Went into the Deerwood bush last night with just a flashlight (and socks) to find a tree trunk for firepit seating.
So, I walk for maybe 50 metres and turned around - or so I thought. I didn't recognize the trees. With a course adjustment, I walked toward an opening in the trees which quickly disappeared. I tried to walk back to the last place I recalled. Couldn't find it.
"I'm lost", I said to myself. I figured it was important to acknowledge the fact. I stopped and assessed the situation. Didn't have the multi-tool that Skipper gave me! Not much of a survivor man after all. But, I had a lighter so I could make fire if I had to. Though it was supposed to go down to freezing that night, I figured I could shiver through it, covered in hemlock bows.
I wandered around a bit more and got lucky. The flashlight picked up one of my orange trail flagging ribbons on a tree branch. Once on the trail system, I knew I could make it out. And I did.
The bush can be really disorienting without a compass or sun position to guide you. There's been times - before trail tagging - that I've got lost for hours on an overcast day in Deerwood. My guts start to tighten in when I think I may have to spend the night in the woods. Not a pleasant thought.
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That "lost in the woods" terror must be located close to the part of your caveman brain that is awed by fire! Very primal!
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