I was staying at a hostel in a little rural town in Luxembourg, due to poor planning on my part, as well as a series of other events.
Near the hostel there was a castle, as well as a nice little hiking path. From what I had understood, the path was put there as entertainment of sorts for the hostel stayers; after a short walk, the path would loop its way back to the hostel. I set out on this path, alone, around 2 or 3 in the afternoon, with a small bottle of water, no food, and a camera. I was walking along, taking pictures and enjoying myself. But the path seemed to go on forever, and as the day began to drag on and I ran out of water, I became worried.
I eventually sensed that something was wrong and realized that the so-called leisure path was actually a full scale hiking path somewhere in the mountains in Luxembourg, spanning who knows what distance! I became panicked, and tried to retrace my steps, though to no avail.
Eventually I would make it out to a paved road, and I just started walking along. I was still somewhere in backwoods Luxembourg, and had no idea where I was. I eventually saw a farm and an old woman tending the crops, and I literally ran to her, this only beacon of light, and asked her in German where I was and where the town was, where I had been staying. Luckily she spoke German and was able to help me (most people in this area only spoke French, and perhaps the local language). It was still a good ways off, maybe 10k or so, but I struggled onward, and eventually I started seeing signs for the town where I stayed. By the time I got back, it had been night for a few hours, but luckily the only food source in town (an Italian restaurant) was still open, so I was able to get some victuals before heading back to the hostel and turning in for the night.
Never go hiking unprepared, ever. I was lucky to have made it back, but at the same time I realize, that as bad as my situation was, it could have been a lot, lot worse...
