Lost

This morning I have begun a regimen of morning reflections. 

The idea of a daily reflection comes to me from a good friend of mine who is an Anglican Priest who does this daily.

It seems a nice peacful, introspective way to start the day.....

Todays thoughts are about an incident that happened to me last fall....

I found myself lost in the woods....

This reflection is about this experience and a simple plastic whistle....

What follows is an excerpt from a letter I wrote a few weeks afterwords....

"I am just home from a two week archery moose hunt in Quebec. It was a tough go because we were hunting a new, very remote, area unfamiliar to us and the weather was warm so the moose were not rutting. Warm weather for moose hunters requires more proactive measures to locate and harvest animals. In my case that meant going farther into unknown territory and into areas that were particularly congested with alder thickets, almost unpassable.

In our second week away I located an area holding some moose but because of the heat they were only moving early in the morning and near dark at night. Almost 1 mile into the bush with no trails I hunted this particular area, which I had to literally climb into, over, and through tag alders and blown down trees, waiting for a late day opportunity. Shortly before dusk two moose got out of their beds. This looked like my chance and despite the fact it was getting dark fast I decided to stay and see if I could call these animals to me for a shot. 

The sun set and I was alone in the dark.  The moose moved but the wind didn't cooperate that night, it happens.  That night was overcast and there was no light from the moon.  I started back to camp with my GPS on but soon found myself walking through patches of bush that were blocking GPS reception. At that point I switched to my compass. The terrain and congestion of thick brush forced me to continually change my direction . It was very difficult to walk a bearing because of all the cutbacks I was taking. 

It was two hours walking and I had made it half the way back to camp but I only had a vague idea where I was at that point. 

From the moment I leave on a hunt to the moment I return I always wear my orange whistle. It was a habit I picked up from an old trapper friend. A whistle in the bush can be a handy thing. You can call a dog that has wandered too far. Alert the rest of a hunting party that an animal is down and of course you can signal for help.

That night I was happy to have my whistle on a string around my neck. I used it in the woods to signal the camp that I was turned around. The boys were alert to the fact I was late coming back at that point and were out looking and listening. After a few signals in the forest I made my way to a waterway where I new that the sound of the whistle would carry better and caught the attention of a friend who had taken a boat out figuring that I might poke out of the bush for just that reason.

Not only is having a whistle around your neck when you get lost a practical thing but its a comfort too.

I spend a lot of time in the bush. I trap and hunt for much of the food I eat...I am a traditional bowhunter.  Anyone that tells you that they will never get lost in the bush is a liar. It happens and if you spend a lot of time in the woods it's going to happen sooner or later. The best time to prepare for that moment is before you ever go out. Learn how to use a compass and GPS, how to light a fire, and buy yourself a good whistle....tie it to a string and wear it around your neck!"

Here is my whistle. 

It's a simple thing that helped me out that day....

Everyone at some point in their lives will find themselves lost....

 physically or spiritually it's a rite of passage we all take.

Maybe we should all try to carry a whistle....

-Martin