What to do if you Get Lost While Camping or Hiking

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One of the great dangers of the great outdoors is the possibility of wandering away from the trail or the camp site and finding that you are not sure where you are or how to get back to civilization again. As we have seen over and over again on news reports, going into the wilderness unprepared can have devastating effects on adults just as easily as on a small child.

One of the best things that you can do for yourself is to always go into the wilderness prepared, even if you think that you are only taking a short hike on a familiar trail. It might just be that preparedness that sees you out of a disaster that could easily have claimed your life if you were not so well prepared.

Part of being prepared for anything is to take a survival kit with you whenever you are camping or hiking. This kit should contain everything that you need to get food, make shelter, and hopefully to attract the attention of rescuers once you have been found or are close to being found. A bit of food like granola or trail mix is essential, as is a container of water. Make sure that you have a space blanket, which doubles as a reflective surface to signal for help. You will also want to make sure that you have some sort of LED lantern, LED mini flashlight, or tactical LED flashlight to help you signal for help without destroying your voice and wasting precious energy.

Another survival essential that should not be left out of any pack is a survival knife or even survival knives. You will find many uses for your pocket knife, from cutting branches to help you make a shelter to digging in the ground and even possibly hunting and killing if you can manage it. Whether you use a folding pocket knife or the best survival knife on the market, you will need it to be sturdy, strong, and able to handle anything you throw at it. If you want to, include several pocket knives in your survival pack so that there is one for every application and a backup in case you break or lose one.

If you know the general direction of help, then you should plan to move in that direction with the aid of a compass from your survival kit, but if not, then you should stay put. Your rescuers will begin their search at your last known location, and the closer you stay to where you realize you are lost, the better chance they have of finding you. Lay out colorful clothing or your space blanket in an open space, and have your LED flashlight ready to signal for help. Stay calm, and you will be just fine while you wait for help to arrive. It is when you panic that things begin to get truly dangerous.