The first thing that any survivalist will tell you is to not panic. Sure, you are now in a stressful situation and time is working against you however if you let your emotions override your judgement then you are putting yourself and others in worse danger than before.  So stay calm

So now that you have taken a breath and have composed yourself the first thing you will want to do is

LOOK FOR “FOOTPRINTS”

By footprints, I really don’t mean literal human footprints. I mean any telltale signs that one or more human being has lived, worked or even passed through a certain area. Some telltale signs of human existence include:

• roads
• domesticated animals
• buildings of any sort
• bridges
• tree stumps that are a result of sawing or chopping
• tire tracks
• abandoned fire pits

 If you find any human footprints, chances are much higher that there is someone who can take you to safety nearby, or that a person may at least pass through the area again sometime soon. If it’s safe for you to do, explore the areas that surround these human footprints in order to find out whether rescue is closer than you might expect.

IF IN DOUBT – FOLLOW THE WATER

To find people, then, find and follow the water. As a general rule of thumb, with running water such as rivers and streams, unless you have some sort of evidence that there might be civilization uphill, follow the water downhill.

FIND A HIGH VANTAGE POINT

If you find you’re in a spot where it’s incredibly difficult to see what surrounds you, try to find a high vantage point in order to take a better look at what’s nearby. To get a better idea of where to go, you’ll need to have a reasonably clear idea of what surrounds you. As doubtful as it may be, there may be individuals nearby, and if not, there may at least be some human footprints left as evidence of their having been someone present at one time or another.

HEAD FOR CLEARINGS: GET OUT OF THE FOREST

If you absolutely cannot find a high vantage point near you, say because the area is too densely populated with trees that are much too dangerous to climb, you should try getting out of the forest. Clearings make it much easier to get an accurate picture of your surroundings, which will almost certainly help you to assess what your next step should be. You may even find domesticated animals grazing in a clearing that turned out to be a field, or find that the clearing was the result of a massive number of trees being sawed down to be used as lumber. Clearings may also lead you to finding low-flying aircraft, which when signalled to, may provide rescue. Whatever the case may be, heading for a clearing, so long as it’s not dangerous to get to or too far to travel to, is a good idea.

So what do you think? Do you have any tips that would help people who are lost in the woods?

Source: More Than Just Surviving