You’re miles into the backcountry with only your instincts and your gear to point the way. In the vast wilderness, panic starts to set in. Is it this way? Or is it that way? Getting lost on the trail is easy to do and a quick transition from a tranquil to terrifying experience, especially for solo hikers looking out at an indiscernible landscape. In this case, however, that anxiety doesn’t last because you’ve brought along the correct gear to combat the fear.
Whether it’s mountain biking, trail running, camping, or backcountry skiing, you need to prepare for wild excursions. As always, The Manual has got you covered. Find the right gear here, along with the apps, guidelines, and veteran tips to keep you oriented no matter where your next off-grid journey takes you.
Map out your plan
Before you hit the trail running, make sure to plan your steps on a physical map. Some may think print maps are a thing of the past when compared to modern GPS technology, but maps never run out of battery and often present a better view of the landscape. As you plan to head out, it’s important to orient where you’re going and what to expect with a topographical area map.
Learning to read a ‘topo’ will help you not only figure out where to go, but what to expect as far as terrain is concerned. Is the trek steep, relatively flat, or a series of peaks and valleys? Where is the trailhead, and how far is it from where you’re going? You can visualize and time these aspects, which also happen to be the next two keys.
Note landmarks and significant locations
As you plan your outdoor adventure, identify distinct landscape spots on the map — river crossings, sharps turns or switchbacks, and/or odd or distinct geographic features. Knowing these will help to tell you where you are when you’re not sure. Having the lay of the land in your head before even lacing up your hiking boots, you’ll be better prepared if something goes wrong.
During your hike, these significant landmarks can help you orient yourself. These include prominent peaks, rock formations, rivers, and valleys. Watch also for manmade signs like trailhead indicators, arrows, trail names, and other sources that will help you sense where you are in an otherwise alien landscape.
Download integral apps
Paper maps don’t rely on batteries, and modern topographic maps are made from high-quality paper. These need to be your navigational foundation. Mobile apps, however, open up a world of interactivity and are trustworthy hiking navigation devices. With just three apps, you can tackle almost any North American trail:
Google Maps
This mainstay of GPS apps is extremely reliable for general overviews of the region you’ll be hiking into and how to get there. Use Google Maps to determine where to drive, places to park, and to gain a general lay of the land where you plan to hike.
Gaia GPS
Gaia is key to your hiking adventure. Not only can you get access to free, high-quality maps, geotags photos, hike records, an additional $40 annual membership lets you download maps for offline use — essential for being in the wilderness. The fee will also give you access to even more maps.
AllTrails
AllTrails — available for free on iOS and Android — is a monster, offering more than 100,000 trail guides, complete with photos and text descriptions. Looking for a place to hike in your location? Use AllTrails to search around you to see what trails are available. Once you’ve picked a place to go, track your hike, take geotagged photos, and share your progress on social media. You can even upgrade your adventure with AllTrails Pro, which provides access to offline maps, off-route notifications, and a Lifeline feature for friends and family to track your progress.
Load the essentials
Every hike is different; however, there are several things that should always be in your bag, no matter what the situation. First off, a map and compass are critical. If you don’t have one already, Suunto is a great brand for novice and expert hikers alike.
The Suunto A-10 is a solid, affordable, and reliable model that will last a long time in your backpack. The Manual’s list of other backpacking essentials includes things like sufficient water, a first aid kit, and a reliable multi-tool, plus extra food and warm clothing. If you can, keep these in your hiking backpack, ready to go at all times, so you know you’ll never forget anything.
Include emergency gear
If you do get lost on the trail, you want to be prepared. If things take a turn for the worse, make sure you’ve packed the proper gear to rely on. Bring along a personal locator beacon, or even better, a two-way satellite communicator, so you can be easily tracked down. For a few hundred dollars, they can provide extra peace of mind in the event that your hike goes very wrong.
Follow the trail
Finally! You’ve taken all the necessary preparatory steps to get out into the great outdoors. Life is a blast on the open trail, but don’t let elation make you lose focus. It’s important to follow the trail, especially if you’re new to this game. If nature calls or you discover a spur trail worth exploring, pay close attention to exactly where you exit the main trail. Getting “turned around” and suddenly not being able to recognize which way you came from can happen before you know it.
Pay attention
This brings us to a rather obvious yet overlooked key to finding your way in nature: pay attention. A successful hiker, being a proficient navigator, is paying attention. Indeed, I would estimate that 70% of navigational proficiency comes down to this one simple point. Establishing the habit of keeping track of where you are at all times means regularly correlating what you see on the map with what you see on the ground.
Wear your watch
An excellent subhead to paying attention is keeping an eye on the clock while you’re hiking. In spite of ample preparation, it can’t be surprisingly easy to miss a turn (or two) on the trail. Track your time by estimating time between waypoints. Most hikers cover about 2 miles in an hour. While this may seem slow, remember you’re not walking down a flat, paved road. Stepping up, over, and between ascending and descending terrain takes much more time.
If you find that it’s taking too long to get to a checkpoint, simply stop, take a look around, and consult your map if you can’t confirm your location. Make sure that you also know when sunset is coming to make sure that you’re not stuck on the trail unexpectedly after dark. You don’t ever want to be stuck wandering through the wilderness with nothing to direct you.
Stay calm and chill
The woods can be scary at night. Even if it is still daylight, anxiety quickly follows the feeling of being lost. Just like any stressful situation: First, take a breath to calm yourself. Whether or not you’re truly lost, the worst thing you can do is panic. If you properly planned your hike and have followed your waypoints or landmarks along the way, there’s a good chance you are either still found or are easy steps away from finding your way once again. The U.S. Forest Service’s STOP acronym is an easy-to-remember method to reorient yourself and get back on track:
- S: Stop. Stay calm, and don’t rush off. Flying off in the wrong direction is a great way to get yourself into much more trouble than you’re already in.
- T: Think. Retrace your steps. Don’t move on unless you are assured of the direction you need to go. If you’re unsure, stay put until you have a plan.
- O: Observe. Pull out your map and compass/GPS to figure out where you are and where you need to go. If you’re prepared, there’s no need to wander aimlessly or go off-trail.
- P: Plan. Prepare a plan to get back to where you need to be. If you’re truly lost or if you’re injured, stay put and send out an emergency signal on your phone.
Tell a friend
Speaking of staying calm, you don’t ever have to worry about being stranded in the wilderness if you’ve got a backup at home. For any outdoor adventure, solo expeditions in particular, it’s crucial to share your schedule with someone reliable. For big or long trips, you can even share a copy of your trail maps with them and let them know where and how long you plan to hike.
Establish a worst-case scenario timeframe to let them know when they should start to take steps to track you down. Most state and national parks/forests will feature a ranger station where you can check into before your hike. This gives you an extra set of people who will know when you’re heading out and when to expect you back.
How to signal for help (if you do get lost or hurt)
If you do end up lost or hurt, you need to be able to signal for help if your phone can’t get a signal out. Here are some ways to signal for help.
Use your whistle (you should have one with you) and do the universal distress signal of three sharp blasts followed by a pause, repeated every few minutes. Use your signal mirror (again, you have one with you) and reflect sunlight toward potential rescuers, particularly aircraft. If it’s safe to build fires, then build three fires in a triangular pattern, which is the international distress signal using fire. This is a last-resort signal.
Remember, the Rule of Three is a common way to signal distress in many situations:
- Three whistle blasts
- Three fires
- Three calls for help
Hiking is one of the more wonderful, calming activities that you can participate in. Whether it’s alone or with a friend, this physical activity will reconnect you with the natural world in an active way, releasing all sorts of positive hormones. There’s no need, however, to get too excited and put yourself in a hazardous situation. Taking the right precautionary steps will help you to keep yourself centered on the trail and avoid most manners of precarious situations.
