Such a boy may start out from his camp, which is on the shore of a lake, for example, on an afternoon’s fishing or hunting trip.  If he is careful he will always consult his compass to keep in mind the general direction in which he travels.  He will also tell his friends at camp where he expects to go.  If he has no compass, he at least knows that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west and he can easily remember whether he has travelled toward the setting sun or away from it.  Rules for telling the points of compass by the thickness of the bark or moss on trees are well enough for story books.  They are not of much value to a man lost in the woods.

Suddenly, say at four o’clock, this boy decides to “turn around” and go back to camp.  And then the awful feeling comes to him that he doesn’t know which way to turn.  The woods take on a strange and unfamiliar look.  He is lost.  The harder he tries to decide which way the camp lies, the worse his confusion becomes.  If he would only collect his thoughts and like the Indian say “Ugh!  Indian not lost, Indian here.  Wigwam lost,” he probably would soon get his bearings.  It is one thing to lose your way and another to lose your head.

When you are lost, you are confused, and the only rule to remember is to sit down on the nearest rock or stump and wait until you get over being “rattled.”  Then ask yourself, “How far have I gone since I was not sure of my way?” and also, “How far am I from camp?” If you have been out three hours and have walked pretty steadily, you may have gone five miles.  Unless you have travelled in a straight line and at a rapid pace, the chances are that you are not more than half that distance.  But even two or three miles in strange woods is a long distance.  You may at least be sure that you must not expect to find camp by rushing about here and there for ten minutes.

We have all heard how lost people will travel in circles and keep passing the same place time after time without knowing it.  This is true and many explanations have been attempted.  One man says that we naturally take longer steps with our right leg because it is the stronger; another thinks that our heart has something to do with it, and so on.  Why we do this no one really knows, but it seems to be a fact.  Therefore, before a lost person starts to hunt for camp, he should blaze a tree that he can see from any direction.  Blazing simply means cutting the bark and stripping it on all four sides.  If you have no hatchet a knife will do, but be sure to make a blaze that will show at some distance, not only for your own benefit but to guide a searching party that may come out to look for you.  You can mark an arrow to point the direction that you are going, or if you have pencil and notebook even leave a note for your friends telling them your predicament.  This may all seem unnecessary at the time but if you are really lost, nothing is unnecessary that will help you to find yourself.