What should you do if you unfortunately get lost in an unfamiliar and remote area?
Recently, we often hear news about hikers getting injured or even going missing due to getting lost. While it’s deeply saddening, it also makes us reflect: if these individuals had known or understood some measures to take after losing their bearings in the wilderness, and could calmly respond according to their surroundings, such tragedies might have been largely avoided. Remote and unfamiliar outdoor environments often feature complex terrains and changeable weather conditions. Hikers venturing into these areas must exercise caution and make thorough emergency plans.
1. Emergency Contact
During outdoor activities, you should—or must—inform a friend (or someone else) of your destination every time you leave a location, and agree on a method and time for checking in. If you fail to check in at the agreed time, they can help alert the authorities.
2. Leave Markers
Before heading into unfamiliar terrain, besides carrying small, high-powered flashlights and whistles as survival tools, it’s best to bring a piece of red silk cloth. When you need to change your route, mark your path promptly to help rescuers identify it. For example: tear the red cloth into strips, write your name and destination on them, and tie them to tree branches or rocks at turning points along the way for others to recognize; or use branches with leaves and twigs removed to point the way, or carve arrows into tree trunks or rocks to indicate direction; you can also gather several small stones and arrange them into arrow shapes at forks in the trail to show the way.
3. Build Shelter and Stay Put for Rescue
If you get lost in a sparsely populated and rarely visited unfamiliar area and cannot determine the right path, do not blindly try to find your way out. Instead, stay put and wait for rescue. Keep a clear head, use the terrain and any available materials to build a simple shelter (preferably in a sunny spot) to protect against harsh weather. Avoid strenuous activity during this process to prevent excessive sweating, which can lead to catching a cold, and focus on conserving your energy.
4. Signal for Help
During the day, gather damp branches, leaves, and weeds, and burn them to create a large amount of smoke as a signal to the outside world. At night, use a high-powered flashlight to shine in a regular pattern toward the sky and nearby mountaintops (or other highly visible landmarks such as large boulders or lone trees), and light a campfire for warmth, repelling mosquitoes and wild animals.
5. Supplement Food and Water
Look for water sources and ration the food you’ve brought. If necessary, gather wild plants you can identify, preferably cooking them before eating, and avoid eating too much at once to prevent allergic reactions. Try to catch insects, fish, or hunt small animals for food (you can smoke or air-dry leftover meat on pine branches for long-term storage without spoilage), to replenish energy and prepare to hold out for over 72 hours. Given the critical nature of survival, forget about animal protection concerns—if you can catch them, that is.
6. Keep Warm
Prevent hypothermia by staying warm. Without cold-weather clothing, gather as many dense broadleaf tree branches and leaves as possible to cover your body (if you don’t have a tent). Adding a layer of coniferous twigs on top of the broadleaf covering can improve rain resistance. Additionally, if possible, dig a ground pit the size of a sleeping bag in a sunny spot, preferably lined with stone slabs (to retain heat). Place gathered branches and weeds into the pit to burn, then remove the ashes—the pit will serve as a good sleeping spot for the night. Bringing a cheap emergency blanket can be extremely helpful.
7. Stay Calm and Composed
Acting rashly is the enemy of outdoor survival. In unfamiliar and remote environments, wandering off alone without a group is extremely risky and practically suicidal—something everyone knows. But if it happens to you, could you stay calm? Once you realize you’re lost and can’t determine your direction, keep a cool head, adjust your mindset, quickly observe and understand the terrain, vegetation, and other conditions of your surroundings, and make the most of these environmental features to improve your chances of survival. Waiting for rescue is your wisest choice.
Self-Rescue Methods for Hikers Lost in the Wilderness
Every year, numerous hikers, hunters, fishermen, and other travelers find themselves trapped on unmarked forest trails or remote transport routes, feeling helpless and disoriented. They are lost.
Usually, people get lost because they can’t connect their current location with certain known factors—natural or otherwise—that could serve as guides. They also lack observational skills and systematic knowledge about venturing out from and returning to a planned base (like trails, roads, rivers, power lines, streams, or lakes). When traveling, focusing only on a single point (like a tent, hunter’s cabin, house, boat, or car) often contributes to people getting lost. The content here introduces direct, walking-based, non-specialized methods. These methods help survivors or lost individuals determine direction more easily and quickly, guiding them closer to their destination. Even without a compass, map, or professional knowledge of astronomy or geography, you can use these methods to figure out where you are.
How to Avoid Getting Lost
Unless you choose a fixed target as a guide, people will get lost because winding paths, dense forests, and long distances obscure the destination. To prevent this, remember the following methods to avoid getting lost:
·You must constantly observe the surrounding terrain to determine direction. Before leaving your tent, car, log bridge, boat, or other starting point, carefully study the surroundings and take in the view as far as possible, identifying fixed landmarks to guide you, such as mountain peaks, cliffs, temples, or large trees.
·Before setting out, memorize prominent landmarks around your campsite so you can use them as guides when returning.
·When you leave a road, stream, trail, river, mountain peak, or temple, remember which side you left from—use these as your basic route markers.
·Remember how many streams you passed on the way in and out, how many peaks you encountered during the journey, and how many forks in the path. Draw a map of the route you took.
What to do if you get lost
·If you find yourself in an unfamiliar area and have trouble finding your way back to your campsite, don’t say you’re lost—at least not yet. You may just be momentarily confused, perhaps for just a few minutes.
·If you suspect you’re lost, stop immediately and assess the situation. Blindly pressing on will only make things worse. Don’t panic—sit down, relax, take some deep breaths, have a cigarette, chew some gum, and carefully recall any houses, streams, or other landmarks you passed to retrace your steps. Sit quietly for a few minutes.
·When hikers first realize they’re unsure of their location, they usually haven’t gone far and can often find their way back. The problem is that most lost people keep wandering blindly, thrashing through the woods and making their situation worse. Some even wander out of the search area entirely.
·If you have a map, check the legend first to see what each symbol represents, and locate roughly where you are on the map. Look for nearby geographical features that match those on the map. Identify your last known position before getting lost, then recall any houses, streams, or other landmarks to retrace your route.
·Study the contour lines on the map to understand the surrounding terrain. Widely spaced contour lines indicate gentle slopes, no lines suggest flat land or broad ridges, and contour lines forming finger-like patterns often indicate ridges or valleys. Based on the map’s scale—such as 1:50,000, where 1 cm on the map equals 50,000 cm (0.5 km) in reality—use a small ruler to estimate distances to your destination. If you lack paper and pen, use your fingers: an adult’s index finger is roughly 2.5 cm from tip to first joint.
·Rotate the map so its symbols align with the actual geographic features, then choose a direction and head toward a road or inhabited area.
·Check the map for obstacles along your intended route, such as cliffs or wide rivers. If encountered, find an alternate route to go around them. Use matching landmarks on the map and in reality to guide you. Stay alert to surroundings and estimate how far you’ve traveled using the map.
Surviving getting lost in wind and rain
·If you have a survival bag (a waterproof plastic bag large enough to hold your entire body) or other survival gear, stay put and wait for the rain to pass. If you lack such equipment, do not remain in place—leave quickly.
·If you have a map, check for hazardous areas. For example, closely spaced contour lines indicate steep cliffs, which you should avoid.
·The direction of stream flow often indicates the way downhill, but don’t walk too close to the stream, as mountain water erodes riverbanks severely, making them very steep. Instead, follow the sound of flowing water downstream.
·While descending, watch for farmhouses or other shelters from wind and rain—trails often have hiding spots nearby.
·Avoid low-lying areas with short, tufted green grass—they may be marshes.
Surviving getting lost at night
·If there’s moonlight and you can see your surroundings, try to head toward a road or farmhouse.
·If you’re in pitch-dark mountains and can’t see anything, stop moving and find shelter, such as the leeward side of a wall or rock.
·If you have a survival bag, crawl inside. Huddling together with others helps retain warmth. Even without a survival bag, you can endure a cold night this way. The center is the warmest spot, so take turns sharing it.
Surviving getting lost in snow
When the white glare of snow blends with the color of the sky, the terrain becomes indistinct—the horizon, elevation, depth, and shadows all vanish. Mountaineers and explorers call this phenomenon “whiteout.”
·In this case, it’s best to stop and wait for the whiteout to clear. If a storm arrives while waiting, dig a pit in a snowdrift or enlarge a tree-root hollow and take cover inside.
·If you have a survival bag, line the bottom with leaves or dry grass to insulate yourself from the icy ground, then climb inside.
·Wear as many layers of clothing as possible. If your outermost layer has buttons or a zipper, fasten them securely before putting it on.
·Cross your arms inside your clothing, tucking your hands under your armpits to stay warm.
·If you must keep moving, use a map and compass to navigate. As you walk, toss snowballs ahead and observe where they land and how they roll to detect slope direction. If a snowball disappears completely, there may be a cliff ahead.
Surviving getting lost in fog
·Take out your map, align it with your compass, and decide which direction to go.
·Following the compass direction, look for an easily identifiable landmark—such as a rock, tree, or fern—and head toward it. Once reached, use the compass to find another target ahead.
·Repeat this process until you emerge from the fog.
·If you don’t have a map or compass, you should stay put and wait for the fog to clear.
How to Identify Directions Without a Map
Even without a map or compass, it may be possible to find your way to safety.
First, consider whether you can return to the main road you just passed.
If returning isn’t possible, observe your surroundings. If you see a path or something that is likely to lead to one—such as a house or utility pole—head toward it.
If you can roughly determine your location based on surrounding geographical features, move toward the nearest road, path, railway, river, etc. As you proceed, take note of the scenery along the way to estimate how far you’ve gone.
Targets such as roads or rivers that run perpendicular to your direction of travel are the best choices, because even if you deviate slightly from your intended route, you’ll still be able to find them.
Roads, power lines, and telephone lines are regularly patrolled, so you won’t have to wait long before encountering someone who can help you find the right way.
If you can’t find reliable geographical features, use the sun to determine direction and decide which way to go.
At noon, in the northern hemisphere, the sun is in the southern part of the sky, while in the southern hemisphere, it’s in the northern part.
If the sun is obscured by clouds, place the blade of a knife or the edge of a nail file vertically on a shiny flat surface like a plastic credit card or thumbnail. Observe the faint shadow on the surface. The sun is in the direction opposite to the shadow.
If you have an analog watch with hands and it’s set to the local time, you can determine direction using the following method:
Lay the watch flat and point the hour hand at the sun. Imagine a line that bisects the angle between the hour hand and the 12 o’clock mark. For example, if it’s 4 p.m., the bisecting line would pass through 2 o’clock. In the northern hemisphere, this line points south; in the southern hemisphere, it points north.
If the clouds are too thick to see the sun, look for moss on tree trunks or rocks. Moss typically grows on the side away from the sun. In the northern hemisphere, there’s usually more moss on the northern or northeastern side, while in the southern hemisphere, it's more common on the southern or southeastern side. However, using moss to determine direction isn’t very accurate, so when sunlight breaks through the clouds, you should rely on the sun instead.
If you need to stay in one place for a while, you can use a stick in a flat area to determine direction. About once an hour, mark the tip of the shadow cast by the stick. When you connect the marks, the resulting line will indicate the east-west direction.