Anyone can get lost or have an emergency while hunting, hiking, or playing in the wilderness. It happens to kids and adults — even experienced hunters and hikers — and occurs most often during simple day hikes or quick outings. That means that this chapter is the most important one in the book. Maybe you skipped it at first so you could read about the fun stuff — building different kinds of shelters, identifying animal tracks, or creating a solar still. (I probably would have done the same thing!) All that other stuff is important, but none of it is as crucial as what you’ll learn in this chapter. You need to read this section carefully, and you may want to talk to a parent about what you have learned.
The most important things you can do to stay safe are actually very easy. First, tell someone where you are going, whom you’re going with, and what time you’ll be back. Adults forget to do this as often as kids do. But how are you going to be found if no one knows where you went? Rescuers could spend hours or even days looking for you in all the wrong places. So remember: the best way to make sure that you are found is to make sure that somebody knows where you might be lost.
