Have you ever been REALLY lost out in the woods?

[Arkansaslongbow]

I have to be honest, I have gotten REALLY lost 2 different times didn't spend the night but it was extremely late (wee hours in the morning)before I got back home;

You?

 

[Guru]

no  

[awbowman]

No, but we have picked people up in the Atchafalaya Basin, 15 miles from their landing and STILL going the wrong way!  

I've also been "fogged in" in the marsh and just physically had to shut down the motor and wait for the sun to come up.

[Charlie Lamb]

Never!!! But I was confused as all get out for two days once.   :D

[Killdeer]

I got turned around once or twice. The one that immediately comes to mind is a squirrel hunt/scouting trip into unknown territory. There was about 4" of snow on the ground and I just wanted to explore. I hiked out from camp down a run into a river bottom (still just a little river, or run) and poked around. I took the general direction toward camp at around 3 PM, hunting squirrels. I ran into a mosh pit of them, and after shooting at them two or three times I settled down and put two of them on my belt. I then continued toward camp, no trail but in the general direction.

The mountains there are very old and wrinkled, and I could not find the tag end of the logging trail I was looking for. It started getting dark, and I was looking for a good place to get a fire going. I had a poncho, water bottle, two squirrels and a huge bar of chocolate. I would be OK.

At the last minute, I stumbled onto a spur of the trail, and followed it uphill until I saw the trail that was on the map. It was well after dark when I finally got to camp. I guess I was three hours out from camp when I gained solid bearings.

I was glad to have had just a small adventure, and slept well that night.
Killdeer

[Bear Heart]

No, Just geographicaly misplaced.
I missed a sidetrail I was supposed to take.  It was dark and it took me quite awhile to figure out what I did wrong.  The bad thing was that I took the girl who was to one day be my wife.  Not a good date.

[straitera]

Made me laugh Charlie!

Been lost several times close to panic. Blew a whistle for hours once. Didn't help find my way out. Just gave me a mad headache.

[Hot Hap]

Just once in WY, took about 3 hr. to figure it out.

Hap

[Missouri Sherpa]

Just once while elk hunting in Wyoming.  Heavy fog rolled in and we couldn't see 10 ft.  I navigate by landmarks and a compass mostly, not using gps.  I didn't have a compass that day because I thought I knew where I was going.  Only good option was to hunker down and shiver for about three hours till I could get my bearings again.

We wandered around for half a day looking for a boned out elk one year.  Tried to take a short cut over the mountain by dead reckoning and like to never found the kill site.  I wouldn't call myself lost that time but my elk was temporarily misplaced.

[hvyhitter]

just once when I forgot to repack my compass......had to sit quiet in the woods a bit and listen for the "jake-brakes"  of the semis on the highway, it gave me "north" so I walked "east" to the road my truck was on..........only 2 hrs late that night........

[ChuckC]

No, but as Charlie elequently stated. . . I was a might confused for a period of time.  I did figure it out using compass and map and saved myself.  No overnights out yet for this boy.

Since an early "oops" in an area I thought I was very familiar with,  I NEVER go out in the woods, includig out in my lil acreage, without a compass.  They are just too easy to carry and use to not carry one.
ChuckC

[Orion]

Never for more than about half a day. It's not so much that I get lost, but that I get pretty far from camp.  In new country, it sometimes takes me a long time to get back, and I don't always know exactly where I am while doing so.  Always carry a compass and usually a map as well so usually don't worry too much about getting lost. I always carry enough in my pack to stay overnight in the woods if I have to.  Never have had to.  Do arrive back at camp a little late sometimes though.  

[bawana bowman]

Have always carried a compass, to easy to get turned around in Florida swamps.

When I was small my father took me in to the hills around our farm in WV. Made sure I was good and confused, then told me to get us "home". His only bit of advice "Son, your not lost, you're directly over the center of the Earth....... you just need to sit down and figure out where to go from there."

I got smart and decided to follow our beagle home. Fortunately he didn't take any side tracks.

I've carried a compass ever since.

[Covey]

Lost one time (that I remember). Walked a perfect circle. Only reason I knew I walked a circle is that I marked a tree, walked about an hour and came right back to that tree. That's when I got a little worried. Took me a little while but I finally figured it out!

Jason

[Converml]

Nothing overnight but the New York isn't Montana or Alaska    

[Bowwild]

Turned around badly for about 45 minutes, twice. Both times in Colorado.  I found my way to my camp or truck both times but it was an unbelivably uncomfortable (to put it mildly) position to be in.  

Also, BOTH times I had dropped my pack and all my emergency stuff because I had only a short jaunt to go.

[Shedrock]

Not completely lost, yet, but turned around a few times.

[Wapiti Chaser]

I could have been in Colorado after following elk tracks in the snow till just about dark I headed back to where I knew there was a logging road. Long and short of it I found the very end of it another 20 yards I would have missed it. 1.1 million acres is a big place to be lost in. Now I carry a compass!

[frassettor]

I was lost in  the national forest. Bad, bad experience! Lost 15/17 hours and was fixin to spend the night. Had luckily ran into a gentleman baiting bears. We had nothing on us, I was young and thought I was invincible, I'm much wiser now, and am prepared with a few more gray hairs

[TonyW]

Ever get caught in a sneaky patch of thick fog without a compass when exploring new territory?

You know exactly where you were a few moments ago, so you may not be "lost," but you will probably stumble around trying to get back to your entry point.