Follow that river

golok

golok

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Oct 20, 2000
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It has been said that if a man being lost in a terrain and has no instruments to help him, the safest way to walk back into civilisation is to follow where the river leads him.

We are now assuming that there is a river and the wanderer happens to come across it.

Would that be the safest bet?
 
Not all rivers lead back to civilization. Many of them would only lead you deeper into the bush and farther away from help. From what I understand this is not a reliable form of navagation but I have heard this all of my life.



Dean

Learn something new every day that's why I like this place.
 
I suppose it would depend on which country the person is in.

Where I live (Northern Ontario, Canada) the rivers would flow south towards the Great Lakes and civilization. Also building a raft and going down the river would be easier than travelling through the thick forests.
 
In nearly all jungle regions of Latin America this rule is absolutely sound.

I would use it anywhere if I had no other means of navigation and was completely disoriented. The probability of finding civilization will be greater using this rule than it will be to wander around looking for civilization.

Another plus to this is the river will do the work for you if you build a makeshift raft from the forest (I've done this many times). Of course don't do this in whitewater or any river that rapidly decreases in altitude.

We teach this all the time during our schools in Latin America. It actually saved one of our clients. After going through our school he traveled to Central America and as luck would have it got lost exploring the jungle. He came across a small river, remembered our tip and started to follow it. He arrived at a small village the next day. Tired and hungry, but alive.

He emailed me after he got back and said "Thanks for the tip."
 
I've only heard of a few areas where they tell you not to follow that general rule. For example, some rivers/creeks in Hawaii flow down to really steep cliffs with waterfalls into the ocean. They warn tourists not to follow the descent of the rivers if they get lost.

Most places I hike it would be a valid approach.
 
"Follow the River" by James Alexander Thom, a fact based story of a colonial woman taken captive by Indians in the mid-late 1700's. Excellent survival story.

Mike
 
Tere are rivers in the far north which flow to the arctic seas like the mckenzie river. Especially in sibiria there are many rivers without a settlement wich end in the icepack. But it's a bad idea to get lost in theese areas anyhow:rolleyes:
 
Also beware of this rule when hiking/camping in the Great Basin (E. Oregon, parts of Utah, all of Nevada, and parts of California and Arizona). The basin does not have an outlet to the ocean, and following a river (or dry stream bed, as is more likely) can easily put you out on a salt plain or alkali desert - with no civilization anywhere around.

If I were lost in the Great Basin (and I have been), I would head first to high ground to get a better look at the surrounding country.

Another caution about following any natural terrain: it can easily take you off-track. Maybe the river you start out to follow is flowing south, but it might slowly bend to the west and dump you far from where you thought you were headed. Take bearings on distinguished landmarks and use them to stay on course. Keep track of the sun to see if you are still headed in the right direction.
 
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