Mind your way in the woods
For many people, fear sets in almost immediately, all sense of direction is lost or perhaps even the thought of looking for the sun is not contemplated. Believe it or not – most people don’t – you walk in circles. It is interesting how the mind begins to wonder, the longer you remain lost the more apprehensive you feel, your desire to get back on familiar ground becomes so great you may start to run. In doing so you heat up to the point where you start discarding your clothing. On one occasion in our area, a lost individual was found with barely a stitch on and had run right out of his shoes. The man was blinded by his own fear and unfortunately perished alone in the Saskatchewan wilderness. As for myself, I have twice been lost in our local woods. On the first occasion, I was new to the area and a local fellow Steve asked if I wanted to make a hunt. I had recently purchased a 3030 Winchester and was eager to hear it ring out in the wilderness, so an impromptu plan was put in place. We were to make about a five mile walk along a set of ridges, exiting the bush west of Steele Narrows, an area in which Steve apparently new. Wrong. The first part of the morning went along just fine, we covered some ground and saw some tracks, but no animals. By 11 a.m. it had started snowing, around noon we stopped to light a fire to warm up and have lunch. By 2 p.m. the snow was coming down so heavy that with the good breeze our tracks were filling in behind us. Through the day I had queried Steve as to our location and how our progress was coming toward the exit destination, his reassurance we were on track was somewhat comforting although I was a little skeptical, but went with the flow. Around 3 p.m. we really took stock of our situation, in our estimation arriving at the exit point was not going to happen and trying to follow our tracks back seemed unlikely. We determined ourselves to be lost but kept moving, not really sure of anything at this point. Around 4:30 p.m. we ran into a local First Nations person who was out doing some trapping. The only problem was he could not speak and I am unsure whether or not he could hear. What are the odds, here we are trying desperately to explain our dilemma. Finally after some time and frustration Ratfoot pointed in such a manor we took it as direction and headed into virgin territory. It wasn’t long before we stood below a very steep hill similar to an esker, we commented to each other as to the uniformity of the formation which neither of us at this point wanted to climb. Suddenly the light came on and Steve realized we were standing below the abandoned railway grade which runs to Loon Lake. We now gladly scaled the grade landing on the flat surface, turned right and headed for the house. The fact remains without Ratfoot’s help we may have spent many more hours trying to find our way out if at all. One of the uncanny things about coming across the grade is the man who perished, when back tracked was found to have actually crossed it and obviously didn’t even know it. On another occasion we were hunting moose near the Stove Pipe Creek, I was to make a hike from the cut line to the Creek, then follow the creek back. I headed off fully confi dent of where I was going and how I was going to get there. There was plenty of fresh snow on the ground so tracking would be easy, I stepped off the cut line and into the bush. It wasn’t long before I came across two moose tracks, then two moose beds. I surveyed the area then proceeded on towards the creek. A short while later I came across foot prints, immediately thinking one of the other fellows is way off track, I followed the tracks for a while until I arrived at the moose beds which is where I had been on my way to the creek. It really took some time to sink in that I had just walked in a big circle and came across my own tracks. I was definitely shocked and concerned, perhaps even apprehensive. I decided to retrace my steps back to the cut line, once I got there I felt better reassuring myself I headed off for the creek this time executing the plan without incident. Although these two events played out in my favour, it shows how easy it is to simply get turned around then become really lost. Back then I never carried a compass. Today however, I am never without one, but rarely use it, relying on the signs the forest floor offers to show the way. |
