Walking in a straight line in the woods is a challenge - even for trained people. Most tend to drift left.
If you can pick out an object in the distance in the right direction, you focus on that. A tree, a hill, a rock, whatever.
When you reach it, verify your direction. And do it again. It takes a little training. And you can do it without a compass. If you have a watch, you can use the sun. At night, hunker down and build a big fire.
Although, once you realize you are lost, you sit your ass down. Build a fire and wait. Someone will find you. Don’t panic. Think about what you are doing.
In this case, she wandered 3,000 yards off the trail? Thats about two miles (just shy of two miles.) She broke a lot of rules.
My husband always walks on my right side - he says I always ‘drift left’, even in a shopping mall ;-)
-JT