I have heard and saw in movies that you walk in circles when you get lost and don't have compass with you.
You get lost in woods don't have compass and you try to walk straight but you still will be walking in circles.

The movies play it up a bit in the fact that you are not likely to return to the exact spot over and over again. Getting lost and walking "in circles" is some what real however. I have heard two theorys that both sort of make sence to me. One is that you are naturaly dominate in one leg the same as you are with your hands. This causes you to move in that direction. The other, and I have found this to be true with myself, is that you have a tendancy to alway go around obsticals in the same direction. For example if you come to a tree you will go to the right side of the tree. Next tree the right side again and so forth. Over a long distance you are now way off track.

Walking in perfect circles is not very likely, but traveling in a straight line is difficult for the untrained. In Boy Scouts they teach you that in order to travel in a straight line you should pick a distant landmark in line with your intended path. After you make your way to it you can check your bearings again and pick another landmark. While you may wander a bit between them, you will end up traveling in a straight line.

quote:

I have heard two theorys

You are correct with both of them.

In order to walk a straight line, the best way is to pick a large object in the distance (a mountain would be pretty good as long as you are going in the right direction) and walk to it. In a jungle-type scenario, you need to mark the tree you're at (hopefully you didn't go into the jungle without a machete or the proper equipment). Find another tree in the direction you're going. When you get there, mark it. Then line up the two trees with a third. Repeat several times.

Another, less accurate method, is to alternate which side of an object you're stepping around. If you stepped to the right of a tree the last time, step to the left next time.

The most accurate method is to never step into the bush without at least a compass (I carry 2), a small survival knife, a method of starting a fire, and a machete.

Studies of runners' strides show that the dominant foot pushes off with a greater thrust, which pushes the runner slightly right or left, so this could also come into play while walking. I also wonder if leg length could effect this and many people tend to have one leg that is slightly longer than the other.

I was just about post this. That's a fascinating point, argyle -- I would love to see this tested. I think it would have to be someone who doesn't have much wilderness experience (probably Kari or Grant, ha). Blindfold them, drop them off into a dense wood that takes at least a day or two to journey out of (with a "safety" crew trailing them of course) and see how they move with the aid of a GPS.

My version of the test is to put up a "forest" of traffic cones on a large field and have the team wear baseball caps that prevent them from seeing more than few steps ahead.

That way they can test it small scale. The aim is to get across the field in a straight line by different techniques and to see how strongly they veer off in such a short distance.

Interesting. Lot of different angles one could take with this myth. This myth constantly appears in sitcoms, too ("You've led us in a circle, you idiot!"). I'm curious as to when and where this "conventional wisdom" even started.

Also, in order to induce a mild sense of "panic," they should offer a reward and/or punishment if they do or don't find their way out in time (just like they did for the lie detector episode). Another $1000 prize vs. a cross-country-busride-home-type deal.