The Genius Technique That'll Help You Find Your Way Out Of The Woods If You're Lost

If you spend time adventuring out in the backcountry, then you've probably thought about how scary it would be to lose your bearings in the woods and end up lost. In fact, getting lost is one of the most common causes of death in the wilderness alongside negative encounters with wildlife and altitude sickness. While getting lost in the woods is deeply frightening and it can be easy to panic, the most important thing to do in this situation is keep yourself calm and stop moving as soon as you realize you've lost your way. This is essential because continuing to walk without a plan can make you more lost and bring you further away from rescuers. Instead, first stop, calm down, and then use the find-me cross method.

The find-me cross is a genius plan for helping you find your bearings again while lost in the woods. The first step in this method is to stop and establish a home base where you are. You can do this by making your home base an easy-to-see landmark like a distinct fallen tree or large boulder. You can also mark your home base yourself like one Redditor on r/LifeProTips recommended by starting to "break brush, organize branches, or stones, or dig trenches into clear man made shapes." Doing this is important because it will help you easily recognize the area when you return to it. Also, rescuers will be able to identify the site as someplace where you had been which can help them find you.

Once you have established your easy-to-recognize home base, you can start methodically exploring your surroundings. To do this, you first need to figure out the cardinal directions which will form your cross (you can do this by using the sun as a guide). Then, choose the direction that looks the most promising and walk in a straight line that way for five minutes marking the path with broken branches and rock cairns as you go. After five minutes, return to your home base following the same path and do the same for the other three directions. Your goal while doing this is to observe the area around you and see if you can spot important landmarks like a river, lake, canyon, or trail that can help you figure out your location. You will also want to listen carefully for the sound of a road.

If you don't find anything on your first walk of the cross, you can start the process again but this time walk about five minutes further before returning to your home base. While implementing this strategy, it is important to move slowly and not to overexert yourself. The U.S. Forest Service recommends that people who are lost in the woods stop and rest whenever they are tired, avoid walking at night, and drink plenty of water. As a last resort, if you cannot find any other landmarks or man-made trails, you can follow a river or stream downhill to help lead you to civilization.