Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

CHAPTER IIGETTING LOST—BIVOUACSWhen a man fixes up his pack and strikes outalone into strange woods, just for a little adventure,not caring where he may come out, he may be lostallthe time, in one sense, but in a better sense he isat home all the time. Not for a moment does heworry about the future ; he is exploring new territory—that is all.But if one sets out for a certain destination, expectingto reach it by a given time, and loses thetrail,he will be anxious at once, and the longer thiscontinues, the more it will get on his nerves. Stillwe would hardly call him lost, so long as he retainsa good idea of the general direction in which heshould travel.A man is really lost when, suddenly (it is alwayssuddenly), there comes to him the thudding consciousnessthat he cannot tell, to save his life, whetherhe should go north, east, south or west. This is anunpleasant plight to be in, at any time ; the first timethat it is experienced the outlook will seem actuallydesperate.Instantly the unfortunate man is overwhelmed bya sense of utter isolation, as though leagues andleagues of savage forest surrounded him on all sides,through which he must wander aimlessly, hopelessly,until he drops from exhaustion and starvation.Nervously he consults his compass, only to realizethat it isof no more service to him now than a brassbutton. He starts to retrace his steps, but no signof footprint can he detect. He is seized with a19