Lost?

Being lost by yoursefl is actually one of the most dangerous situations you can get into. I have had to endure only a few hours of this horror and to this day I can honestly say it was one of the worst feelings I have ever had. I was out on a hunting trip with my dad when I was twelve. He sent me down a ridge and told me to find an old logging road and then follow that all the way back to camp. I did as instructed but I thought that the first overgrown dirt road I found couldn't possibly be the right one so I kept going. This is when I started to get worried because i couldn't find another road. I tried back tracking to find my dad and couldn't. I began to panic. I started shouting, firing my gun into the air. Panic took over so quickly I really couldn't tell you how long I was lost. I started hurrying towards what I hoped would be the highway. The whole time despair took hold of me stronger and stronger. I got luck, my chosen path ended up leading me right back to camp. I actually still beat my dad there by a few minutes. The important thing to remember though is that it felt like hours that I was lost and my panic had reached a stage of hysteria. Your biggest danger when your lost isn't lack of food or water, it's not shelter or heat, it's keeping your cool. Panicking is the worst thing you can do. If you ever get lost and you realize it you should immediately sit down. Focus on your breathing for a few minutes to calm yourself and then do your best to figure out your surroundings. Hopefully you didn't go out with out anyone knowing where you went or when to expect you back. Usually when you take a calm look around you though you can figure out where you need to go.