The Rule Of Three That'll Help People Find You If You're Lost In The Woods

Most seasoned outdoor adventurers take precautions to prevent getting lost in the woods. However, regardless of how experienced you are or how well you plan, sometimes it seems as if circumstances conspire and inevitably end with you not being able to find your way back. This happens more often than you might think, as each year thousands go missing while adventuring outdoors across the U.S. The vast majority of these, according to an article in National Geographic, are day hikers expecting to only be out for a few hours. However, there are steps to take if you get lost.

If you should ever find yourself lost in the woods, three is the most important number to remember. The rule of three, which actually could be more accurately described as the rules of three, can aid you in survival and help you get found. In summation, the rules of three for survival say you can only live three minutes without oxygen or if bleeding heavily; three hours is the limit for exposure to extreme weather conditions; three days is how long humans can last without water; and three weeks is the maximum time you can survive without food.

However, while those rules of three can help you survive, the rule of three with signaling can help you be found. That is because when it comes to signaling with sound or light, a series of three is considered the universal signal for distress.

When it comes to outdoor signaling, a repeated series of three is the universal distress signal. This can be three of anything that makes a flash of light or a sound. Examples include three knocks on wood, three blasts of a horn or whistle, three gunshots, three flashes from a flashlight or signal mirror, or three fires arranged in a triangle. Utilizing this rule and making sure your signals are in a repeating series of three will help you alert potential rescuers to your location and predicament, as well as preventing them from assuming it is just random sounds or lights. 

While you can improvise to make sounds in an attempt to signal rescuers, the best practice is to pack the 10 hiking essentials for every outdoor excursion. In that bag should always carry a signal mirror, such as the Coughlans Signal Mirror, to be able to signal across long distances during daylight hours. You should also always have a reliable flashlight when hiking or camping in order to signal and navigate safely once darkness falls. It is best to have a model that is both waterproof and shockproof, like the GearLight LED Mini-Camping Flashlight. An emergency whistle should also be included to send out audible signals, which is necessary if you are not in an open area that allows light to travel.

Additionally, it is not a bad idea to carry a few sticks of fatwood or other fire starters in your emergency bag. Starting a campfire when lost is a good way to provide heat and also arranging three small fires in a triangle can signal for help. During daylight hours, the smoke from these fires will act as signals, as well.