Have You Gotten Lost?

[paleoman]

#5093

I did once as a cocky young guy in northern Maine. Thought I was Dan’l Boone because I could get around my native woodlands in the dark. Came out several hrs after dark with the aid of my compass. Before that, I did get that sense of panic I thought couldn’t touch me. @ 6 or 7 yrs ago I got balled up in a series of beaver dams and had to get on the compass again. Thought that was going to be an all nighter but only 4 hrs after dark. I love my gps now!

[Troy Warner]

#37178

Depends on a persons own personal definition of lost. My definition of lost is some one had to come find me. So borrowing from the movie Mountain Men, Brian Keith’s character said “I ain’t never been lost…, I was God awful confused for a week or two, one time”.

So in the spirit of that quote – I’ve been confused for the better part of a morning in a very remote rugged part of Idaho on a recent hunt, and one other time, most of a day in colorado, in an area I actually grew up in and thought I new like the back of my hand.

Troy

[Mark Turton]

#37482

‘No matter where you go – there you are’

Confucius.

Always liked that quote from the Mountain Men.

Mark.

[David Petersen]

#38227

Not really, but it’s always been a dream of mine. 😛

[Col Mike]

#38371

A former helicopter pilot who has never been lost is–lost.

One time long ago in a far away place I was confused as to our position–I asked my artillery forward observer to put a smoke round on the mountain pass that I pointed to on the map. He asked–but sir do you know where we are? Just call the fire mission. Yep the round hit where it should and I looked at the young FO and said–now we know where we are. I called it orienteering by fire.

But lost, no never. Just ask my wife.

Semper Fi

Mike

[vajd]

#38391

Following my coondog through the woods at night has made me a lot better than I was 14 years ago, and I wasn’t that bad before that, but I do rember being in a thousand acre block of planted pines on an overcast day in a flat coastal plain, everything look the same. I made it out without a compass without to much extra walking.

Now I always coonhunt with a compass, a quick check at the truck and once in a while durring the hunt and I’m go to go.

[Roger Norris]

#39444

I got pretty lost once trailing a wounded deer. Found the deer, and it began to snow. I was in a section I had never been in bfore, and the snow made my backtrail unrecognizable.

Being lost sucks. Being lost and dragging a deer around in a blizzard is sucks x10

[Nate Bailey]

#40369

Lost? No-if I did I wouldn’t be able to post this, as I would still be away from the computer:D A good friend of mine always told me, lost is a state of mind, not a reality–some days you just have to walk more than others! No, I have never been really lost, but I have had my share of Longer walks:wink:

[Don Thomas]

#41767

Once. I was hunting moose in the lowlands near my Kenai Peninsula home. We’d gone in by horseback and camped in the middle of nowhere in very difficult terrain–no defined drainages, to0 many trees to see anything, dull overcast skies. A compass didn’t really help, because when night fell I was looking for a point in the middle of nowhere. Just as I decided to get ready for a long wet night under a tree, I had a brainstorm and dropped the reins on the neck of my trusty quarterhorse, Pancho. An hour later we were back in camp, in the pitch dark. Who needs a GPS if you’ve got a smart, hungry horse? Don

[lyagooshka]

#41811

I can honestly say that I have never gotten lost. 😀 Then again, the farhters I have ever hunted from my car is about 100 yards. 🙁 I have a GPS that I would definitely take along if I ever went out west on something like a DIY Elk Hunt. But I would probably try to do it on my own before resorting to technology. I would mark where I park, then try to find my way back. I hope to get the chance one day. Be well.

Alex

😀

[gigglemonk]

#42282

Not even once. Why is this in the FOC forum?

[paleoman]

#43868

You’ ve never been “turned around” even once? Sorry if the subject hit a nerve or something.

[RayB]

#43879

The scareist time was when ptarmigan hunting in AK. When standing in the tundra it all looks the same and there are no landmarks to guide you

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#43937

rayb wrote: The scareist time was when ptarmigan hunting in AK. When standing in the tundra it all looks the same and there are no landmarks to guide you

Agreed. And then you add in the fact that distances are so deceptive on the northern tundra, and its even more disorienting.

I had a similar experience when I lived for a short while in Ontario, a few hours north of Toronto. I grew up and have always lived in the West (other than this short stint), and I don’t think I had ever realized before how accustomed I was to always having mountain ranges within sight, and how much a subconsciously used that for orientation on a daily basis. Hiking in parts of Ontario, where everything was basically flat, was totally disorienting for me.

[Fallguy]

#50665

The first night on an Oregon elk hunt I found a spot to watch until dark then I turned around and headed back to the truck. The problem was the first trail I hit was not on the map when I hit the main road nothing looked familiar. I was an extra 1/2 mile from the truck in the opposite direction from the truck. So I ended up taking a 6 1/2 mile hike after dark. My hunting partners had not left the area so I did get a ride to camp. The other time I was hunting with a local from Oregon for elk, he dropped me off and said “walk toward the sun” I had not looked at map of this area so by 10:00 in the morning the the sun moved enough that I ended up on the wrong side of the ridge. I walked to the inter section of two trails sat down and waited for Jimmy to show up. He calls that area “Rob’s Ridge”. Have I been lost? “never” I just have been checking new country.

[Ralph]

#50844

It occurred to me once, while hunting in the Guadalupe’s of New Mexico, when I got all twisted around that the tracks I found in the snow were my own so I backtracked to my camp. That was good cause I was fixing to go off in another direction. Not actually lost but soon gonna be methinks.

That country has a lot of places where what your looking at now looks like what you were looking at awhile ago.

I did know exactly where I was at though, in the Guadalupe Mountains of S.E. New Mexico.:D

[garydavis]

#51871

My internal compass has been broke since birth. Woods, hell. I can get lost in a super market. It’s going to take a stem cell break through for me as I’d forget the batteries for the gps if I had one.

On the water is a different story. Never been lost at sea…yet

Gary

[David Petersen]

#52187

Giggle — Even if no one else does, I get it. You’re a clever one. 😛

[Vance Brewer]

#52936

One time LONG ago, I spent 18+ months lost in a JUNGLE.

Even got rescued a couple times and still stayed LOST..:roll:

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#53030

Gigglemonk wrote: Not even once. Why is this in the FOC forum?

That was a subtle gem. 😉

[lyagooshka]

#53245

Smithhammer wrote: [quote=Gigglemonk]Not even once. Why is this in the FOC forum?

That was a subtle gem. 😉

I am so glad you explained that to me! 😳 I really feel my age / IQ. 😥

Alex

😕

[Ralph]

#53385

Actually I’m usually only a click away from being lost. 😀

[paleoman]

#56165

Smithhammer wrote: [quote=Gigglemonk]Not even once. Why is this in the FOC forum?

That was a subtle gem. 😉

Yes it was:D Me and my literal mind…works every time:wink:

[wildschwein]

#13792

Gotten turned around loads of times. Mostly because I always want to see whats over the next hill or around the next bend. Was only truly lost once and that scared the crap out of me. Made it out due to blind luck. Bought a compass after that and haven’t had been truly lost since. Funny how that works.

[Wexbow]

#14587

Only on a friday night coming home from the pub – well that’s what I tell the wife anyway 😆

[Author]

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