Their navigational and directional skills are much more developed than those of the younger child, and they are learning to construct primitive “mental maps” of their environments, which may be highly inaccurate. They frequently become lost while attempting a short cut to a familiar location. They may become extremely upset and confused when lost, seeming to react very irrationally. Lost children of this age frequently resort to trail running, which may take them some distance from the PLS. Subjects of this age may respond more maturely if accompanied by a friend or sibling.

Frequently become lost in groups of two or more people, while engaged in exploring or some other “adventuring”, activity. When in groups, they will rarely travel very far. They will usually respond to searchers’ calls. They often resort to “direction sampling”, looking for some familiar place or landmark.

They are usually well equipped and self sufficient. They tend to remain on or near designated routes. A common factor for missing climbers is weather or hazardous conditions which limit their capabilities. Other important factors are falling debris and avalanches.

These are individuals with a history of depression or suicide attempts, and/or who are explicitly described by family or friends as having been severely depressed or suicidal just before the incident. It is not usually their intention to travel very far, but instead they try to find a place where they can be alone and possibly contemplate suicide.

Despondent individuals are frequently located at the interface between two types of terrain (for example, forest and meadow), and sometimes in a “scenic location” were they can sit and meditate, such as on a hill overlooking a lake or city.

A despondent will rarely answer searchers’ calls, and will sometimes avoid or even hide from search teams. There is an extremely high fatality rate for this category, as a despondent rarely takes steps to protect themselves from the weather, and, in addition, drugs or alcohol may be involved.

“Shore fishermen” often become lost while traveling on a trail to or from their fishing site.

“Boat fishermen” sometimes become disoriented while trying to find the spot from which they launched their boat. They may become overcome by darkness and forced to land in some unfamiliar location. There is a somewhat high possibility of drowning for boat fishermen as oppose to shore fishermen, especially if alcohol is involved.

Hikers are trail oriented and often become lost when their trail is obscured, and/or when they encounter a confusing junction of intersecting paths. Because of their reliance on trails, hikers tend to travel farther than other lost person categories. (Although extreme distances are less frequent than for hunters.) They are often less prepared and “woods-wise” than hunters and fishermen.

Their concentration on game often distracts them from navigation. Hunters frequently become disoriented while chasing wounded game into thick areas of trees or brush. They tend to overextend themselves in darkness and push beyond their physical abilities. When game laws prescribe the wearing of “hunter orange”, these subjects can be easily detected from a distance or from a helicopter. Many hunters will fire shots if they believe searchers are looking for them, and will respond to sounds if they are able. Due to ego or game laws, many hunters will go to great lengths to walk out unassisted by search teams. The “typical” hunter will attempt to build a shelter at night and walk out of the woods at daybreak. On average, about one in three lost hunters will manage to find their own way out.

This category includes gatherers (i.e. mushrooms, berries, other fruit), nature photographers, rock hounds, and people engaged in some outdoor occupational activity, such as surveyors, forestry employees, conservation officers, and park rangers. Many are inadequately equipped and not properly clothed for an extended duration outdoors. Many subjects in this category are found away from trails, depending on the nature of the activity in which they had been involved. They are frequently located near natural boundaries, such as rivers and lake shores.

Most are young and in fairly good physical condition. They are usually well equipped and dressed for the weather. Most become lost because they took the wrong route, or misjudged time and/or distance. Some skiers are made immobile by injury and may be vulnerable to hypothermia. They are usually wearing brightly colored clothing, which makes them highly detectable against the snow. With the advent of ski areas charging the lost person for search and rescue services, more skiers may use searchers as “offset aiming points” so they may find their own way out and avoid costs.

These are individuals who “walk away” from a constant–care situation, whether a hospital or a residence. This includes people with senile dementia (i.e. Alzheimer’s disease), mentally retarded individuals as well as persons suffering from some debilitating form of mental illness (i.e. psychosis). They rarely understand they are lost, and their wanderings may seem non–purposeful or at least non–predictable. They are almost never dressed appropriately for wet or severe weather conditions. They rarely respond to callers, and in some instances, such as with mentally retarded subjects, they may hide or even run from searchers. Persons suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or related illnesses may be attempting to return to some former home or place where they once enjoyed being (however far away that place might be), They often walk in a straight line until running into a barrier, then turn and continue in another direction (the co-called “pinball effect”). Eventually, they become entangled in brush, mired in mud, and unable to continue. Some have even walked straight into a lake and drowned. A walk-away who is allowed some independence by an institution (or a person managing home care) with respect to going outside unsupervised, may travel farther than persons requiring more supervision. The fatality rate for subjects in this category is extremely high.