Getting Lost in Natural Caverns

  Hi guys. Today, I'll be discussing about the one thing that bothers Minecrafters the most (other than creepers): getting lost in caves.

  Imagine it. You find a huge natural underground cavern, find loads of ore, maybe even a dungeon or two, and you get lost. You can't get back to the surface.

  How do you avoid the mentioned situation?

  Firstly, you need a way to mark the trail that you came from. Torches are probably the most obvious idea, but sometimes they get confusing. You may try to follow the torches back to the cave entrance, but there will be a point where you find a certain place in the cave where you have a crowd of randomly placed torches, not leading you anywhere. What other alternatives are there to using torches?

- Signs. The second most obvious. Not only can they lead you back home when you get lost, you can also put words on them to tell you stuff like, "Zombie dungeon! Do not enter!"

- Redstone. Not the most economical way, but if you find yourself having a tad too much redstone, you can use it to mark your trail.

- Non-natural blocks. Use non-natural blocks, such as wooden planks or stone steps to mark the way you came from.

  But if you are reading this post, you may be already lost in a cave and not have a trail to follow back home. What should you do in this situation?

There are two ways.

  The first way, is probably the most nonsensical and non-economical way. Kill yourself. Of course, you will lose all your precious tools and ores, but if you really miss your cozy little house, kill yourself and respawn next to your bed.

  The second way makes more sense than the above mentioned. First, setup a mini-base in the underground. Craft a compass (you should have the materials in the cave). Once you have the compass, get as much elevation material as possible. (Obviously, dirt.) For the next step, start mining your way up. Jump and place the elevation material below you, and remove blocks from above your head. A word of caution though, you may hit a lava pool if you are not careful.

  Once you reach the surface, there is a high probability of you ending up in a unknown and unexplored part of the map. No problem. Follow the way the compass points, and you should end up at your spawn point (the bed in your house, if you have slept in it before.)

  Congratulations! You have made it out of the cave! And with a bit of luck, you probably won't encounter a creeper.