I had been fallowing the yellowish-green markers for a "popular and easy" three-mile out-and-back hike (远足). Immediately after the trailhead, the trail (小径) became very rocky and steep. But having read about the hike, I knew within five minutes, I was supposed to reach the hike's first overlook.

   However, the overlook never arrived. Instead, I found myself lost in the woods. Pulling out my cellphone, I saw it read "no service". I checked the last text message I'd sent to my mom. It read, "Conference ended ... going for a small hike before my flight home this afternoon." I put my phone away and kept moving and yelling, "Help! Is anybody out there?" Every so often, I'd stop to listen, but I never heard a reply.

   I got out my phone again. The battery was running out fast as it searched for a signal. I struggled to find a place where I could get service. When I did, I called my morn. It went through! In a shaky voice, I said, "Mom?" and then the call dropped. More than 1,500 miles away, my mom instantly knew something was wrong. She called the Denver Police Department and was directed to the US Forest Service.

   This was how I was introduced to John, an operator from the US Forest Service. Following John's instruction on the phone, 1 finally escaped from the woods. I breathed a sigh of relief. Then my phone rang, and it was John, making sure I was still going in the right direction. "By the way," he said, "we've had your mother on hold this whole time. So once you get down the mountain, you will absolutely want to give her a call."