A man from Meadow Lake, Sask. is safe after having to spend a night lost in the bush in the northwestern part of the province over the weekend.

Joel Gerrard, 34, says he embarked on a two-hour hike near Kimball Lake on Saturday afternoon, but he somehow ended up on the wrong trail.

Whereas most stories about getting lost in the woods involve hikers realizing they are walking in circles, Gerrard said he had the opposite realization.

"The Raspberry Trail is a circle, but I was actually walking in a straight line, thinking I was walking in a loop," he told CBC News on Monday.

Joel Gerrard says he had intended to go on a two-hour hike on a trail near Meadow Lake, Sask., on Saturday. Instead, he ended up lost and did not get home until the next day. (Submitted by Jessie Keith)

Gerrard said he did not realize how crossed his trails were until he came across a map in a snowmobile warm-up shack.

"There's this huge red arrow saying, 'You are here' and I was far and hell gone from where I was supposed to be," he said.

It was dark by then, so Gerrard said he decided to spend the night inside the shack.

To battle his hunger, Gerrard said he ate berries and petals from lilies, even though the latter is Saskatchewan's official flower.

Gerrard said he did feel guilty about eating petals from the provincial flower, but the hunger pangs were stronger.

Early the next morning, Gerrard walked out of the shack and made it back home just as RCMP were about to launch an air search.

"When I saw my dad, the first thing he did was give me a hug, and then he bent me over and kicked me in the butt," he said.