The Rule of Three

How to avoid and how to deal with getting Lost

So you finally got out for a good long hike, and now you lost the trail, and you can’t find it again!  Assuming you become familiar with the concepts we will be talking about here, you should be able to get back safely without too much trouble.  Let’s get into the basics, starting with how you can avoid getting lost in the first place. 

At any time in life, there are many points of view depending on where you look at things from.  A hiking trail is no different.  Every now and then, make a point to look backwards along the trail and make note of any features that stand out - a large knob on a tree, an oddly shaped branch - things that may not be visible from the side you looked at while walking towards it.  This way, if you come across it again, you may recognize landmarks regardless of what angle you see them from. 

If you do find yourself to be lost, try to think of what put you there.  Everyone steps off the trail to look at a cool rock or to relieve themselves, so you are likely not too far.  Make note of where you started, so you can come back there, and then start walking in a spiral, slowly going out from your starting point.  If, after all this you still are lost, you still shouldn’t worry.  If you told someone where you were headed, you will likely be found pretty quickly.  If not, the best tool you have is the rule of three.  I learned this from Frank and Larissa when I attended Blue Turtle camp as a child and it is a simple guideline for what to do based on how long you are out in the wilderness:

• Three seconds: In this time, you can panic, make a bad decision, and get yourself into an even worse situation than before.  Unless you are in immediate danger, sit down and just breathe.  Nearly all lost hikers are found within a day or two, so the most important thing overall is to remain calm.  

• Three minutes: You need access to good, clean air within three minutes.  You likely don’t need to read a blog post to know that you have a higher chance of surviving when not in a raging river or drowning in a lake, but it is important to acknowledge anything that may jeopardize your access to air, or get away from any immediate danger.

• Three hours: In this time, your core body temperature can spike or plummet, sending you into heat stroke or hypothermia respectively.  Once you are safe, calm, and free of any immediate dangers, get to work fighting the elements.  It will greatly depend on geographical location and season whether overheating or freezing is a greater threat. Find or construct shelter with whatever you can find. (See my post on shelter building!)

• Three days: The human body cannot go more than three days without water.  Once you have set up shelter, immediately start planning how to collect water.  In most situations, you will want to get water before three days pass, as this is the longest humans can go with no water with little to no activity.  Especially in warmer climates, even going one day without water can be dangerous, so find a clean source of water or find some way to purify water.  If you cannot, drink any water you find regardless of how clean it is.  As unfortunate as it may be to contract a bug or virus from unclean water, this is ultimately less of a concern than dying of dehydration.

• Three weeks: Three weeks is the general mark-off for when you need to eat food by. Three weeks sounds like a really long time but you can actually go much longer than you think without food, so make sure all your other needs are taken care of first.  If you haven’t been rescued by this time, you likely have eaten already, but don’t lose hope now.  Foraging for nuts and plants, setting snares, or fishing are your best bet for getting any nutrition.  Unless you are an expert, stay away from all mushrooms and berries, as many are poisonous and hard to identify.  

Keep in mind that most likely none of these emergencies will happen, so venture out to the wilderness and have fun spending a bit of time in your natural environment!