How stupid stuff happens

mapper66

mapper66

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Nov 11, 2007
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A little spinoff from Scott's thread on what you want a knife to do when you are in a bad situation. Didn't want contribute too much to thread drift.

True story....

We were backpacking in Smoky Mtn National Park, 3 day loop. During the hike, modest guy walks off the trail maybe 20 yards to do his business, but doesn't tell any of us. Rest of us continue on down the trail. Modest guy goes off trail, drops his pack, walks off a few feet, digs his hole, does his business, and somehow returns to the trail with out his pack! :confused: The rest of us have stopped on down the trail, modest guy comes sauntering up without his pack, TP in hand.

Now you can say, 'stupid should hurt', and I agree. But that's the kind of silly stuff that happens. It took 4 of us over an hour to find the pack. Would he have found it if alone? Who knows? But thats one way you end up in the woods with nothing but TP and pooper scooper in hand. And you can say we are super-duper bladeforums W&SS troopers, and I agree with that to :D, but that just means if the same thing had happened to me I would probably have had a fixed blade and small PSK on my person, so no real good shelter option and that's why I want a knife to start me a fire and build me a real rudimentary shelter if I'm "in a bad way while out".

The after action review brought out that my friends typical MO was to drop his pack, get his TP and poop shovel, then go off trail. For some reason this time he went off trail, dropped his pack, and came on back without it.

It reminds me of a line from "Deep Survival", by Laurence Gonzales:

"So you go on unconsciously about your business, losing your keys and finding them right under your nose. Running red lights. Letting the pot boil over. Forgetting to pay the electric bill. The consequences are few. Then you go into the wilderness, where the consequences are many."
 
Good story. I see stuff like that happen everyday with my co-workers. As far as in the woods, I run the show with my sons-they practically have to ask me to do anything. Especially concerning knife safety: I'm a freak about it. A mantra is: If not using it, put it in the sheath.
I still consider myself a newbie outdoors-I suck at plant recognition, I'm not a hunter, I can only do a few knots-but I can build a fire and make a shelter, and Im a good cook! I agree with the quote you posted- being organized and aware is very important. And beyond that-stop and think. Ok, rant off.
 
I could totally see that happening.

I agree about keeping a bit of survival stuff on your person. Let's say it was getting dark and you were alone. It could get ugly, or at least super uncomfortable, real fast.

It's also amazing how much trees, rocks and roots can look alike when you are trying to recall where you stepped off-trail. Once while solo hiking a section of the Northville-Placid trail in the Adirondacks, I packed up my gear and walked toward the spot where I thought the trail was. I spent about 45 minutes trying to find the trail I had been on for the last few days. I had gone about 50 yards off trail to camp out of the way and suddenly the woods seemed to close in around me. Super frustrating to say the least. Reminds me of parts of Lord of the Rings.

One good idea might be to be very deliberate about getting your bearings when you leave a trail. Setting up a routine and sticking to it makes sense. I do it when I take something out of my pack so I'm sure to keep things with me.

Good idea for a thread!
 
PB Wilson- something I learned in one of the survival schools I attended while in the Marine Corps was to purposely orient yourself as the first step to making camp. They told us to either lay out our bed or an arrow of rocks or sticks stuck in the ground pointing north but in your case you could lay out something pointing back to the trail or the direction you were going.

We were taught this in a class based on the scenario of capture, escape and evasion where you would have to make your own compass and so the theory was it was easier to orient yourself as soon as you stopped so you wouldn't have to go through the whole compass making process again but, I think it's a good idea in most situations.

David
 
That's why when I go into the woods I make sure the pooper scooper I take with me can cut cord, baton branches, and make fuzz sticks...oh and dig a poop pit. :D
 
must have been in rhododendron hell!
 
It is a good idea to keep the real essential stuff on your person. It has saved me a couple time. I always have my EDC (Vic Explorer ) on my belt and I always have a bic lighter and a Zippo lighter in my pockets as well as a book of matches. I always have a small flashlite on a clip on my second EDC:D
 

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Always best to stay oriented, and also to drop your pack where you can see it. An instant of absentmindedness has led to a multitude of wilderness disasters.
 
My guess is that he was in a hurry to catch up with the rest of the guys down the trail. See what happens when you get in a hurry and try to rush things!!

Sometimes it pays to slow down a little bit and pay a little more attention to detail. But I can see how thngs like that happen. He's lucky you guys were there to help him find his pack.
 
obviously his mom overdid toilet training.

One time we were out Haystack Knob in the Mon.

My pals were setting up camp but I wanted to roam around. I sat my pack down but I bookmarked it with my GPS.

When I came back it all looked the same but no pack. I checked my GPS. While this GPS woudl probably put you w/in 30' of it I could not see it anywhere. I felt sort of stupid losing my pack and getting my pals to to help me find it but I went over to where they were camping.

My one buddy had picked it up and brought it to the campign spot;):confused:
 
Yes, we take our civilized attitudes into the wilds and it gets us in trouble. Even when hiking on well marked trails, that trail is kind of like an umbilical cord back to the civilized world, it comforts you and orients you.

I've made it a habit now to stop and tell myself whenever I venture off trail, "Pay attention". Just that little reminder is enough to help me change my mindset from lollygagging down the trail thinking about dinner to, "ok, I'm in a different place now, the rules have changed." Because you are, and they have.

Even when I step off trail now to check something out or go to the bathroom, if it's sunny I see where the sun is and figure out where it should hit me on the way back, and that's good enough to hit a trail. I'll use a compass if it's cloudy. Doesn't have to be perfect, just close.

I know it can be unbelievable to some that haven't spent time in thick brush that you can get lost 10 yards off a trail, but you can. Next time you are on a trail in thick brush, use your compass and walk in about 10-15 yards. Close your eyes, spin yourself around a few times, and see if the woods don't close in like PB said above. Just make sure you know the compass azimuth back out to the trail, or better yet have a friend stay on the trail. I've actually done this to give myself the sensation of being lost. It's important to get used to that feeling, and be able to fight down the panic that can come with it.
 
mapper66 said:
Yes, we take our civilized attitudes into the wilds and it gets us in trouble. Even when hiking on well marked trails, that trail is kind of like an umbilical cord back to the civilized world, it comforts you and orients you.

I've made it a habit now to stop and tell myself whenever I venture off trail, "Pay attention". Just that little reminder is enough to help me change my mindset from lollygagging down the trail thinking about dinner to, "ok, I'm in a different place now, the rules have changed." Because you are, and they have.

Even when I step off trail now to check something out or go to the bathroom, if it's sunny I see where the sun is and figure out where it should hit me on the way back, and that's good enough to hit a trail. I'll use a compass if it's cloudy. Doesn't have to be perfect, just close.

I know it can be unbelievable to some that haven't spent time in thick brush that you can get lost 10 yards off a trail, but you can. Next time you are on a trail in thick brush, use your compass and walk in about 10-15 yards. Close your eyes, spin yourself around a few times, and see if the woods don't close in like PB said above. Just make sure you know the compass azimuth back out to the trail, or better yet have a friend stay on the trail. I've actually done this to give myself the sensation of being lost. It's important to get used to that feeling, and be able to fight down the panic that can come with it.
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True. It really pays to have some of that flagging tape in the thick brush.
 
A thing i've used in the past is 30m of paracord with a karabiner on either end. I attached one end to a tree on the edge of the trail and the other end was clipped onto my belt. Walked out until it went tight then did my business and returned. Very useful in the jungle and a must have at night.

We had a guy go to the toilet at night in the jungle, get disorientated and he just sat down after an hour or two. Come sun up he was 50m from us no more, he'd just gotten turned around and walked in circles until he gave up. Needless to say he never went out without a tether again.

Along with a tether I also have a decent blade strapped to me with a waterproofed powerbar and a field dressing taped to the sheath.
 
I've gotten disoriented in small woodlots that I was familiar with, just by turning around. The woods don't look the same leaving as they did going in. The panic element is missing because a moment's thought would show me the lake on one side or highway on the other, but the principle is the same. As hollowdweller pointed out, mark that trail if you're going into unfamiliar territory.
 
I could see how that would happen fairly quickly. Thank god he had you guys to fall back on.
 
Echo4v said:
PB Wilson- something I learned in one of the survival schools I attended while in the Marine Corps was to purposely orient yourself as the first step to making camp. They told us to either lay out our bed or an arrow of rocks or sticks stuck in the ground pointing north but in your case you could lay out something pointing back to the trail or the direction you were going.

We were taught this in a class based on the scenario of capture, escape and evasion where you would have to make your own compass and so the theory was it was easier to orient yourself as soon as you stopped so you wouldn't have to go through the whole compass making process again but, I think it's a good idea in most situations.

David
Click to expand...


Good ideas. I'll remember that next time.
 
I had that panic "woods-closing-in-on-me" feeling once when I was scouting around for the upcoming hunting season. It was overcast and I was trailblazing through a few brushy areas when suddenly I lost my bearings. I actually started running for a bit before I stopped and whipped out my compass to figure out where north was. My car was parked on a east-west road to the south of me and all I had to do was walk south to get to that road. At least I had figured that out BEFORE I went into woods.

I have Lawrence Gonzales' "Deep Survival" book on CD that I listened to recently on a trip to New Mexico. It is great. It really gives you an idea of how "accidents" are not really accidents at all. Being aware in the woods is really important. I always try to carry a small PSK with me whenever I get out of the car and into the field.
 
We have always practiced an 'earth-friendly' way of marking trails when we hunt, to mark rubs, scrapes, etc. I am in the habit of moving dead branches and such to make trail markers. I actually picked the idea up from a book I read back in elementary school, but it stuck with me. I improved on this skill as a kid playing paintball. My team would make trails and mark them with arrows and such out of sticks and stones so that we could move about on trail and on track without being discovered. It works well and I suggest anyone doing it or at least taking some reflective trail tacks when you go off trail.
 
After years backpacking out West, it really took some adjustment to be in an area where you couldn't see the top of any notable peak and masses of largely identical trees cut your vision in many places to 20-30 feet.
 
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