How To Safely Get Unlost While Hiking

After losing the trail, can this wayward hiker find her way back?

- Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan

Getting lost in the desert is never an attractive proposition. But it’s especially unwelcome in February, when the warm days turn suddenly to chilling nights, the light jacket you’re wearing is already feeling too thin, and your trail mix is down to just a few raisins.

That’s exactly the situation I found myself in during a dayhike gone awry in Canyonlands National Park. A boyfriend and I had set off to hike an 8-mile loop in sunny, perfect 500F hiking weather. Right before we left the parking lot, I tossed my poofy down parka back in the car—surely, it was overkill on a day trip. We’d be back in Moab for dinner.

But just a few hours later,we stood facing each other, alternating uneasy glances at the GPS in his hand and the sage-stubbled cliff walls around us. We’d lost the trail in a sandy wash three-fourths of the way through the loop. After 30 minutes of scouting, squinting at the map, and backtracking, we’d made zero progress. There was no denying it: We were really lost.

It was a predicament I’d always worried about but never experienced. But there I was, off-track in the wild and facing exactly that challenge.

I knew what you’re supposed to do: Return to your last known location. Get back on the established trail. Backtrack if you can or, failing that, stay put so you don’t make things worse. Under no circumstances should you go  bombing around off-trail.

But now I learned what you really do: panic. Even with all that common sense running through my brain, a deeper instinct pulled me forward, not back. The right path must be close. Just keep moving.

Hurry. It’ll be fine. I looked at the darkening sky and could almost feel the snowflakes crystallizing in my cells.