Getting Lost And What To Do About It”, Circa 1915 ©

Recently I was reading Emerson Hough’s book Out Of Doors, which he wrote in 1915, included in his book is a chapter about “Getting Lost And What To Do About It”, in which he wrote extensively about the “psychology of getting lost”.  I was struck by the similarities between what he was teaching then, in what we now call the Classic Era of Camping, and what modern survival experts teach today.  Therefore, I thought I would do a review “Getting Lost And What To Do About It”, circa 1915.

In the chapter, “Getting Lost And What To Do About It”, Emerson Hough described several examples of what he called the “psychology of getting lost”, what today we call “Woods Shock”, he also offered some advice, two rules and a number of recommendations about what to do to prevent it.  Emerson Hough described the psychology of getting lost, as a battle between your fearful, subconscious mind and your civilized, reasoning, conscious mind.  Woods shock as a phenomenon was first written about in Nature, in 1873, and is still used today to explain the psychology of getting lost.

So what exactly do we mean by the word “lost”?  Classically when you are lost, you are so disoriented and turned around that you do not know where you are or how to how to get back to safety.  However, there are other situations in the wilderness where you might be considered lost, such as when you injure yourself so badly that you can no longer travel, you find yourself stuck in impassable terrain, or you are caught away from camp by nightfall.  All of these are dangerous situations and how you react to them will determine if you are “lost” or simply “misplaced” and having an “unexpected adventure”.  The American Heritage Dictionary definition of lost, which is “Unable to function, act, or make progress; helpless”, offers an interesting way of looking at these situations.  In all the situations above, according to this definition, as long as you are able to function and are not helpless, you are not lost.  Therefore, if you keep your head and act in a calm, reasoned and conscious manner, you are only misplaced and are having an unexpected adventure.  If you lose your head, act with your subconscious mind and panic, then you are surely lost and you will experience woods shock. 

Woods shock is the panic and fear people feel when they become helpless; this is a very real condition, it happens often and can progress quickly in a survival situation in the wilderness.  Woods shock is a progression of stages that begins with some form of emergency and five stages later ends with resignation and death.  In the classical example of a lost person, it begins with the realization that they are turned around and don’t know where they are.  Understanding the five stages of woods shock can save your life, the failure to understand the slippery slope that you are standing on, can lead to a fatal fall. 

 

The Five Stages of “Woods Shock”, drawn by the author

Everyone who spends time in the outdoors will at one time or the other become confused, disoriented or as I like to say “misplaced”.  The Disorientation Stage is a springboard to the five stages on the trajectory of woods shock.  In this stage, people will realize that they are confused, disoriented and are uncertain of where they are or more importantly how to get back.  If you stop and think and keep your head, you can break the cycle and avoid be catapulted into the “Urgency Stage” of woods shock.

The Urgency Stage is the first of the five stages on the trajectory of woods shock.  In this stage, you become progressively more confused and frantic as you begin “bending the map”.  In this stage, people will to try to force their map or compass to agree with their preconceived notions of where they think they are, instead of letting their map or compass inform them of where they actually are.  Also, in this stage people will frequently believe that their compass is broken, if it does not agree with their preconceived notions of where they are.  If you do not stop and think, but instead give in to your fears, you will transition to second stage of woods shock: “Panic”.

In the Panic Stage of woods shock, you will begin running, sweating excessively, not noticing the sun going down, bursting through brush, pushing through swamps or rivers, scrambling up hills, shedding your gear, gun, pack and clothing in an attempt to go faster and find safety.  Your odds of surviving this stage of woods shock are small, as people have been known to run off a cliff or into a tree in their panic, especially after dark.  Emerson Hough wrote about this stage, “There is a special danger for city men or middle-aged men who get lost and are seized by panic…let him run and fall and perspire, and pant and run some more, and he is ready to chill and die without much further preparation, if the weather is very cold.”

The third step on the trajectory of woods shock is the “Planning Stage”.  This stage claims those people who have survived the Panic stage and have stopped running due to exhaustion, injury, dehydration or hypothermia.  In this stage, victims belatedly attempt to make a logical plan to rescue themselves and return to a familiar place.  For most lost persons who have reached this stage of woods shock, whatever plan they make will fail, due to exhaustion, injury, dehydration or hypothermia and the fact that their panicked flight through the wilderness has only gotten them more lost.

The realization that their plan for survival has failed, will throw victims into the “Fatigue Stage” of woods shock.  As the lost person begins to realize that their plan has failed, they will either drop back to the Panic Stage or they will give up and make no further effort to save themselves.  Unless they find the will to live, they will slide imperceptibly into the last and final stage of woods shock: “Resignation and Death”.

Unless you find a reason to live, the final stage of woods shock will claim you and you will die in the wilderness.  Research suggests that the will to survive depends on mental strengths such as, a sense of humor, the ability to live in the moment, instead of giving into negative emotions and hopelessness and the determination to see loved ones again (this is the reason why many modern survival experts recommend putting pictures of those you love into your survival kit).  Emerson Hough acknowledged this last stage of woods shock when he wrote, “…a tenderfoot was lost for two days and nights.  He was trailed by good woodsmen over all sorts of country.  At last the trail stopped at a log, where the man had sat down exhausted.  He had fallen over backward – and lay there dead, a victim of his own panic.”

Since, as Emerson Hough observed in 1915, even good woodsmen and guides can and do get lost, what should you do to break the trajectory of woods shock and prevent the psychology of getting lost from claiming another victim? 

Above all else, you must not panic; you must control your mind and make rational decisions and plans, preferably, when you first realize that you are turned around and are at the Disorientation stage of woods shock.  You can do this by following Emerson Hough’s advice, rules, and recommendations, which he put to paper in 1915: even though these are more than 100 years old, they are timeless because they deal with the human element of the psychology of getting lost.

Emerson Hough noted that many travelers in the wilderness are in the habit of “passing landmarks without noting them”, this is a recipe for losing yourself in the woods.  Since it is far easier to avoid becoming disoriented or confused, then it is to find yourself once you have become misplaced, Mr. Hough advised that when you are travelling in the wilderness “…to turn around and look back” and notice landmarks, since this is what your path will look like when you head home in the evening.  

Mr. Hough had two “Strict Camp Rules” which he advocated.  Rule One, is “…start home at half past two or three in the afternoon.”  This is a very good rule to remember, especially in the winter months when darkness comes early, because travelling at night can be dangerous, particularly if you do not have a flashlight. 

If you find that you do not know your way back or, you cannot make it back before dark, you should follow Rule Two which is “…if a man is lost he must stop and build a fire, and wait until he is found.”  This rule is still taught today, in an October 2008, article in the Sun Journal, the author wrote “Admit that you are lost and stay put.  Start a fire.  Someone will find you”, when writing about what is taught in new hunter training in Maine.  This rule engages your rational, conscious mind and it helps you stay calm and keeps you from panicking.  Mr. Hough elaborated on Rule Two with the following, “Sit down and think it over.”  He also wrote, “Do not brood or think, but keep busy.”  Lastly, he added, “When you first feel panic, therefore, pull yourself together strongly.”  “Light a pipe if you smoke.  Build a fire in any case.”  In his writings, Emerson Hough foreshadowed todays S.T.O.P. acronym, which is a way of remembering what to do when you are misplaced.  This acronym stands for Stop, stay put, stay calm; Think, gather your thoughts and evaluate your situation; Observe your surroundings and inventory your supplies; Plan for your safety, decide how to best use the tools and supplies that you have.

In addition to his two rules, Mr. Hough made the following recommendations:

“Look at your compass and then think of something.”  Mr. Hough added, “If you have two compasses look at both of them.”  The author further explained his point with the following short story: “…‘One compass is of no use’, said one gentleman.  ‘For that reason I always carry two.’…He went on to explain: ‘I know of this being tried,’ said he.  ‘When a man has the panic of being lost fully upon him he never believes his compass; but when he takes out his second compass and sees it is pointing just the way his first one does, somehow his reason gets a sudden jolt and he concludes that the majority must be right.  That starts him to reasoning again, and then he is usually safe’…”  The thought behind the author’s two compass wrinkle is, when a misplaced person is bending the map to fit his preconceived notion of where he thinks he is, he may believe that one of his compasses is broken, but not both of them.

“If it is nearly dark and you must lie out, do not wait too long.  Darkness comes at four o’clock in winter…”

“Get behind some windbreak and have plenty of wood for your fire.”  The author also recommended that you, “Always have some wood close at hand to throw on the fire should you wake up chilled and shivering.” And, “When in doubt get some more wood, for it will certainly take a lot.”

“If it is very cold build a fire; then rake it away and lie on the warmed ground.”  In addition the author wrote, “You can build two smaller fires, and so keep warm on both sides.”

“Don’t eat snow, and drink hot water rather than cold, if you have any way of boiling it.”

“Whistle once in a while.”

Lastly, it does no good to decide to build a fire, if you forgot to bring any matches, and have no way of lighting it.  Anytime that you go into the wilderness you should always carry basic survival tools.  Emerson Hough anticipated the Ten Essentials, which were developed in the 1930s, by ‘The Mountaineers’, a Seattle-based organization for climbers and outdoor adventurers, when he recommended that you always carry the following equipment with you when you go out into the wilderness and that “This equipment will do you no good if you do not keep it on your person”.

“You must have a map, either in your pocket or in your mind; and you must know where you are on that map.”  Emerson Hough also wrote, “And you should remember that the compass without a map, in either your pocket or your mind, is worthless.”

“…two compasses – not one…”

“…two match-boxes, one absolutely water-proof and held in reserve…”

“…an axe with a good edge…”

“…a knife with a good, strong blade…”

“…a lunch of some sort – or, better still, some prunes or raisins and cakes of chocolate…”

Emerson Hough, in 1915, just as modern survival experts do today, recommended some hard and fast rules; the importance setting and accomplishing of small tasks, like stopping, thinking, developing a plan, building a shelter, gathering firewood, starting a fire, or doing whatever the next most important survival task there is to do; and always carrying basic survival tools.  By following his “Strict Camp Rules” the traveler in the wilderness would avoid becoming misplaced or at worst, would not panic and become lost.  In addition, by setting and accomplishing tasks, a misplaced person’s mind is kept busy, which prevents panic by bringing the conscious part of their mind to the forefront, while pushing their subconscious fears away and giving them a sense of winning.  Lastly, by carrying some basic survival tools it will give them confidence, since they know that they will have the tools that they need to survive an unexpected overnighter.  This breaks the psychology of getting lost and stops a person who is only misplaced from panicking, catapulting into woods shock and being lost.

Sources:

Emerson Hough, Out Of Doors, (D. Appleton and Company, New York, New York [1915]) p. 269 - 282, reprinted in https://books.googleusercontent.com/books/content?req=AKW5QadnZNQ1xrsbkS3T4VJlC_uZQ8t4yj2UNH5POGbNio-1SDyFM8TAqUfl7ciDY5CuNZxvnnE0Pcxf1j6Thu_zOs5kz8rgR9MOtsbTxVgRVa3bwaKo0-D5YX2T4JaBO_z6G8vgwFNgLiJ9XCfBVnn9K4qR7ZFa0faNe3zmvfWDfmEo049sqXQlw697XIHDWNblRJj9niiabZoBB7aQHl82tf4y03cpU2hMdLVADF-7P2pvJKsZbLDnJN8ncLZ9IftMudapmn8E, (accessed 11/8/18)

Laurence Gonzales, Deep Survival, (W. W. Norton & Company, New York, NY [2003]) p.156 -157

Keith McCafferty, ‘Woods Shock Can Kill’, Field & Stream, October 2006, Volume CXI, Number 6, p. 40 reprinted in https://books.google.com/books?id=Gv5GUqHcT8wC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false, (accessed 11/8/18)

Kenneth Hill, Dr., “Psychology of Lost”, reprinted in http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.692.1704&rep=rep1&type=pdf, (accessed 9/24/18)

Kevin Felts, “Woods shock the silent killer”, http://www.survivalboards.com/2009-05-27/woods-shock-the-silent-killer/, (accessed 9/24/18)

“Some are born to survive”, (Sun Journal, October 8, 2008), reprinted in http://www.sunjournal.com/born-survive/, (accessed 11/20/18)