Railroad Tracks, follow?

In the very first episode Les encounters a trailway in the forest.

His original plan was to keep going, and he did.

Would you keep going or follow the tracks?

Honestly think as if you never seen the episode before, from inexperiance i would probably follow the tracks if i hadnt watched the show

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"There dosen't look like there's much shelter over in those mountains, but that's the only choice I got right now, this is gonna be a long week" - Les Stroud Arctic

i'm with you troup. Or i would have waited for a train to come or something stupid like that!

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yep i must say my first instinct would be to follow the tracks i would most probably been dead by now but would have seen some beautiful country before that

Yeh, but he also said he KNEW the road was to the east beyond the tracks. Had he not known that, I bet he would have flipped a coin and followed the tracks!!!

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very true! When in a situation where your not sure if you in the right dirrection, railroad tracks will give you hope and you might follow them.

its not always a good thing and it may screw up your orignal plan

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"There dosen't look like there's much shelter over in those mountains, but that's the only choice I got right now, this is gonna be a long week" - Les Stroud Arctic

Yes, if i new the area i would stick to my gun's & head east knowing that i would hit a majour road.
If not knowing the area at all, even the power lines might make me think of taking that route.
And yes the rail tracks would also be a sign of hope. you may walk for hour's, you may walk for 40 minutes to a home, building , road, etc. But even if you did take the track's, and it took you all day just to find out if you had you gone strait & would have hit a road in 2 hrs, Just getting out is the end result. Cool

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A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
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Carry Less by Knowing More
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I'd keep going. Very Happy

I wouldn't take my chances with the tracks. Smile

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The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. - Psalms 53:1

seroiusly tho, think about it. Unless you knew the area and that there was for a fact a town near by then you should not follow the tracks. Keep going where you KNOW a road is.

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Never explain. Your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe you anyway.

I would keep going. I know that any track or trail of any sort could go on for miles and even possibly get me further from a town. you just keep going the direction you have decided and don't change! I learned that from experience Embarassed

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Ya, from what I saw the tracks also cured back from the general area where Les came from, so he would be actually walking away from the end

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"There dosen't look like there's much shelter over in those mountains, but that's the only choice I got right now, this is gonna be a long week" - Les Stroud Arctic

If I was wandering in the woods and came upon train tracks, without having an idea if there was salvation in the other direction, I would absolutely follow the tracks, especially in the type of thick forest Les was in. You can cover a lot of ground and fast on train tracks, good chance of coming across water and useful plants usually grow along the clearcut, raspberries & blackberries on the edges, cloud berries and blueberries on the ground, etc.

Not to mention a better chance of being spotted, you can signal without the hindrance of cover.

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Very good points OGLT Cool

.

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

OGTL wrote:

If I was wandering in the woods and came upon train tracks, without having an idea if there was salvation in the other direction, I would absolutely follow the tracks, especially in the type of thick forest Les was in. You can cover a lot of ground and fast on train tracks, good chance of coming across water and useful plants usually grow along the clearcut, raspberries & blackberries on the edges, cloud berries and blueberries on the ground, etc.

Not to mention a better chance of being spotted, you can signal without the hindrance of cover.

Thats very true I learned you can cover a lot of distance on tracks. In mantracker they often jog on the tracks. When i go running and hit that comfort pace I can run for miles. So its not that bad an idea, because once you see train tracks it may feel like salvation and going back into "the unknown" which is the woods in this case takes intestinal fortitidue.

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"There dosen't look like there's much shelter over in those mountains, but that's the only choice I got right now, this is gonna be a long week" - Les Stroud Arctic

I would follow the tracks if I didn't know for sure. but I like the sticking to your guns and keep going.

I would follow the tracks if I was lost for only a few hours or 1 day, if more than I would stick to my guns

	wildthing wrote:
	I would keep going. I know that any track or trail of any sort could go on for miles and even possibly get me further from a town. you just keep going the direction you have decided and don't change! I learned that from experience

I learned the same lesson a couple times. If your given dirrections by a reputable source (parents) follow them even if you think their wrong. Had to turn around a couple times on that.

But to the original question, I would definitely follow the tracks. When you're lost panic is uncontrollable for the most part. The tracks would be a great comfort. There is a higher chance or seeing someone, like a train on the tracks than in the woods. The railroad tracks are very level and it would be a lot easier to follow them. If it were cold too you would most likely have more light and stay warmer too. and you could follow it in the night and sleep during the warm day if you wanted to.

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I've hiked in rail road country (albeit remote railroad country) before, and simply from that experience I'd never follow the tracks... unless I know the route and where the rails lead. Otherwise you could end up hiking/walking/surviving for much longer. It could be an abandoned line where no people or help are waiting for you at either end. And trains don't stop easily, unless it is a slow moving train, so help isn't too likely. I've only really gotten lost once on a hike (and it was in an area with tracks that I am familiar with)... and following a straight course down the mountain worked out alright. If I'd followed the tracks I would have ended up in a town eventually, but it would have taken much longer. Confused

I agree, Lemily. Very Happy

Unless you know where they go, you shouldn't follow them. Smile

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The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. - Psalms 53:1