Hey, Wanna Get Lost? No Problem! Just Commit These Eight Blunders to Memory.

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Outside Magazine February 2002

Hey, Wanna Get Lost? No Problem! Just Commit These Eight Blunders to Memory.

By Nick Heil

1. Fail to pay attention
"One of the main reasons people get lost is that they just don't keep looking around and striving to maintain a constant awareness of their surroundings," says Rocky Henderson, president of the Mountain Rescue Association. "I call this the 'head-in-the-cockpit syndrome'. My advice? Be aware of your surroundings, and try your best to save the extraordinarily stupid moments for when you're at home sitting in front of the television set."

2. Leave behind the Ten Essentials
Says Charley Shimanski, Education Director for the Mountain Rescue Association: "Whenever you pack a pack, be sure you have the Ten Essentials [map and compass, flashlight/ headlamp, extra food and water, extra clothes, sunglasses, first-aid kit, pocketknife, waterproof matches, fire starter, emergency shelter]. If you have all of these things, chances are good you'll have what you need in an emergency."

3. Don't learn how to read a map and compass
"I run into people all the time who have a map but really just don't know how to use it," says veteran tracker Hannah Nyala. "Don't bother bringing it if you don't know how to read it."

4. Panic
Says Nyala: "When people get lost, their brains start running so fast they forget the simple things like putting one foot in front of the other. This leads to injuries that just compound the problem of being lost."

5. Succumb to summit fever
"This is actually a cultural problem," says Daryl Miller, lead climbing ranger at Denali National Park. "The first question everyone, climbers and non-climbers alike, asks after a trip is, 'Did you summit?' Not, 'Did you enjoy the journey?' Weather and other hazards aren't the real problem, they only compound problems that begin with bad decisions that start with pushing for the top."

6. Enter a cave without the right equipment
"We have a name for the people who go caving with inappropriate safety gear, clothing, no backup light, and inappropriate footwear: We call them 'flashlight cavers,'" says Art Fortini of the National Cave Rescue Commission. "Falls, more than getting lost, are typically the leading cause of injury. In many cases, simply having both hands free and using proper footwear can prevent trouble."

7. Don't tell a responsible person where you're going
"This may be one of the simplest precautions you can take," says Fortini. "But for some reason, it's the one thing people often neglect or forget to do."

8. Move too quickly
"When people discover they're lost, their biggest mistake often happens within the first 15 minutes," says Shimanski. "That's why I have a general rule that if you're ever lost, you should STOP: Sit. Think. Observe. Plan."

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