The iPhone (News - Alert) can often help you when you are in need for last minute directions or need to be reminded of an upcoming appointment. But for Christopher Tkacik, a man from Maryland, it was a lifeline when he and his dog got lost during a New Years Eve hike.

“Having a charged phone made a world of difference,” Tkacik told MyFox DC. “If I didn’t have a phone I would have been stuck really bad.” Tkacik and his dog, Boo, were hiking in Gambrill State Park, just northwest of Frederick in Maryland. During the hike, Tkacik realized that he crossed the same creek more than four times, realizing that he was officially lost. Tkacik called the police, who dispatched a helicopter.

At home, his wife Aysem, sent Tkacik a text message. “At 5:23 p.m., I ask, ‘Where are you?’” Aysem Tkacik said, reading the message that is still on her phone. “And he goes, ‘Lost. Police on their way.’” Aysem said that her husband told her that he truly had no idea where he was, but for her not to worry because the authorities were on their way to find him.

However, the iPhone’s GPS did him no good. Tkacik said the Maps app kept telling him he was in a location of the park he was familiar with, however he knew that was incorrect. The 42-year-old lawyer did do some quick thinking and was able to make his iPhone work like his own personal flare.

Tkacik said when he heard the helicopter hovering above; he turned on his iPhone’s flashlight so they could see him. Just like a flare, the pilot spotted the iPhone flashlight in the darkness of the wooded area and two rescue workers rappelled down 150 feet from the helicopter to help bring Tkacik and his dog, Boo, to safety.

The entire rescue process took four hours, but got Tkacik back to his wife in time to attend a New Years Eve party they both wanted to attend. Amusingly, Tkacik had recently given his wife a copy of the Steve Jobs (News - Alert) biography for Christmas and she stated, “I started reading it. Steve Jobs with the iPhone – oh my gosh – technology is good,” she said.

Tkacik said the incident wouldn’t prevent him from hiking again – and it didn’t. Following New Years Eve, Tkacik was out on Monday hiking the trails again with his faithful partner Boo. Looks like Tkacik will never leave home again without his trusty and reliable iPhone.