By the time we reached the hut, the snow was falling steadily and there was at least three feet of snow already on the ground. This was the annual school wildnerness outing at the beginning of the year, intended to help us get to know each other and our instructors in a setting outside of school. And to have fun.

The previous year there was no snow and the weather was warm and clear. The “hut” we were occupying for the weekend was really a two storey, rustic stone house. It even had a “door to nowhere” on the second floor, which gives you an idea of how deep the snow can get in the mountains of California.

One of the thing the hut didn’t have much of was firewood. So me, Jimmy, and Kyle volunteered to go out in search of some dry wood that we could use to make a warming fire.

The three of us set on a trail in the snow. We had no intention of going far from the hut so we were not really equipped. We had no food, heavy clothing, or compass. Our plan was to just search close to the hut for some wood that we could burn.

There was a rigdeline in the distance to the north that was periodically obscured by fog. A treeline to our left marked a boundary between the clearing and the forest. After a few dozen yards we left the trail and ventured into the trees, thinking that would be a good place to find wood.

We soon realized that all the wood was wet and would be nearly impossible to burn. The three of us decided to forget the whole idea and head back to the hut. Instead of going right back to the treeline then turn right to get to the hut, we decided to go directly toward the hut. Bad move!

After we’d gone what we thought was the right distance, there was no sign of the hut and the rest of our group. Each way we turned, all we could see was trees and snow. Nothing looked familiar. The rigdeline was totally invisible because of forest, clouds, or both. Our tracks in the snow were obscured and impossible to find. It took just a few minutes, but we were lost.

Of course, none of us was going to admit we were lost. Had we done that, we might have done the right thing and just stopped to assess our situation with cool heads. Instead, each of us had a different idea of which way to go to find the hut. All of us were wrong, by the way. Little did we know, we’d gone down the side of a slight ridge and the terrain around us bore little relation to where we thought we were.

We finally agreed on a direction of travel and set off. We continued down the hill until we reached a small clearing. In fact we were travelling away from the hut, not toward it.

The new problem that came upon us was that it was getting dark and neither of us had the equipment or skill to spend a night in the forest, in the snow. Our situation was becoming serious. Kyle was especially unprepared and was starting to get really cold. Jim and I had hiking boots, but Kyle only had light tennis shoes. We decided to make a fire under the trees to warm up, especially if we had to stay out overnight. Digging down we tried to find some drier kindle material that we’d have a chance of lighting. But everything was at least damp. I burned several important documents from my wallet in a futile attempt to dry and light the pine needles and moss.

Following the fire debacle, we determined that we’d better spend the remaining light to make an effort to find the hut. Without a fire a night in the snow could have been disastrous. This time we worked our way up the hill. We found ourselves climbing over boulders and through brush that we hadn’t come through on the way down. Periodically we’d stop and shout “Hellllooooooo…..” through the wind and snow that was getting worse by the minute. We got no reply.

Convinced we were going in the right direction this time, we continued to slog through the wet cold snow. Every couple of yards we’d holler into the wind. “Did you hear that?” Jimmy questioned after one of our shouts. We called out again. Yes! We did hear a reply! Our spirits leaped! It was Ted, one of the instructors we travelling with. We called again, he echoed back, this time it was louder than before.

After several minutes of this back and forth, Ted emerged from the trees and heavy falling snow. Boy, were we happy to see him! We’d been found. Ted led us back to the hut where the rest of the kids were ecstatic to see us. Some of them were really worried that we’d only be found come spring.

It turned out that we missed the hut by only a few yards the first time we tried to return. Had we maintained some situational awareness, been prepared with appropriate gear, and practiced in the art of travelling with a compass, what was nearly a total disaster would have been a non-event.

This is a true story, an event that I lived through personally. Since you’ve read this far, I hope this story might inspire you to learn how to use a compass and the basics of personal navigation.