This is very sad. I’ve walked part of the AT, and the best piece of survival equipment I can suggest is a partner. No way I’d go alone - one twisted ankle could suddenly become a survival situation.
I did get lost in the woods once, as a kid - and I admit I got a little ‘panicky’. The terrain starts to all look familiar, and your mind convinces you that you’ll find a road or other landmark, ‘just over the next hill’, only to be repeatedly disappointed. Now that I’m older, I always suppose that if I can get to high ground, with the exception of the most rugged parts of our nation, there will always be something to see - either a road, powerline, or something like that...man made and it has to start somewhere and go somewhere.
“I can get to high ground”
Go down not up. Following water will get you somewhere.
You might not be able to see beyond the trees. You’d have to not only be “up” but be in a bald spot or above the tree line AND be able to see into a direction where there’s something. You might just wind up looking over at the next ridge on the wilderness side.
If conditions are right (and you can see as above), you can spot distant streams/rivers by a ribbon of cloud above them. Warmer water in a cool morning will show itself in the sky.