lost in the woods

yesterday i went for a hike and got lost in the woods. it was great. i felt like an idiot, but i also got a great workout and climbed a mountain, something that never would have happened had i not needed to get out of the woods as quickly as possible. i was two and a half hours late for work, but luckily i was able to use my cell phone on top of the mountain to call my coworkers and let them know my plight. i ended up hiking about 7 miles total--5 more than i intended. it was a very interesting psychological study of myself. rather than turn back, i chose to go forward even though i had no idea where it would lead. i figured if i could just get to the end of the trail i was on, i'd have to be near a road and i could hitch a ride back to my van. the longer i pushed on, the less attractive turning around became. and after i climbed the mountain and came down the other side, there was NO WAY i was going to go back up it. so, i eventually made it out to a road and the very first person who drove by picked me up. he took me to the intersection of the highway and from there i had to hike a while until someone else picked me up and took me back to the van. very different individuals--the first was a business man in a lexus who was very nonchalant about my situation, though quite pleasant. the second was a haggard older guy in a beat up pick up strewn with junk who was concerned about a young woman like me hitching. he said he picked me up just to get me off the street before someone less savory came along. whatever, i was just happy to be on my way. once at work, it was no big deal, there were hardly any customers and i felt quite content just to leisurely cruise through the night. amazing how a harrowing adventure puts regular life in a new perspective. i highly recommend it!