It’s easy to get lost if you leave the trail, even just by a [few feet. It happened to me when I went to Jasper.
I was on a trail and was heading home. I saw the trail below me and thought I could just go through the bush down to it. So I did. I ended up losing sight of both trails. My phone was nearly out of power but it gave me my bearings well enough that I was able to find a trail to get on and get back to my car.
So, I learned to always carry a couple of small power packs onhand if I am not just at home or at work to keep my phone charged.]
I’ve never felt the need for a compass, because I’ve always stuck with trails. I just made a mistake one day of trusting my eyesight and sense of direction.
If sunny, don’t need a compass - can tell by sun’s position easily.
If not by sun, by moss on sides of trees. Or on rocks.
Any outdoors person can......
In the age of GPS, Garmin, TomToms, etc we have lost the skill of orienteering with a compass or the stars.
***No compass?***
I used a compass when I went to the Museum of Art in NYC. Some people laughed but that place was a labyrinth. Even Charles Addams, in one of his cartoons showed a Minotaur in one of the halls.