Well, not really lost but it was a humbling moment. Thought I'd share. Yesterday was beautiful when I got off work at 4:30pm. Crystal clear skies, low humidity, right at 70°F in the sun. Way too pretty to spend all evening in the gym as I try to do on Tuesday and Thursday evenings (trying to not die at 50.) So I ran home, changed into my hiking clothes, grabbed a couple bottles of water and ran over to Roaring Run hoping to hike a couple miles before it got dark. When I arrived, I decided to hike the Iron Ore trail. For those following along, that's the trail my friend and her baby got lost on last year. (See here) It's a pretty steady climb of about 700' in just over a mile to the top of the mountain. This trail zig-zags across and randomly follows the old power company cut road to access the poles across the mountain and there are a few non-marked "shortcuts" folks have used enough that they resemble the marked trail. I hoofed it in pretty quick, trying to keep my hear rate up and aiming for a 3-mile total hike. Doesn't sound like much to you experienced hikers but my left knee was letting me know that climbing for nearly an hour straight was quite enough for it and I needed to start back when I hit my goal distance. When I turned back I was sweating pretty good and my bucket hat was saturated so I dug out my handkerchief to tie on my head to keep the sweat out of my eyes. I was attempting to fold my handkerchief while walking and failing pretty spectacularly at both so I waited till a smoother section of track to attempt to fold it again. This time I had no better luck, stopped, kneeled down and folded it on my knee. Standing up to tie it on my head, I immediately realized something was amiss. The trail was much more overgrown and narrow than what I had come up. I spun around and could see, not 12 paces behind me, the turn to remain on the blazed trail that I had just missed. My first thought was "and now I'm lost, just that easily." I could just see the blazes on the trees to my left through the brush and I was in all reality perfectly safe knowing the trail as well as I do. But it was a very humbling experience to really get a refresher in how easily and quickly someone can get distracted and be in a bad situation. Now, I'm familiar with the trail. I had full usable cell service with 80-some percent cell battery, Gaia GPS logging my hike on my phone, and my Ham radio with a spare battery for it. But it really made me think.
It's called a freebie (not originally from me). Enjoy the lesson and remember it. They come in all types.
