Don’t Get Lost
I had moved to a new city about two weeks prior. I worked in another new city about 15 miles north. I had two established routes to and from work, but I wanted to find some shortcuts.
I took a turn off a main route, thinking it would intersect my street. I spent two hours driving in circles, my gas running out, having to pee, and growing increasingly angry.
I made a number of turns down dead end streets. I finally found my street and made it home. A number of years later, I am closely familiar with the area, and I often reflect on how close I was to home that night.
Getting lost means you are disoriented as to the location of your intended destination, or you are uncertain of your current location. It can be annoying and frustrating, to downright panic inducing, or fun and exciting.
Some of the information here also applies if you are oriented, but your vehicle breaks down, or on foot and injured.
Learn to navigate. It is much better to prevent getting lost in the first place. Knowing what to do if you are lost is damage control to one extent or another.
Getting lost is not a nightmare or horror story unless you make it into one. Being lost is an adventure. Explore what is around the corner. You never know what you might find.
There is a difference between a tourist and a traveler. A tourist sticks to the well-known attractions, main roads, and the proverbial well-beaten path. A traveler tends to be more adventurous and an explorer.
Urban areas are densely populated. Depending on what state you live in, you will refer to one city in your state as The City.
In New York State, the obvious choice in New York City. In an urban area, there will be multilane and elevated highways, long high bridges, dense traffic, and buildings, including skyscrapers.
There will be road signs everywhere, sometimes too numerous to track. Urban areas are packed with people on foot, bicycles, and motor vehicles. There will be crowds, lots of noise, and a miasma of smells, depending on where you are in the city and the time of day or night
Major cities will never sleep. Businesses, mostly supermarkets and convenience stores, will be open 24 hours a day, and bars and clubs into the early morning hours.
If you are in an unfamiliar city, or unfamiliar part of your own massive city, e.g., New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago, you can get lost. Don’t ever look like you are lost.
Pick a spot 50 or 100 meters ahead of you and walk to it like you have been there a hundred times, and it is your intended destination. A store is a good option. Once you get there orient yourself.
Do not look confused, hesitant, change direction within a few steps, look scared or uncertain, or look around. And whatever you do, don’t look up at the skyscrapers. That will mark you immediately as someone out of town.
Why is this so important? Because you will start looking like a good victim. The other feature of dense urban areas are pockets of high crime. There are predators out hunting, and you do not want to look like their prey.
Chances are you will be able to orient yourself with a GPS, landmarks, or calling someone for directions. You can also ask a stranger/store employee for directions; though this can make you feel like a tool-bag.
This can also be a good time to find a café, sit and get a cup of coffee, and chill and orient yourself or make a phone call. This is not a big deal; just part of your trip. Unless you are in a very upscale neighborhood, it is ill-advised to knock on strangers doors in an urban area. Stick with store employees for directions, and do it discreetly enough where others don’t hear and butt in.
On a related note: don’t forget where you parked. If you are driving a rental, make certain you know what it looks like. This may sound obvious, but under stress, we default to what we are familiar with.
No sense automatically looking for the car 1500 miles away in your driveway or at an airport. Take an image of the freaking car if you have to.
Rural areas or the country are sparsely populated. It is unlikely to find buildings more than three stories high. There will be the ever-present convenience stores with gas pumps, and there may be a few big box stores here and there.
Some of the businesses will close as early as 5:00 PM, and it may be difficult to find a place open after 9:00 PM. Rural areas are mostly woods and farmland, with minimal development.
Homes are spread out and there may be a mile or three between neighbors. There will be mostly two lane roads, and some dirt or gravel roads. There will be rolling hills, winding roads, short bridges over creeks and streams, and maybe mountains to ascend and descend.
If you get lost in a rural area, you can again orient yourself with landmarks. Lakes, rivers, and mountains will be more likely, though you can use unique buildings as well.
If you come across an open store, you can ask for directions. You will be generally safer knocking on a door in a rural area than in a city but use caution. Move slow, smile, keep your hands in site, and give a lot of space.
Wilderness areas or the woods are undeveloped. In the northeast and Pacific northwest, there will be hardwoods, pines, creeks, rivers, ponds, lakes, mountains, dense tree canopies, and wildlife.
In the continental United States, we have deserts in the southwest, that are hot in the day, but can get cold at night. There may be well-marked and travelled or minimal trails.
You may not encounter other people, or an encounter with someone else will be rare. It will be pitch black at night, but the moon and stars will be bright, and you will be able to see the Milky Way once your eyes adjust.
If you get lost in a wilderness area, the recommendation I consistently heard growing up (1970’s & 1980’s) is to stay put and wait for rescue. This was also directed to a young teenager going into a remote wilderness area with six to eight men before GPS or cell phones.
If you are experienced in the outdoors, fit, and well equipped, you have a few hours of daylight, and the weather is decent, you may be able to re-orient yourself and find your way out.
Before you do anything, sit down, have some water or coffee and a snack (you have these items with you, yes?). Get calm and focused.
If you intend to walk out, start looking for the bright orange or green tape mentioned above that you have placed. Mark your current position with tape so you don’t walk in circles, note any landmarks, and look for the trail or the last familiar landmark before you got lost.
An overview of your position may coalesce in your head and you will be oriented again. There is also the old and often cited method of seeking high ground to orient yourself. I have doubts about this method; you may get even more turned around.
If you are sick or injured, it is dusk, or there is a snowstorm/freezing rain coming in, you will have to decide if you are going to wait for rescue or try to make your way out.
If you have a phone, radio, or other communication device, you can call for rescue. You may not have service in a wilderness area. This is where preparation is critical. If you have to/choose to stay put, can you make a shelter and fire?
Once again, focus on prevention and preparation.
Some of the above may also be applicable to an elderly relative with dementia.
Part of developing self -sufficiency and self-reliance is developing the skills of navigation, outdoor survival, and interpersonal communication skills.
A central theme in this article is prevention and preparation. Don’t get lost. Once you are lost, you are doing damage control.
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i used to live out in the country now for the last 30 years i have lived in a medium sized city but as far as getting around goes as long as you know what roads run what way and around how far apart they are you can get get around ok and i learn IMMEDIATELY when i move to new area what roads run what way and how to get around
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