Speaking of search space...I've wondered if it would make sense to establish a virtual grid in wilderness areas, based on GPS coordinates. Then establish a convention that lost hikers should move to one of the intersections on the virtual grid and wait there.

An air search for an essentially a randomly placed point (the hiker) in a large area is very hit and miss. It is quite easy for even a trained observer to scan right over someone.

It's much easier for an observer to search a fixed location. The searchers could first specifically look at the grid intersections in a given sector of the search before then doing the general area scan, and then perhaps do a second check of the grid intersections before moving on to the next sector.

The idea is to have known places that will definitely be looked directly at by an attentive searcher during the search rather than just seen in passing in a sweep, that the lost person can find if they have a GPS (or if they have a map that has these places marked).

But if they are lost how can they find these points? If they have GPS and know where they are then they can find their way out. This only makes sense if you know you will be in trouble shortly but are not yet, I.e. you are very low on water, but most people don't realize how deep they are, then panic.

Before you set out on a trip it's best practice to read the map for the area and identify some natural or man-made features that bound the area you're going in. Then if you're lost you can use your compass to navigate to one off these "hand rails" and from there you know that you're somewhere on that line.

That’s usually good advice but that also doesn’t always work. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/us-news/201...

She was 30 minutes away from a road and survived for 26 days but decided to stay put and wait for people to find her.

Yet according to her diary she'd been wandering for two days prior before deciding to stop. The trick is to stop as soon as you realise you're lost.

In the first instance, it gives you time to overcome panic.

There are always exceptions to every rule-of-thumb.

In this case, sadly.

> Adam now knows that at least three K9 teams came to about 100 yards of the camp.

:(

How sad this is.

>> Build a fire if you can, a smoky fire is better because it can be spotted from far away.

Car tires burn very well. Lots of black smoke. And there are parts enough in any car to start a fire (wires+battery etc).