People lost in the wilderness often act in a predictable manner. Rapid location of a lost person can make the difference between life and death. These general guidelines may assist you in a search:
1. Lost people tend to follow the path of least resistance (open fields, trails, roads, dry streambeds).
2. A person who is lost tends to travel downhill and to seek apparent shortcuts toward civilization or a familiar location.
3. People tend to avoid barriers and obstacles (lakes, large rivers, boulder fields, dense brush).
4. At night, a lost person tends to travel toward lights.
5. In bad weather, people tend to seek shelter with overhead protection.
6. Small children tend to seek shelter when tired.