When Cindy Bohan and Trevor Salvado set out on their weekend bushwalk in Bright, Victoria, they didn’t expect to go missing.
Their story, however, is not uncommon.
Though some people lost in the bush may get found and others not at all, hiking is the second most common cause of death in a national park after drowning.
“We were following the markers and then they disappeared,” Cindy told The Feed.
“It was really, really thick,” she said of the foliage where they were hiking.
The base at Mt Buller Source: The Feed
“If you bushwalk, you can often be a couple of meters apart from one another, but in this situation, I used to have to say to Trevor, ‘Hey, stop. I can't see you.’”
Fortunately, Trevor had previous experience taking outdoor workshops, including survival training he received when he worked as a pilot.
Trevor knew the pair had to find water and head down lower from the mountain to avoid the cold temperatures at night. From there, in a clearing on a rock face, they built a hut for shelter.
“You have to be well prepared in terms of doing your research, taking adequate supplies of food, water, navigation equipment, first aid kits and checking the weather, Edith Cowan University’s Edmund Goh told The Feed. 
The hut Trevor and Cindy built for shelter. Source: The Feed
Goh looks at national parks in relation to tourists and has studied how and why people might get lost. He advises that if somebody does find themselves lost in the bush, they should follow the STOP plan; stop, think, observe and plan.
“If you get lost, stop. Don’t go crazy and be paranoid. Frantically moving faster will only get you lost further,” he explained.
“Do you need a fire? What are you going to eat? How much rations do you still have left in your bag?”
Cindy and Trevor had leftovers from their day packed lunch, which they rationed out over the five days to keep themselves going.
Surprisingly, hunger was not too much of a concern for them.
Cindy in Bright after getting lost on a bushwalk. Source: The Feed
“I don't know what happens to your body when you're in a situation like that, but for me not to feel hungry all the time”, Cindy said of the experience.
“I wonder if it was something [on] a deeper subconscious level in us [that] took over.”
By the second day, Trevor and Cindy knew there was a search for them; as helicopters flew overhead Trevor would wave his arms up to try and catch the attention of the searchers.
Rocks that spell ‘SOS' that the couple laid out Source: The Feed
The couple laid out rocks that spelled out ‘SOS’, Cindy’s bright pink singlet was spread out on a rock and they crossed rocks and sticks to make their camp area look “not like nature”.
At night they used their camera to take flash photos, hoping the lights would attract attention and signal to people where they are.
“It was really difficult terrain to search in because of the rocks, they absorbed a lot of the heat during the day and the infrared camera equipped on the helicopter was flaring out because they retain the heat at night,” Trevor later learned.
John Coffey, former ranger in the Victorian High Country Source: The Feed
John Coffey is a former ranger in the Victorian High Country. Having been a part of many searches he said that the unique terrain and foliage of the area makes looking for people particularly difficult.
“After logging, the growth comes back so thick that it's like trying to get through a jungle rather than just a walk through a forest,” he said.
“It's a real big area, a lot of these mountain areas, so it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack.”
The couple said they kept themselves calm by making sure they appreciated their view and the beautiful bush around them every day.
“I had an incredible hope and faith that someone would find us and that we were okay,” Cindy said.
“So every now and then if we probably thought, ‘Oh, what am I going to do? We brought that in. And we just kept telling ourselves, ‘this is beautiful and we will be okay.’”
Trevor said he's become even more prepared after getting lost in the bush Source: The Feed
By the fifth day, the couple had finished their food rations and decided that it was time for them to try and find their way out. They carefully climbed down the rock, followed an animal trail and eventually found a road.
When asked if he still loves the bush, Trevor responded with a resolute “absolutely”. His preparedness, however, has changed.
“I related to the raincoat syndrome,” he said.
“You think, is it gonna rain or not? Do I take a raincoat or not? Inevitably if you don't take your raincoat it rains.”
As seasoned bushwalkers, the couple still enjoys hikes - even on Mount Buffalo.
“It’s not a normal experience and it’s not something that you plan for,” Cindy told The Feed.
“So I suppose it’s a reminder that you can get lost anywhere.”
