I'm going to go Google the Personal Locator Beacon. I'm curious about how much it costs initially, whether or not there is ongoing fees, and generally how it works, as in, whether someone always listening for a distress signal or is it only helpful after someone is missing you.
I always enjoyed short walks in the woods, stuff almost any age and fitness level can handle. I became terribly frightened after getting lost for several hours with my sister and young daughter. I still don't understand how we managed to get lost and cannot explain it. That itself is frightening. It was a rough experience because we had no intention to "hike" and had nothing at all with us. The worst part was the fear though and that has lasted over a decade now. I've hiked with a group a few times, which is a pretty good solution for me, considering my fitness level and lack of expertise. However, the fear of going into the woods by myself, anywhere past visual contact with the road seems more like a phobia than something to truly be afraid of. This was reinforced last year when a co-worker got lost and died of exposure last year. She wasn't far from the path when she was finally found but had somehow died in some shallow water, likely in the dark after being lost just the first day.