SPRYFIELD - It was the perfect afternoon to take the dog for a walk. At least, it should have been. But Caroline Sutherland's spur-of the moment decision to walk around Spryfield's Long Lake on Wednesday afternoon with her dog nearly got her killed. The 46-year-old got lost in the dense woods around the lake and couldn't find her way out.

"I thought I was going to die in there," said Sutherland, who spent a terrifying 15 hours looking for a way out of the woods.

"I was trying to prepare myself to die."

Sutherland left at about 2 p.m. Wednesday with the family's Husky mix, Blizzard, leaving no note for her partner or their 16-year-old son.

When she wasn't back by 6 p.m., the frantic family called police.

Thirty-two Halifax Search and Rescue volunteers began combing the woods around the lake at 8 p.m.

Sutherland had no idea she was in trouble until the sun started to set. She could see the other side of the lake and figured it couldn't be long before she reached it.

"I could have kicked myself for being so stupid, but I never thought that lake was so big."

By nightfall, Blizzard was starting to tire and Sutherland, who hadn't eaten since the day before, was ravenous.

She drank some lake water, and nearly slipped on the slick rocks.

She tried to rest, but her jeans were so wet and cold that she worried she'd freeze to death.

So she kept moving, staying close to the lake as a reference point, with the lights and the distant sound of cars a constant, tantalizing reminder that civilization was close by.

"I was so scared. My heart was going so fast and so loud, I thought I was going to take a heart attack."

At 4:52 a.m. yesterday, Sutherland heard searchers calling her name.

Moments later, she was safe, drinking hot tea from a thermos and changing into dry clothes.

Search and rescue team spokesman Tony Rodgers said hikers should always let someone know where they're going in case they get lost.

If you do get lost, he said, stay put so rescuers can find you.

It's also a good idea to carry a small survival kit: a whistle, a small knife, a chocolate bar, a flashlight and a bright orange garbage bag to use as a raincoat.

"You never know how quickly you can get turned around, and the weather can change," Rodgers said.