Lost and found hiker stories are the best. They almost always start out with a well-intentioned hiker - often a somewhat experienced, well-intentioned hiker.  At a certain point, said hiker generally makes a fairly innocent mistake. Then the sun drops and all of a sudden, it's your first night out with whatever extra food and water you happen to have brought along.  

Last Wednesday, Francis Netto found himself pretty lost in Wilderness Park in Florida. Out for a 15-mile trek he does frequently, Netto stopped for a break to read his book and eat a snack, took some sinus medicine and promptly fell asleep. Apparently it was some strong sinus medicine, because when he finally woke up, the sun had set and his phone was dead.

Long story short, he ended up wandering for two days, spending a second night in the 16,000-acre swamp, worried about snakes and alligators. During the day he was unable to find a clearing where he could flag down the search and rescue helicopters that were looking for him.  Authorities had also mounted ATV and dog searches as well.  

He ended up being found by a group of school kids that he had met when he first began his hike two days before. They were out for a learning weekend in nature, canoeing down the Hillsborough River where they found the exhausted Netto.  Well done all. Perfectly played, right down the 12 year-old girl who admonished Mr. Netto to "not hike alone," after he had been safely released to his home. 

Via: The St. Petersburg Times