My youngest brother and I got lost about five years ago on timber co. land in East Tx. The brush was so thick that you couldn't walk a straight line. I knew we were in trouble when he said "I think we're that way" and I thought we were supposed to go another. We walked for about three hours before we walked up in someones backyard. The man in the house knew where we were camped and gave us directions back. That afternoon, I stayed in camp and he went out alone. Just after dark I heard him shoot and honked the horn every five minutes until he made it back. He was with a guy from the next camp who had a compass and was just as lost.

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One thing I have observed in the past is; I would often be more concerned about my wife being worried about me if I was late than I was. One factor that tends to get folks lost is that they need to be somewhere at a certain time.

She now knows that no matter what happens, I will eventually get back out, and not to worry.

That simple personal rule has taken ALL the pressure off of getting lost.

I am also one of those "overpackers". I hunt, hike and fish very large tracts of land...In the millions of acres. I have back packs, lightweight tents and all the junk that goes with hiking, but for hunting, I have narrowed my load down quite a bit.

I have made up what I call my "walking" vest. It is just a fairly good quality flyfishing vest with about forty pockets. This allows me to put in all the stuff I would need into all the pockets and distribute the weight all around my upper body instead of my waist or back.

A few more notable items I carry are; a GPS. 1;24000 topo maps of the area I'm in. A clear map protractor...A good quality 55 gallon trash bag to help make a semi waterproof shelter. Two or three different ignition sources for lighting a fire, A hundred yards or so of lightweight cord. (masons line) a few chem lights. water purification tablets. compass. whistle. a wax bar for starting a fire in a wet environment, and a variety of other small items depending upon the terrain.

I aslo carry a couple of bottles of water and food. But the type and quanity vary depending upon the season and likely availability of water and food. Fortunately, water is usually available just about everywhere here.(it can get awfully heavy)

As I stated...Knowing that it would not cause alarm if I DO end up spending an extra day out has taken all the pressure off of being lost. As a result I have even more of a tendancy to go well off the beaten path.

Getting lost is no big deal. Now days all you have to do is carry plenty of matches or a good reliable lighter. If you decideyour lost, just light the woods on fire. when they come to put it out, ask for directions to get out!

I knew where I was, I just couldn't get out till 2:00 a.m. Bad thing about it was, Is I couldn't bed up due to the fact that I was in knee deep water along the tidal flats in the panhandle of Fla. Not too good.