Trick incase you get lost.

[Ian Haines]

Can we just use really, really long balls of string, painted bright reflective orange and dunked in a dye that can be seen in infra-red light, with a really loud flashing beeper every 20 feet or so? We've got to be careful so that nobody notices us...aha! I'm getting good at this stuff! (Ian said, reaching for his service revolver!)

[Mortblanc]

Bread crumbs!

And keep your eyes peeled for the big gingerbread house.

[Tartar Horde]

In the majority of the English countryside it is virtually impossible to get lost in the conventional sense as you are never going to be too far away from habitation of some kind, plus it is generally open in nature so you have clear sight lines to navigate by. The problem most people face is when they enter woodland, without any obvious landmarks it is very easy to lose your way, and before you know it you can't see the Wood for the trees, so to speak. BM has the best tried and tested solution, that of "blazing a trail" by marking certain tress etc, you could break branches for the same effect or leave "arrow marks" pointing the way back on the ground. If you realise you are lost, don't panic, fear is the mind killer and you will get into more trouble if you act without thinking and let it get hold of you. Sit down!! and have a drink or something to eat, make a cuppa, calm down. When you have chilled down you need to start searching for the path etc in a radiating pattern from your point of stopping. use the clock face principle and mark off 12 O,clock on the ground, walk in that direction for say fifty yards, marking your path as you go (we don't want to get lost again do we) if nothing familiar is found, walk back to your point of origin and then set off at 3 O,clock and do the same thing till you find something familiar. Searching in this methodical manner will enable you to cover 360 degrees and give you a better chance of regaining the path than just wandering willynilly.

[Mortblanc]

In my own area the situation is such that I can not shoot an azimuth and walk it for more than 2-3 miles before crossing a paved and marked road.

One must work very diligently to become "lost" in most civilized nations. In fact, it is almost impossible to sit down in the woods, listen closely, and NOT hear the sounds of human existence off in the distance.

Keep in mind that if one is evading danger any marking of a trail such as blazing or tagging will lead your adversary right to your doorstep.

The first and primary rule of moving on foot in hostile territory is to stay off any marked trail system. Therefore, if marking a trail, one is creating a system it will place him in danger to use.

The other basic rule is to "never return the way you came". Therefore it does not matter what is behind you, you will not return that way.
("never look back they might be gaining on you!")

If one is in hostile territory, marks a trail, then returns on that same trail the chance of ambush is increased greatly.

If none of these things are of a concern or a factor in you decisions why are you not simply walking along the roadway?

[Lightspeed]

Good observation Scythe.

Generally we tend to follow established paths and contours when trekking in new areas. For return journey navigation I tend to increase concentration at times when changing path or direction. often I mark turn points with a stick stuck vertically in the ground.

And upon reflection, yes, I do pay more attention to surroundings at these way-points, and often, yes, I do look back on them as we continue down the trail. It has been instinctive, I've never analysed it before.