I have been that lost on several occasions. Hunting public land as I do you have to get FAR away from the beaten path. Many time when scouting or still hunting/stalking I will come to a place on a ATV trail or logging road that looks good and turn 90 degrees and start walking away from the trail. Found lots of good stuff that way. Also got lost that way. GPS is great but nothing can equal good knowledge of how to survive in the wild. I'm talking about how to build shelter that will protect you from the elements, how to find food, how to find water, and how to make fire (primitvely) to stay warm and dry or to dry wet clothing. For those of us that live in warm climes the fire and dry clothes is not as much of a big deal as it is for y'all in colder areas where it can mean life or death. However it is stuff that all of us who venture into uninhabited territory should know.

If you can afford them go to one of the survival schools. Or even better, several of them. Most of them are well worth the money. If that is out of your budget, get some books and practice in the back yard. Practice making fire with a variety of methods (bow&drill, flint and steel, magnesium fireblock, etc). Some methods take a little practice but don't give up. Your kids (and yur buddies) will think you are the s#@t for starting a fire with seemingly nothing. Get proficient with several different methods. Take a camping trip in the off-season and practice building your shelter and finding food and water. Also try some of these foods BEFORE you have to rely on them to keep you alive. Water is MUCH more important than food. A person can go for more than a month without food. You will not live more than a feww days without water. With a little practice you will be surprised at how easy it can be to sustain yourself for rather long periods of time on nothing more than what you find in the woods that you spend all winter in.

ALWAYS, ALWAYS carry a survival kit with you. There are several lists available but the bare minimum (in my opinion) would be:

1. At least 3 sources of fire. These can occupy a surprisingly small amount of space. I carry a magnesium fireblock from Wal-mart, a 35mm film canister full of cotton and a Bic lighter, and a small, DRY wood block with which to make a bow and drill.

2. A small amount (25-50 feet) of twine or 550 cord. This can be used for any number of things from making your bow&drill for fire, tying your logs, limbs, etc together for shelter, making traps, making splints and slings, etc. The uses of this stuff is only limited by your imagination.

3. A small first aid kit. These can be as simple or as elaborate as you want and have money and room for. Some items should include a small assortment of band-aids, triple-antibiotic oitment, a small supply of Tylenol or Advil, a small rol of gauze, and a few 4x4 bandages. All of these can be obtained at your local drug store. You can also include anything that is necessary for your personal needs such as contact lenses and solution (if you wear them), a small supply of prescription meds that you may take, etc.

4. Water purification tablets. No elaboration needed I don't think. Get them in the camping section of your local outdoor store.

5. One other thing that I have found indispensible throughout my military career and my various camping, hunting, and survival trips is one or two packs of disposable baby wipes. These can be bought just about anywhere such as Walmart or the grocery store. They are good for cleaning wounds, cleaning hands before eating or after cleaning game, cleaning up when you have to take the inevitable poop, and the one that I have found most uplifting, a bath.

6. A signal device such as a marine whistle. You can get these in the boating section of most major sporting goods stores.

All of this will fit in the cargo pocket of you pants or a similar space in your pack (in a zip-lock bag of course.)I carry mine in a 1 Quart Zip-Lock bag in the cargo pocket of my pants. That way it is always with me.

When you think you are lost the first thing to do is STOP. Sit down and take a deep breath and calm down. Take a few minutes to just relax. Take an inventory of what you have with you and what you know. After that you should feel better and be able to think much clearer. A positive attitude is your most valuable asset in ANY survival situation. Practice just a little and you wil be utterly amazed at how easy it can be.