One weekend trip into the Caribou Wilderness which is next to Lassen Volcanic NP here in N CA. I had hiked up to a small plateau if you will, a prominent feature close to camp. I had not been up there very long before a low cloud or bit of fog rolled in and due to not being up there before, suddenly realized I had to figure out where I had come from and where I was going to go down at. No panic but oh s__t!. Once down, I could orient myself. Yes, a compass would have been handy, but would I have brought it on a local trip?