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Comment by macNchz | Hacker News Reader

On the trails, sure, but a short way off of even the busiest trails you could go an extremely long time without seeing anyone, especially in areas that don't allow hunting.

For example, this woman died after weeks spent lost just near the Appalachian Trail: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/05/25/hiker-who-died-...

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Yeah - we used to have a few of those unfortunate events reported every year when I was growing up in Wyoming. Sometimes even when it wasn't cold (dehydration is a thing, apparently). As young kids, we didn't know anything about anything, and always wondered, "why didn't they walk in a straight line? they were never more than 75 miles away from help."

It's really hard to walk in a straight line in dense woods. A compass helps, but even then you have to know how to use it. It's usually best to find a stream, follow it down to a river, and then follow that down to some sort of settlement (hopefully).

75 miles is a lot to cover on foot, too!

It is! Almost two days on open range! (Which is why dehydration is such an issue)

When I was a kid, we were amazed at the people who apparently got lost on Hell's Half Acre, about 40 miles west of Casper:

  - https://www.google.com/search?q=hells+half+acre+wyoming&num=20&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi2iqHTsOXPAhWCsFQKHegtCo0Q_AUICCgB&biw=1151&bih=818

Broke an ankle or got stuck in a gully - sure, but lost?

Now that I'm officially old, and far less energetic, I'd be willing to believe that they just sat down and hoped that help would find them in time.

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