The Blair Witch effect

I was reading over the usage guidelines for a local forest, and found this excerpt from the page:

What To Do If Lost:

Keep calm. Do not walk aimlessly. Trust your map and compass. Shelter and warmth are much more important than food.

It reminded me of the Blair Witch project, not the stupid hand-held crap, or the idea of day hikers trying to go out camping off of the regular trails, but the "trust your map and compass." That part requires that you have a map that is good, and you know what you are doing.

I can't find a image of the map that they were "using" in the film, but it was a horrible hand-drawn map with no real markers and no where near usable. Hell, I don't think the locals could have used that map to find their own asses, must less non-local "city folks" with one who was a day hiker and that was it. From the moment that trio stepped into the wilderness, they were screwed.

At the time the movie came out, I worked with someone who was a cub scout den mother, and she and I were joking about how that movie should be shown to young scouts as an example of how not to go orienteering. For those of you not in the know, orienteering is using a map and compass to find your way.

I can see one of the Blair Witch hunters picking up a guide pamphlet on the way out, getting lost and reading the pamphlet then.

Person 1: "So, what does it say."

Person 2: "Hmmm, let me see, do not drink untreated water... no, that not it... several layers of clothing is usually better than one heavy layer... no, that's not it. OH! What to do if lost! That's it! Hmmm... Uh Oh"

Person 3: "What man? What?"

Person 2: "Ummm, we've got a problem."

Person 3: takes pamphlet away "Let's see, Keep calm."

Person 1: "Yeah, right."

Person 3: "Do not walk aimlessly."

Person 1: "Well, that's two things we're doing wrong already."

Person 3: "Trust you map and compass."

Person 1: "Great! I don't trust that map as far as I could throw it!"

Person 2: "Beautiful. Three strikes. We're so screwed."

So remember kids, good maps are a necessity, even if you are just hiking, but absolutely vital when you are going further than pissing distance from your car.