My GPS lost signal in the middle of a forest and I almost joined a survivalist camp

Last summer I was hiking near Mount St. Helens and my phone GPS just died. No bars, no map, nothing. I followed what I thought was a trail but ended up at a clearing with a bunch of tents and a guy cooking a squirrel. He offered me a spot at their fire and started talking about how the government controls the weather. I noped out of there fast, found the real trail by luck. Anyone else ever stumble into something weird because of tech failure?

3 comments

3 Comments

grant_hart1mo ago

Did you ever figure out how far you actually were from the main trail? Honestly that squirrel guy sounds like he's been out there a while, if he's that deep into the weather control stuff. Ngl I had a similar thing happen in the Smokies where my phone died and I ended up following a creek until I found a ranger station, but at least the people there offered me a granola bar instead of roasted rodent.

casey161mo ago

@grant_hart I don't know, sometimes the weird ones make the best company out there...

graygonzalez1mo ago

Wait, are we really gonna pretend like the weirdest people aren't the ones who actually LIVE life? I mean yeah, squirrel guy sounds like he's been out there way too long but honestly that's what makes it memorable. You bet your ass I'd rather eat roasted rodent with a total weirdo who talks about weather control than sit in some sterile ranger station eating a granola bar and making small talk about the weather. The crazy ones always have the best stories and the wildest perspectives because they've actually stepped off the beaten path. Every time I've ended up sharing a fire or a meal with someone most people would call strange I walked away with something I couldn't get from a normal conversation. That's the thing about getting lost you end up finding the people who actually make the trip worth remembering.