Also, go downhill. Always. Downhill leads to water. Water leads to more water, which leads to civilization.

As far as signal fires go, don't make them if you cannot control them. Being lost is bad. Being lost in a forest fire is worse.

Almost always go downhill. There are exceptions.

In Death Valley, going downhill just gets you to Badwater. (Though there might be a road or at least a trail there.)

In some places in southern Utah, it gets you to the top of a several-hundred-foot cliff that you can't descend. Worse, pushing to keep following the watercourse down can get you below some smaller steps that you cannot go back up.

In northern Utah, down gets you to the Great Salt Lake. Depending on where you're coming from, that may not be a place you want to get to.

In many places in the Basin and Range, down just gets you to a dry lake that's absolutely nowhere with respect to civilization, or even water.

In Nevada, down may get you to where the Humboldt or Truckee River disappears underground.

Going down is generally good advice. It's not always good advice.

please! learn how to mark your trail to suitable standards. it prevents a lot of anguish.

https://northcountrytrail.org/blazing-best-practices-2/

https://greatdividetrail.com/blazing-the-trail/