Lost on a hike: what to do, who to call and how to signal

The first hour: stop, and stay findable

In Scottish Mountain Rescue’s figures for 2025, only slips and trips and medical problems came up more often than “lost”, and “navigation error” was a factor in another 47 incidents.¹ The US Forest Service teaches the first minutes as STOP: stop, think, observe, plan.² Canada’s AdventureSmart makes the S “sit”,³ and New Zealand’s Mountain Safety Council uses STAR, with assess and respond.⁴

Step by step

1. Stop

   As soon as you think you may be lost: “stop, stay calm, stay put”, in the Forest Service’s words.²

2. Think

   Go back over how you got here and which landmarks you should be able to see. Don’t move until you have a specific reason to take a step.²

3. Observe

   Get out the compass and work out the directions from where you stand. If you’re on a trail, stay on it.²

4. Plan

   Come up with possible plans, think them through, then act on one.²

5. Make yourself findable

   Call for help if you can, then stay where you are: the National Park Service says to move only if there is an immediate threat to your life.⁵

The Forest Service does mention following a drainage or stream downhill, but only “as a very last resort”, and adds: “this could be very dangerous.”² Staying put shrinks the area a search has to cover, which is the reason AdventureSmart gives.³

Who to call, country by country

Dial the number of the country you’re standing in, not the one on your contract. Across the EU, if you can’t say where you are, the operator will work out where the call comes from, the European Commission says.⁶

Latin America shares no number, and 112 isn’t a safe guess there: Colombia’s disaster agency prints it as the police line.

On the call, where you are comes first; Austria’s government puts it as the first question.¹⁴ The NPS asks for GPS coordinates from your phone if you have them, the trail or area you started from, your last known position, the landmarks you can see, the colours of your clothes, what you’re carrying, and any medical conditions.⁵ Mountain Rescue England and Wales adds the number of people in the party and your own mobile number, then asks you to stay where you are until the team makes contact.⁸

Some phones can now send an emergency message by satellite where there is no mobile or Wi-Fi coverage. Apple offers it on the iPhone 14 and later in 21 countries, among them the US, Canada, the UK, Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand, and you need to be outside with a clear view of the sky and horizon.¹⁵ Google offers it on Pixel phones from the Pixel 9, except the 9a, and says its country list “doesn’t guarantee coverage”.¹⁶ Check your own phone before the trip, not on the hill.

The signals rescuers look for: whistle and light

Two conventions exist, and they count differently. Use the one rescuers know where you are.

The NPS says to blow the whistle often rather than shout, to save your energy.⁵ For aircraft, the NPS suggests a mirror and laying out your shelter or rocks in a shape that shows from the air;⁵ New Zealand’s council adds bright items in open ground and arrows of rock or sticks pointing to where you are.⁴ The NPS is clear about fire: none if the fire risk is high or it’s wildfire season.⁵

Before you leave: what to tell someone

FEDME’s second half is what makes the first one work: someone who expects your call knows when to raise the alarm. The car is part of the plan too, and the car emergency kit list covers what stays in it. For walks in southern Spain, the route guides carry each route’s own figures: the Torrecilla hike, Mulhacén over two days, Los Reales de Sierra Bermeja and La Concha from Refugio de Juanar.

What’s in the pack for a night you didn’t plan

“Help can take hours or days depending on your location, weather, and resources,” the NPS warns.⁵ Its ten essentials are the kit for that wait, and three of them do most of the work when you’re lost: navigation (map, compass and GPS), light (a torch or headlamp, which also signals), and emergency shelter (a tent, space blanket, tarp or bivy bag).¹⁸ Don’t count on the phone: the Forest Service expects mobiles often won’t have signal, and GPS units can lose theirs or run flat.²

The food line is short: “an extra day’s supply of food”, preferably food that needs no cooking,¹⁸ and the park service’s emergency plan suggests fruit, nuts and salty snacks.⁵ If the extra day is meals rather than snacks, the way to plan them over a longer walk is in food for a multi-day hike, and the One-Day Ration holds Porridge & Fruit, Chicken & Rice, Lentils & Chorizo and Rice Pudding with Cinnamon; they need water, so they belong with a full bottle. Food is the last of four priorities, after air, protection from cold or heat, and water: the order of the rule of threes, set against its sources in how long you can go without water or food.

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