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Lost the trail in Olympic National Park last month
I was doing the Seven Lakes Basin loop and took a wrong turn near Hoh Lake. Snow patches covered the markers and I ended up bushwhacking for 2 hours before I found a creek to follow back down. Lesson learned: always carry a paper map and compass even if you have GPS. Anyone else had a trail vanish on them like that?
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ninas703d ago
Happened to me on a solo trip in the Adirondacks last fall. I was so focused on taking photos of the leaves I didn't notice the trail markers were all covered in mud from a storm. Ended up following a deer path for about an hour before I realized I was probably heading to Canada instead of my car. Now I keep a whistle and a paper map in my jacket pocket at all times, even for a short hike.
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yeah that happened to me in the north cascades once. i started following elk tracks by accident cuz it looked like a trail. what saved me was stopping every 20 mins to check my compass and making sure i was still heading towards a valley where i knew a river was. once i hit that water i just followed it down and it worked out.
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