C152 STUDENT PLT; ON FIRST SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT; DID NOT TRUST OR UNDERSTAND HER VOR; GOT LOST; AND HAD TO BE RESCUED BY A FLT SVC SPECIALIST AND A ZLC RADAR CTLR.

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I AM WRITING TO RPT MY CALL FOR ASSISTANCE TO THE FLT SVC STATION. THIS WAS MY FIRST XCOUNTRY SOLO ON A COURSE I HAD PREVIOUSLY FLOWN WITH MY INSTRUCTOR. I WAS ON THE SECOND LEG OF MY FLT PLAN LEAVING POCATELLO; ID. PRACTICING USE OF THE VOR; I REALIZED THAT I HAD SHIFTED COURSE FROM THAT OF MY FLT PLAN. HAVING CONFUSED MYSELF WITH THE VOR INDICATIONS I BEGAN ALSO TO DOUBT THE HEADINGS I SHOULD HAVE FOLLOWED IN MY FLT PLAN. I FELT THAT I SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET MYSELF BACK ON COURSE BY COMPARING MY SECTIONAL MAP WITH THE SURROUNDING AREA. HOWEVER; THE TERRAIN THROUGHOUT THAT AREA HAS MANY MOUNTAIN RANGES FORMING VARIOUS VALLEYS AND I STRUGGLED TO DISTINGUISH ANY SIGNIFICANT LANDMARKS. I REALIZED THE TIME I HAD ALLOTTED MYSELF FOR THIS LEG OF MY PLAN HAD EXPIRED. I BEGAN TO CIRCLE WHILE I CALLED THE FSS OR BOISE RADIO TO LET THEM KNOW I WAS STILL IN THE AIR AND ASK FOR HELP IN FINDING MY LOCATION. THE WOMAN I SPOKE WITH ASKED FOR MY HEADING AND ALT AND THEN FOR ME TO SQUAWK 7700 ON MY XPONDER. SHE THEN ASKED ME TO SWITCH OVER TO ZLC WHERE I WAS GIVEN A HEADING TO FOLLOW LEADING ME BACK TO MALAD; ID. I LEARNED FROM THIS EVENT THAT I NEEDED TO SPEND MORE TIME TRACKING A VOR AND HAVE REQUESTED SUCH FROM MY INSTRUCTOR. I ALSO NEED TO HAVE MORE CONFIDENCE IN MY FLT PLAN AS TO NOT SECOND GUESS A PLAN I KNOW TO BE CORRECT.