Somarinoa Plays Missing Hiker

It is 1994 and our brother Ethan has turned up missing within the last 24 hours, having failed to check in during a hike. The local police are unwilling to help. Being the bright man that we are, we decide to immediately go searching for him in a forest you don't have any experience in, in the dark, with just a flashlight and a tent -- because why would anyone traveling through the woods in the dark want to also carry something to protect themselves with? Ah, I'm sure it's fine. What's the worse that could happen?