Every year, rescuers help to search for people lost in the forest. Most often it happens in autumn when berries and mushrooms appear and people are more active in the forest, but there are also a few cases in summer, said Kalvāns, a senior inspector at the Riga Region Department of the State Fire Service.
"This year so far, a total of 19 people have been rescued, in 2023, the VUGD rushed to help find 61 people, including one child, while in 2022 it was 65 people, and one of them was a child lost in the forest," Kalvāns said.
Most often, people are helped to find their way out of the forest using light and sound signals. A mushroom hunter can hear or see where a fire engine is heading and is able to get out of the forest on their own.
"The most important and simplest advice when going into the forest is to inform your relatives where you are going and the approximate time when you will leave the forest," advised Kalvāns.
It is important to remember to take a means of communication or a phone, which should not be left at home or in the car. It should also be charged so you can call for help if needed.
In order not to get lost and not to have to look for help, it is important not only to look for berries or mushrooms in the forest but also to pay attention to specific objects. These can act as a kind of signpost and help you find your way.
"When passionately mushroom picking, people often get lost in their surroundings, don't keep track of where they are, and then panic sets in. Of course, everything around us seems the same, if we have not paid attention to the objects around us beforehand - big or broken trees, or breaks, voids in the middle of the forest, meadows," said Kalvāns.
By noting specific objects in the forest, a rough map and directions are formed in your head. So even if you get confused at some point, everything around you doesn't look exactly the same, which is the biggest problem when you get lost.
To create such a map in your head, it is important to be present and not rely on your mobile phone with GPS. Reitesr, a mountaineer who is also a rescuer and team coach, said that nowadays people rely too much on smart devices, but in the forest, they tend to let them down.
"GPS is wonderful. Until your phone runs out of power or you accidentally fall into a puddle. At that point, it's worse than it would be without it. Because when you go into the forest without your phone, you pay attention to where you are," said Reiters.
There is also a better chance of not getting lost or getting lost on your own if you have studied a map before going into the forest - which direction a road, power lines, railways, or other landmarks are in.
"Then you have a much better chance of self-rescue than if you rely only on your phone, because then the picture is sad, one moment you have everything, the next moment you have nothing at all. Then the panic is bigger, because the person doesn't understand where they are. Sometimes it's even like looking at the phone and not seeing anything around you, and the longer you look, the more lost you get," said Reiters.
So it's important to keep an eye on the map before you go berry picking or mushroom picking. The block number signs pinned to trees also help you find your way around the national forests.
You can also text or write a note to your family and briefly describe where you plan to go. For example, "I turned off the big road at the third side road of the national forest, I went inside block 123/456, plan to be back in two hours, raise the alarm in six".
"It's like a ridiculous, insignificant message, but if the relatives know this information, they can understand how to proceed. Because it is most likely that the speed will not be too high when walking in the woods, so at least the square to look in will be clear. The rescue services have their hands full, and it is quite a resource to get into the forest for a day," Reiters said.
