Recently there was another incident in the Adirondack Park that has raised safety concerns about the absence of cell phone towers. According to an article published in the Press Republican, a woman in her 60s got her car stuck after walking her dog in Duane, N.Y. It seems that when she went for help, she became lost and was eventually found hours later near the entrance to the Paul Smith’s visitor’s center.

            A passing motorist saw the woman and attempted to call 911 for help, but the call was dropped, even though it was just a mile from Verizon’s new tower. The lost woman suffered frostbite and hypothermia in the 8 degree weather.

            Now, I’m not about to sit here and debate whether or not there should be more cell phone towers in the Adirondacks or to place blame on the woman who was lost. I would like to make this an opportunity to discuss some basic outdoor safety.

            Having been lost in the woods myself, I know that it can be a bit nerve-racking, but it can also be an opportunity for fun and excitement. The old Boy Scout motto of “be prepared” is a bit cliché these days, but it is absolutely true. I’m not suggesting that you need 70 lbs of survival gear in your rucksack. In fact, the best survival tools weigh nothing at all; they’re the knowledge you carry out into the woods.

            For starters, make sure you are dressed appropriately for the weather, not just where you are, but where you are going, since many mountains can be much colder at the top than at the bottom.

            Also, whenever you embark on an outdoor excursion, alone or with friends, make sure that you tell someone where you are going and when you should be back. It can be a neighbor, a friend or a relative. They can even live in California, as long as you call them when you get home. That way, if you aren’t back by your designated time, someone will know to start looking for you.

A topographical map showing mountains and streams. Courtesy of Google

             Next, take a few minutes before you leave to study a map of where you are going. It doesn’t have to be a topographic surveyor’s map, though that will do just fine, any map from Google will work. All you need to look for are roads and streams or other bodies of water, as these make the easiest and most obvious landmarks to use as reference points.

            It is also every easy to get disoriented or to follow the wrong trail, particularly if you hiking on a trail you are either not familiar with or at a different time of year than you normally would. One time I got lost on the east side of Lake George when I accidentally began following a well used deer run that looked enough like the trail I was on. To make matters worse I was following a compass that being thrown off by massive iron ore deposits. Although that is not a typical problem, it is something to consider.

            There are ways to roughly determine north, and from there decide which way you came into the woods so you can backtrack to your car. On that particular day, I knew that the road I had parked on was west of the trails so I walked towards the late-afternoon sun. I’ll admit it didn’t work quite as well as I thought it would, but it got me to a road that I could follow out.

            I’ve since learned that the sun can be used as a more accurate compass than I’d ever imagined. According to “The Backpacker’s Field Manual,” by Rick Curtis, you can use your watch to determine a basic direction. To do this, point the hour-hand at the sun and south will be halfway between the hour-hand and the 12. Although this method is not super accurate, it is better than nothing.

            All of this advice is useless, however, if you panic. Having a proper positive attitude is essential for any survival situation, as panic can lead to hasty decisions that can be fatal. If you have trouble doing this, pretend you are a kid again on a backyard adventure. Sure it’s silly, but at least you’ll increase your chances of survival.

            This blog is far too small to list everything you need to know to survive being lost, but hopefully it inspires you to do a bit more digging of your own. At the very least, maybe if you are lost someday, my words on the subject come back to you in your time of need.

            If you are interested in knowing more about hiking and survival, I highly recommend “The Backpacker’s Field Manual,” by Rick Curtis, director of Princeton’s Outdoor Acton program for basic hiking info. Then for survival information there is “Tom Brown’s Field Guide to Wilderness Survival,” which is an indispensable source on the subject.

Good luck out there.