[TELEGRAPH.CO.UK] For Geoff Keys, British round-the-world adventurer, it no doubt looked like a handy short cut. Keen to avoid a long trip back to camp during a journey by river through the Australian outback, he decided would march through the jungle instead.Two days later, his wrong turn has earned him worldwide attention after he became hopelessly lost in one of the world's most hostile terrains.
The spritely 63-year-old had been swimming down a river in Jardine National Park, Queensland when he decided that he could cut across the bush - without any shoes - rather than continue swimming.
The retired AA mechanic soon became hopelessly lost in the 900 square mile park, which wandered through without any food and only wearing shorts, a T-shirt and a hat. He was found eight miles from his camp two days later by rescuers, who spent £375,000 flying helicopters to find him, the Mirror reported.
He later admitted that he felt "stupid but lucky". "I'm sorry about the worry caused to friends and family," he said. "Please believe me, I won't be doing it again."
The ordeal began when Mr Keys, from Dartford, Kent, was swimming from Canal Creek, where his campsite was, to Eliot Falls and then back again. As darkness fell, he decided to get out of the water and cut across the bush rather than swimming the same route he had taken.
"I was convinced the track was nearby and walking back would have been easier," he said.
It was not. Having tried to work out rough directions by using both the setting sun and rising moon, he simply grew more lost. He then came across stream and followed it, assuming it was the one that led back to the camp. Two hours later he realised it was a different one.
When he failed to return to camp that night, his friends reported him missing. By midday the following day he had become desperate that he stopped on a sandbank and scrawled 'HELP 2807' in large letters in the sand - referring to the day and month he was missing. He also drew an arrow pointing to where he was. "I thought this would be enough to get any helicopter that saw it looking in the right place," he said.
this point his luck finally began began to turn. A few hours later, a pilot noticed Mr Keys after he decided to go outside the original search zone "to scout a little further".
Brad Foat, Queensland police senior constable and land search and rescue officer, said: "I was stoked as the message was the first good clue we had. I made a decision to scout a little further before returning to reassign all the helicopters."
Initially when Mr Keys, father of three adult children,
| ...all of whom inexplicably have survived thus far... |
Despite his contrition - and a pair of badly-cut feet - Mr Keys has confirmed that he will soon be back on the road again with plans to go to Asia, the Middle East, Africa and America.