Where could a guy get really lost?

[Chew]

Say there was a book written about a hunter/outdoorsman who got lost...really lost...

Where in North America (preferably Texas but not a requirement) could a person be lost for 3 months or more and not come across roads, towns, traffic, etc.?

I know....sounds silly.

Any suggestions?

[systemnt]

Downtown tunnels






3 months is a long time to be lost without hitting a road or some sort of civilization if you know how to walk in a straight line..

[Neck]

Rosie O'donnell

[Zen Archery]

My experience West, Texas, the Panhandle.
Several places in Colorado especially western Colorado.

[Landrover]

Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Swamps of Louisiana & Florida, British Columbia and the Dessert West.

[BBBGP]

Between Peco's and Agua Dulce in Texas.

Alaska.

[AtTheWall]

Washington State, Alaska, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.

Factor in mountains and snow at the upper elevations with limited visibility due to dense and super tall timber, and vertical sheer of the mountains, where climbing passage is not an option. Mix in rain, cloud cover, dense fog and limited light, even during the middle of the day underneath a massive tree canopy. You can't even see the stars unless you look straight up through the trees, seeing only a few of them there. Lining up the North Star, and holding that on any constant bearing as you stumble and climb over logs and blow down from dense timber - never a straight line, it's dicey at best. If your down in a valley, with mountains on all sides, you can't see anything for a bearing, which includes the mountains themselves. And many of these lower areas, dead head up tight against the mountain bases, requiring you to back track, in the hope, you can find another angle to follow.

There if you find a stream, it's your best bet to follow it's course. But even then, you will find vertical walls constricting that narrow gap down into tight boulders and obstruction to points, you are forced into the water to clear some of this mess. And in these areas, it's solid whitewater rapids with falls and danger to continue on.

The Okanogan National forest is 1 million acres of high eleveation, mountains mixed with dense timber - Washington State. If you trek North, you continue on into more of the same in Canada. Regions of Alaska, it's so isolated and extreme, you can twist up badly, walking the same bearing for weeks, without crossing anything that can help. And considering the topology, you never have a straight line bearing, allowing you to move continually in a general direction due to extreme topology.

I got caught deep in the Olympics hunting blacktail one evening. Working a deep valley stuck down between the mountains. All points down were sheer vertical and a massively dense tangle of vines and ferns. This vegetation came up to head level, and once the sun had about 2 hours to go before sunset, that bottom area was absolutely dark. The tree canopy went vertical about 100+ feet or more. All of the visibility vertically, was absolute black due to tree trunks and conifer foliage. It got so darn dark, my flashlight useless sense I couldn't broadcast a beam further than arm reach - as my arms were holding back nasty vegetation with some of it stinking needles, I was forced to crawl on my belly for hours on an incline in a general direction up. I was at a point, staying there in the rain and cold was going to be my only option for the night but I didn't let my emotions come into play and kept crawling, stumbling and fighting my way upward. I was humbled and I managed to hit a logging road gravel cut, which I was familiar with, which brought me back to my truck. Had I not know the general direction to take - I could have dead headed myself on that logging road, only to get drawn back down the other way. Even trying to read a predominant wind factor as a bearing course in these areas is not exact. The wind around these mountains mixed with timber, create opposing air flows, as the wind gets shoved around in different directions. It truly is a tough world to land nav in, without a compass, topo and or GPS unit.

There have been dozens who have been lost up there, never to be found. Some have been killed by mountain lions. One man who was lost for over a month, got mauled by a mountain lion and lost his rifle in the process. He was torn up badly, drank stream water and ate insects and known good vegetation to survive. He was found by a rescue team and he basically got boxed in badly with limited ability to move.

It rained 97 straight days in the Puget Sound region during 1997. 35 - 45 degrees temps at sea level along the sound, with no let off with rain and moisture. Daylight was literally DUSKLIKE visibility at best. At times, the visibility dropped to yards. Low light conditions up there, with no ability to see anything at range for weeks on end, put that into dense mountainous timber with no tools and or knowledge. At around the 3,000ft level, it's all snow above that line. You are forced to try to stay low and this narrows down options to continue on in any bearing without local knowledge. I can see it easily for those who are not trained and or conditioned to deal with these elements.

Factor bears, mountain lions and Timber wolves into the Pacific Northwest - Alaska down into Oregon and over into Montana. That lower area where you are forced to navigate back to safety, is also a prime corridor for these lovely little animals. This rides hard on your thinking, which compounds the situation.

[rjtkdplus]

In Texas, out West, Big Bend/Davis Mountains. Outside Texas, Northern Canada, Canadian Rockies.

[BrandonA]

Say there was a book written about a hunter/outdoorsman who got lost...really lost...

Where in North America (preferably Texas but not a requirement) could a person be lost for 3 months or more and not come across roads, towns, traffic, etc.?

I know....sounds silly.

Any suggestions?

In Texas I don't think there is such a place. Alaska possibly. But I guess if you are lost and not walking around trying to be found, anywhere is possible.

[splitfinger]

Deep East Texas. Just pray you don't hear banjo's.

Doug

[stykshooter]

In Texas most properties have roads everywhere, guess you could lost.

Colorado, I've hiked mountains all day & never seen a road or trail made by man. Without a compass, gps or map it would be easy to get lost.

[Archery1st]

Say there was a book written about a hunter/outdoorsman who got lost...really lost...

Where in North America (preferably Texas but not a requirement) could a person be lost for 3 months or more and not come across roads, towns, traffic, etc.?

I know....sounds silly.

Any suggestions?

Unless someone just sits down, or walks in circles it would be very difficult to find place in Texas to get lost for 3 months. Now 3 days that's easy, 3 weeks would be a stretch.

I've seen people get lost walking 100 yards off of a road just about anywhere. But 3 months I don't know.

[TxAg]

Frank Church Wilderness Area in Idaho

[quarterback]

Heck I've gotten myself good and "turned around" on our hunting lease early in the morning on the way to the stand in the darkness. So much so that I just had to sit beside a tree and listen to the hogs growling and squealing before the feeder went off.

It's a pretty helpless feeling actually. Can't imagine getting stupid lost in the big woods.

[Quackerbox]

If texas I'd have to say big bend or Davis mountains.

Having just returned from Alaska, I can see where certain parts you'd get lost quick.

On another note, what's the title of your new book?