The Horrors of Becoming Lost

Humans are built to explore, yet most of us don't really think that we'll become truly lost. But inevitably, some of us will.

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✦ Chapters ✦

00:00 Intro
01:20 The Call of the Mountains
16:11 Pieter's Last Dive
29:03 Gerry's Wrong Turn
45:36 Conclusion

[Abstract]

Any mistakes, edits, corrections will be posted on this pinned comment.

Thank you so much for all of your feedback, it means the world :')

Corrections:
14:40 Austrian TV, not German

[sofie]

Cavediving sounds like such a nightmare to me. It combines all my biggest fears (claustrophobia, drowning/suffocating, getting stuck, getting disoriented, creepy sea life, darkness, and so on)

[G-kjew]

One time I was hiking in the rainforests of Vancouver Island, and started following some neon trail marker ribbons... Except as I went deeper the trail started becoming really bizarre, going under collapsed giant trees and through muddy quagmires.

Eventually, every direction I looked had a trail ribbon. I felt like I had lost my mind, and felt panic creeping up because the sun would soon set.

I started scrambling back the way I came, horrified at not only being lost, but spending the night in the rainforest alone. It was then that I realized the ribbons had faded writing on them that faintly read "search and rescue."

The entire time I hadn't been following trail markers for my route, and instead was retracing an old search and rescue effort for someone else who had gone off trail.

The irony of how I had become lost was almost as ridiculous as how I was saved. Two stoned barefoot men ran into me when they heard me screaming and helped me find the trail again.

I was left with an enduring gratitude for hippies, and intense fear of dense forests. They are almost liminal and claustrophobic.

[GoldenTV]

If you find yourself lost in the woods:
1. Stop as soon as you realize.
2. If you have anything colorful or that stands out, mark the spot you are at. Wrap a piece of clothing around a tree. Lay your tent out, whatever. That is your center marker now.
3. Choose a tree (Make sure you can see the base of the tree clearly!) straight in one direction and while walking to it, constantly turn around to make sure you can see your base camp.
4. If you did not see the trail or anything that resembles civilization. Mark the tree with something that visually stands out and go back to base camp. From there choose another direction and tree to walk to, always looking at base camp. Repeat this process for all 4 directions from your center marker
5. If all 4 directions turn up in nothing, go out to any of the previously marked trees, and now choose another tree further out in the same direction. Always keeping sight on the previous tree. Do this in all 4 directions.

Keep repeating this process until the distances are simply too large or you run out of items to mark the trees with.

ONLY choose trees that you can clearly see the base of, as it means you will be able to see the tree you are currently at from it. And only walk in directions you know you can return from, avoid steep slopes, rivers, marshy or swampy land etc..

[samwiseraleigh]

I became lost in the woods with my mother as a child. One moment we were on a trail, and the next, we weren't. I still remember the tall, blue flowers that covered the forest floor where the trail should have been behind us. An undetermined amount of time later (still the same day, thank God) we found a highway and walked alongside it until we got back to the parking lot where we started. At that time my mother would have been 25yo at most, yet she carried me on her back for an unknown distance. Listening to stories like this make me feel lucky that we made it home that day.

[JJ-]

The second story is beyond tragic. Imagine surviving for that long and choosing to put your trust in the rescuers and wait, only for no one to find you. It's stories like these that make me wonder what will happen if I ever get lost and follow the well-known piece of advice "if you ever get lost stay put, help is on the way". I can't even imagine what it must have felt like to be in the pitch black without proper food and water or any way to tell time.

[lobbyskids]

I swear YouTube content is getting better than tv nowadays. I love coming across hidden gems like this channel.

[BreezyE-dn]

Slowly dying of starvation in a pitch black cave for 3 weeks is beyond nightmarish

[purplehaze]

The first story is a great example of a general rule of thumb: Mother Nature may have very few consistencies, but punishing those arrogant, unprepared, and inexperienced enough to believe they could overcome her is one of them.

[HotPinkMEG]

I’m so glad you mentioned Keast, because I did like 5 takes when the video opened like “This…wait didn’t we already do stubborn German teacher foolishly leads boys up a mountain to their deaths?”

The fact that this happened more than once is incredible.

[Akursedtime]

Gerry and Pieter's is so depressing. So close to being saved or saving themselves. So close.
Sure we can say "Why didnt they do this or that?" But anxiety, panicking and fear can mess with anybody's mind. Logic is basically shoved out the window.

[anon-wl]

If Hans wanted to put his life at risk, that's not great, but acceptable. Putting others at risk, especially children, is UNACCEPTABLE.

[MrHantz]

I once saw a TV show where one person cursed the other one with, "May you die silent and alone."
I don't think I've ever heard anything more chilling.

[swamp]

My dad works for the national park service so i grew up basically living from park to park, the amount of people that die because they refuse to listen to workers or they overestimate their abilities is astonishing. Those “few extra miles” or a small detour can mean not making it back.

[sofie]

The story about Pieter is the most horrifying story I've ever heard. Poor guy.

[lou]

As someone who lives in the deep woods of northern Minnesota, there is nothing scarier than realizing you have no idea where you are. Due to the lack of snow this winter, I got lost in my woods because I couldn't recognize it without the snow. I stopped immediately, pulled out my compass, and said a prayer. Thankfully I found a nearby dirt road and made my way back but it's a good reminder to ALWAYS have your compass and know HOW to use it when in the woods.

[HyperLuminal]

Gerry’s story is so sad to me, and frightening in its simplicity. I top embarked on an AT home from Harper’s Ferry, WV. While I only hiked for about 15-20 miles or so and then camped for 3 days and then returned I discovered first hand just how easily and fast things could go sideways. From losing your orientation, improper storage of food, water filtration, weather the list goes on. And I was literally decked out in probably too much gear and had received training from trail guides on previous excursions. Yet still, it was abundantly clear I was one misstep from tragedy the whole time.

[geometricalpancake]

Han’s story is angering, gerry’s is heartbreaking, but for me, pieters was devastating.
I can imagine being in a cold, wet cavern with nothing but your growing hunger and an oxygen tank. It’s been a few days and you have debated going back in the water, but you lost track of which tunnel you first came out. You know if you go back in you probably won’t come out. You wished you had never climbed up, you wished you had went back down as soon as you knew you went the wrong way. No one will hear the noise you make or see the light you shine. A rescuer eventually comes up into your cave. You are probably in a comatose-like state, over come with grief and regret. You didn’t see their flashlight, or hear their voice. You will have another 3 weeks to live with this torment. you are stuck in a dark, damp, world. Pieter’s story was the worst

[lyrahostetter]

I'm an English professor by training and have rarely come across such beautiful prose in a documentary. Your writing is exceptional and your delivery is perfect - elegant and reverent, yet conversational and welcoming. Thanks so much and can't wait for more!

[morganable]

Gerry's story is so heartbreaking, but also so frustrating to me. This wonderful soul was apparently making preparations for ages to go hike her dream trail, and yet she didn't take the time to learn the absolute basics of survival (or take along a waterproof book about it), nor did she buy all of the right kind of equipment and learn to use it (like the toy compass). It's also frustratingly sad because she did lots of the correct things for getting people to notice and find her like spreading out her shiny survival blanket, and yet she still wasn't found. Her lifelong dream turned into a nightmare. My heart breaks for her and her family.

Hans, on the other hand, can kindly go join Keast in Hell.