One time I don't remember how I got home or how I had the sence to get in the tub and slowly soak my temp back up.  I do remember that it took me over 6 hours before I could feel my hands and face plus once I got warmed up I slept for 18 hours.

[halflife65]

Jeez, polarbear, I've been cold but nothing like that.

[longstevo]

Getting turned around happened to me just two days ago! 

There's a road that runs east/west, and we parked at a gate with intentions to hunt north to a canyon.  Easy enough.  Except the land is mostly flat and a thick fog had set in.  So I went out not worrying too much about it. 

Then I came across a road with heavy traffic tracks in it.  What the hell?  Where is there a road out here???  Its all enclosed timber land.  I wanted to know who got access.  Then it clicked for me. 

I managed to hunt in a semi circle from north, to north west, then to west then finally south until I hit the same road that we came in on. 

It was compass in hand for the rest of the trip. 

[Boss .300 winmag]

Has any one ever used pitch wood, i use a short candle holds flame, put wood on candle flame. Or magnesium tablets you get from surplus stores.

[Huntbear]

I carry a magnesium stick, and I carry dryer lint smeared in vaseline.   I also keep one of those presto log fire starter things... bought a case a few years ago, when we had a fireplace... they burn a good long time.  A chunk of candle works great, but you have to have flame to get it burning.

I also keep my headlamp with me at all times.  Never know when you need it to signal with, or walk out after dark even if unplanned.

[high country]

I have tried just about everything from the store over the years. trioxane works well, but cottonballs are easier to come by and next to free. pitchwood, fatwood, candles.....they all work, but what could be more heartbreaking then watching your candle go out on your last match? I settled on cottonballs and the striker because it always works.

[rasbo]

Hypothermia is a bitch!  I've had it twice.  One time I don't remember how I got home or how I had the sence to get in the tub and slowly soak my temp back up.  I do remember that it took me over 6 hours before I could feel my hands and face plus once I got warmed up I slept for 18 hours.

I fell down a small water fall on the snake river,filled my hip boots,the hike back to the truck was the coldest Ive ever been,my pants were like stove pipes..didnt get hypothermia,but no more crossing in those tempts

[Shed Stud]

If you know the woods find the pitch wood! Never fails with a good flint, just shave it thin. I find a good piece in the summer and one round works at home all year. One slice in your pack and your good to go for days.

[ICEMAN]

If you know the woods find the pitch wood! Never fails with a good flint, just shave it thin. I find a good piece in the summer and one round works at home all year. One slice in your pack and your good to go for days.

My concern is that alot of these "know the woods" tecniques are great when in mild or dry weather, but I do not want to rely on them when I need a fire immediately. being a wetsider, I am liking waxed paper, magic relight candles, things that start easy, and dont blow out... 

[dscubame]

Iceman - in addition take 3 feet of snow and frozen everything into the mix.  Temperature in the single digits for prolonged periods of time.  You can spend 3 hours with gallons of gas / oil mix trying to start frozen wood.  I hear you Iceman and one should not have a false sense of security with any survival tactic.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

Fortunately I have never been truly lost. I always carry a compass and have a pre-planned emergency heading. If I am in a unfamiliar area I carry a map and compass and more often than not I have a GPS for backup. I always carry a flashlight, knife and fire starting device at a minimum.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

If you know the woods find the pitch wood! Never fails with a good flint, just shave it thin. I find a good piece in the summer and one round works at home all year. One slice in your pack and your good to go for days.

My concern is that alot of these "know the woods" tecniques are great when in mild or dry weather, but I do not want to rely on them when I need a fire immediately. being a wetsider, I am liking waxed paper, magic relight candles, things that start easy, and dont blow out... 

Candles are always great. Finding pitch or carrying a little pitch is unbeatable too.

[Sneekee23]

My Late Grandfather and his hunting party used to hunt the Blues back in the 50's to early 60's where the blues took his life on my fathers first elk hunt at age 12.  I believe the year was 1964 and from what I have been told it was one of the worst snow storms in Blues to that date.  A couple of hunters from the neighboring camp which was from the Longview Washington area and my Grandfather bedded a couple big bulls the night before and they planned to make a hunt on them the next morning.  During the late stages of the hunt the storm came in fast and before anyone noticed the snow was piling high.  My Grandfather who grew up in Montana hunting the big sky, was a veteran to elk hunting big country and was always prepared for the worst.  When my grandfather did not make it back to camp and with snow still flying my great grandfather started trying to reach him on the radio and finally got a faint call back from my grandfather.  It was stated that he knew where he was but was struggling to reach the trail do to the snow level.  Walla Walla Search and Rescue was reached and the Sheriffs Department and a search was conducted.  During the search A Deputy was reported over due and was lost himself (I do not know if he was found).  The last radio transmission that Search and Rescue had received from my Grandfather was that his woolies were soaked through and that he couldn't feel his hands anymore and could not hold his 375HH any longer so he left it hanging in a tree.  I don't know how long Search and Rescue looked for my Grandfather but I am sure they were thorough for the conditions.  They found him in the spring just a few feet off the trail sitting next to a tree.  One of the Search and Rescue volunteers found his 375 HH and returned to my Grandma the following spring.
I have been deer hunting with my father since I was 10 and elk hunting with him since I was 15.  Since then I have found a total of 5 lost hunters while rifle hunting elk in November and every one of them to this day sending me a text or stop into camp to thank me for coming out of know where. While bow hunting elk this year, my dad got busted at 10 yards on a screaming big 5 I called in for him and with a S%$$t A$% grin on his face he asks me "Do you think your Grandpa would have enjoyed this?"  My answer to him was I believe he does and then I told him to shrink to a normal person size to only 6'2 or less, he is a tree at 6'6 260. I like to think that my Grandfather is with my father and I on every elk hunt that we enjoy together.  Love you pops and thank you for being my hunting partner for so many years.... oh ya and thank you for putting up with my sarcasm.

[Tony 270]

I'd tell you the story, but it just hasn't happened yet.

[high country]

Iceman - in addition take 3 feet of snow and frozen everything into the mix.  Temperature in the single digits for prolonged periods of time.  You can spend 3 hours with gallons of gas / oil mix trying to start frozen wood.  I hear you Iceman and one should not have a false sense of security with any survival tactic.

fire requires: air, fuel, heat and a chemical reaction to begin combustion. if your material is super cold, you need to meter the amounts to allow it to reach its ignite point. this is where you planning of materials is critical and building the fire before hypothermia sucks your common sense from you. start small build from there.

[ThunderChicken66]

27 years ago a buddy and I went on a five mile hike up the beach on the very NW tip of Washington.  20 miles later and avoiding several falls of 50 to 200 feet in the dark we make it out.  Wet, freezing and in trouble with our folks.  Bad judgement led us to stray from our original course.  I haven't been lost since, but each time I get turned around, even for a second, I remember that trip.  Not fun.  I was scared and glad to get out.  You'll learn from it as most of us have.

Good hunting.

TC66

[sakoshooter]

You probably don't want to hear this but never, and I mean never, go into the woods unprepared. I don't know how many times I've been teased about wearing my pack all the time but over the years I've had more than a few experiences in which my gear saved the day for myself and others. Fog or other weather can close in awfully fast especially this time of year when we've only got 8 hours of daylight. No time for screw ups or wandering around.
This stuff pretty much stays in my huntin pack no matter where or how I'm hunting - Gun or Bow.
Fire Starter, Lighters, Matches, Compass, Disp Handwarmers(2)
Water(2 pts for all day hunts)
Ready to eat food
Flashlights(2)w/good batteries
Knives(3)Main knife, Skinnin knife &Lil knife for capin the head
Toilet Paper(should be at the top of the list, sorry)
Down Vest, Extra Gloves w/finger covers
Gortex Jacket(lightweight shell)
Rope, Space Blanket, Hot Pink Surveyors Tape(1 roll)
This gear doesn't include my gun, binos, spotting scope, meat bags, extra shells or archery stuff depending on hunting season and style.

[mjbskwim]

Heck,sneekee23,my mom lost an uncle in a white out in South Dakota,in between the house and barn.
Your grand dad had all odds against him out there.

Thanks for all the fire starter info in here.great stuff.

I have always carried a compass with me as I didn't inherit my fathers great sense of direction.I know I'll get lost.

[Steve Jo]

Fire requires practice.  It's a skill.  practice it often.

[CastleRocker]

Fire requires practice.  It's a skill.  practice it often.

Exactly.  As a logger, I built a LOT of fires in the worst weather our area can dish out. 

I've been... let's call it "misplaced" (I knew where I was but nobody else did), up on Kodiak Island one December in between crab seasons and if it wouldn't have been for knowing how to build a fire in some really, really bad weather, I wouldn't be typing this right now.  Long story.

I always carry three completely unrelated means of building a fire in my pack, but I also practice building actual fires with them.  THAT I think is the key.  Practice!

[ICEMAN]

Sneekee, what a hard story to write. Sad to hear of the results. Thanks alot for sharing. I bet your grandfather is with...

[Machias]

Thanks for sharing that Sneekee!

[Rick]

Its easy for panic to set in when you get "turned around".

I was probably 14-15 and elk hunting over near Taneum Creek. There are roads everywhere,and its almost impossible to get truly lost. I was going to go on a short hike and be right back to the truck. I had walked about 5 yds into the woods and jumped a spike. I took off in hot pursuit,not paying a bit of attention to where I was going.

I'm not sure how long I chased that spike before I realized I had no clue where I was. Looked around and thought to myself "uh,oh"

I found my way out to a road and before too long a truck drove by. He was just about as lost as I was so he wasn't any help.

A few minutes later another truck drove by and he was able to tell me where I was. My short hike turned into a couple hours of stumbling around trying to figure out where the truck was.

Like I said,that first few minutes of realizing you don't know where you are,is not a good feeling.

[Cylvertip]

Fire requires practice.  It's a skill.  practice it often.

Exactly.  As a logger, I built a LOT of fires in the worst weather our area can dish out. 

I've been... let's call it "misplaced" (I knew where I was but nobody else did), up on Kodiak Island one December in between crab seasons and if it wouldn't have been for knowing how to build a fire in some really, really bad weather, I wouldn't be typing this right now.  Long story.

I always carry three completely unrelated means of building a fire in my pack, but I also practice building actual fires with them.  THAT I think is the key.  Practice!

Castlerocker - what are your three    I carry an all weather lighter, a flint and steel, a magnesium fire block, and sometimes  a blast match ( another type of flint/ steel)  - I will be adding the cotton ball/ vaseline combo in for auto tinder - I do have some commercial ones in the pack, but what's one more thing  - it could save your life and or others.  Any tricks for wet cold conditions?